Five Things We Learned 2024/25 - Gameweek 19
Thu 5th December 2024 | Five Things | By Jay Cooper
1. AFC Liverpool with a Late Late Show
I'll make mention of another last-gasp winner from this past weekend later in this list, but for now, let's take a gander at what went down at the Marine Travel Arena this past Saturday. FC Isle of Man came over to the mainland for a clash with outside-chance play-off hopefuls AFC Liverpool.
A draw was a result that neither side wanted, but it looked as though the game would be going that way with the clock displaying 90+7 and the score firmly set at 1-1. However, Caleb Jones stepped up for hosts AFC in the dying embers to seal maximum points and reduce the gap between themselves and travelling FC to 6 points. The play-off picture is by no means defined at this stage.
2. Atherton LR are a Cup anomaly
Since the weekend has been and gone, some NWCFL sides have been in action in a handful of cup contests. All of Abbey Hey, Ashton Town, Atherton LR, Glossop North End, Pilkington, Route One Rovers and Thornton Cleveleys have been in action in the Derbyshire Senior Cup, the Edward Case Cup, the Lancashire Challenge Trophy, the Liverpool Senior Cup, and the Manchester Premier Cup, respectively.
So, why are Atherton an anomaly. That's because only Dave Jones' men were able to pick up a win and secure their place in the next round of their cup competition in midweek, knocki9ng off Route One Rovers in the ECC. It's always great to see NWCFL sides thrive in non-NWCFL matches and competitions, but it wasn't to be for a handful of teams this week, it seems.
3. Skem.
It. Finally. Happened. It took 21 matches in the First Division North this season, but Skelmersdale United have finally got their first win of the league campaign - and they did it in style.
In what was the best birthday present manager Tommy Lawson could have asked for, I’m sure, his side fought hard to a seemingly inevitable 1-1 draw away from home at Maine Road. A point would have been something, but something became everything in the 95th minute of play when Luca Boon bagged the winner to FINALLY get Skem off the mark for the season. It's a result that will see a huge sigh of relief come from the club, no doubt.
4. Two horses left in the South
Stafford Town have been unable to escape the limelight this season, but I'm sure manager Adam Wall doesn’t mind all that much given that a lot of the headlines surrounding the club are to do with the fact that they are smashing their way through the NWCFL First Division South. They made a statement with a 6-2 away win against Eccleshall to extend the gap between themselves and third-placed Alsager Town to a whopping 12 points.
There's one team that are contenders for Stafford's crown at the moment - Winsford United. Dean Jones and Dom Johnson's side are a mere two points behind Staffs as of now, and they earned their own defiant win this past weekend - they battered Barnton 5-0 on home soil. It will be quite the battle when these two sides face one another later this month, on the 14th.
5. Runcorn's revival is rolling
Skem got their win at the bottom of the North, and Runcorn did the same in the South on Saturday - not only to begin to gather some momentum, but also to, for the first time since the opening weeks of the season, escape the relegation zone.
Runcorn overwhelmed their opponents from this weekend, smashing Abbey Hulton United 4-1 to continue to hold of Wolves Sporting (who also won this weekend), and to leapfrog Foley Meir into 15th, At the time of writing, the bottom three sides in the division are all new arrivals in the 2024/25 campaign, and they will all have designs on not being immediately relegated.
Five Things We Learned 2024/25 - Gameweek 19
Thu 5th December 2024 | Five Things
By Jay Cooper
1. AFC Liverpool with a Late Late Show
I'll make mention of another last-gasp winner from this past weekend later in this list, but for now, let's take a gander at what went down at the Marine Travel Arena this past Saturday. FC Isle of Man came over to the mainland for a clash with outside-chance play-off hopefuls AFC Liverpool.
A draw was a result that neither side wanted, but it looked as though the game would be going that way with the clock displaying 90+7 and the score firmly set at 1-1. However, Caleb Jones stepped up for hosts AFC in the dying embers to seal maximum points and reduce the gap between themselves and travelling FC to 6 points. The play-off picture is by no means defined at this stage.
2. Atherton LR are a Cup anomaly
Since the weekend has been and gone, some NWCFL sides have been in action in a handful of cup contests. All of Abbey Hey, Ashton Town, Atherton LR, Glossop North End, Pilkington, Route One Rovers and Thornton Cleveleys have been in action in the Derbyshire Senior Cup, the Edward Case Cup, the Lancashire Challenge Trophy, the Liverpool Senior Cup, and the Manchester Premier Cup, respectively.
So, why are Atherton an anomaly. That's because only Dave Jones' men were able to pick up a win and secure their place in the next round of their cup competition in midweek, knocki9ng off Route One Rovers in the ECC. It's always great to see NWCFL sides thrive in non-NWCFL matches and competitions, but it wasn't to be for a handful of teams this week, it seems.
3. Skem.
It. Finally. Happened. It took 21 matches in the First Division North this season, but Skelmersdale United have finally got their first win of the league campaign - and they did it in style.
In what was the best birthday present manager Tommy Lawson could have asked for, I’m sure, his side fought hard to a seemingly inevitable 1-1 draw away from home at Maine Road. A point would have been something, but something became everything in the 95th minute of play when Luca Boon bagged the winner to FINALLY get Skem off the mark for the season. It's a result that will see a huge sigh of relief come from the club, no doubt.
4. Two horses left in the South
Stafford Town have been unable to escape the limelight this season, but I'm sure manager Adam Wall doesn’t mind all that much given that a lot of the headlines surrounding the club are to do with the fact that they are smashing their way through the NWCFL First Division South. They made a statement with a 6-2 away win against Eccleshall to extend the gap between themselves and third-placed Alsager Town to a whopping 12 points.
There's one team that are contenders for Stafford's crown at the moment - Winsford United. Dean Jones and Dom Johnson's side are a mere two points behind Staffs as of now, and they earned their own defiant win this past weekend - they battered Barnton 5-0 on home soil. It will be quite the battle when these two sides face one another later this month, on the 14th.
5. Runcorn's revival is rolling
Skem got their win at the bottom of the North, and Runcorn did the same in the South on Saturday - not only to begin to gather some momentum, but also to, for the first time since the opening weeks of the season, escape the relegation zone.
Runcorn overwhelmed their opponents from this weekend, smashing Abbey Hulton United 4-1 to continue to hold of Wolves Sporting (who also won this weekend), and to leapfrog Foley Meir into 15th, At the time of writing, the bottom three sides in the division are all new arrivals in the 2024/25 campaign, and they will all have designs on not being immediately relegated.
