PREVIEW – W DIDSBURY (A) GAME OFF
** GAME POSTPONED DUE TO A WATERLOGGED PITCH **
For the first time in 49 days, the Rams hit the road for a competitive game hoping to build on the impressive result last time out in the NWCFL in beating Burscough 3-0, albeit that was two and a half weeks ago too!
MATCH: West Didsbury and Chorlton v Ramsbottom United
VENUE: Step Places Stadium, End of Brookburn Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 8FE
COMPETITION: North West Counties League Premier Division
DATE: Tuesday 12th December 2023
KICK-OFF: 7:45pm
ADMISSION: Tickets can be purchased in advance during the SHOCAL app. Alternatively, Adults – £7, Concessions – £5, Juniors FREE.
PARKING: All parking for cars will be at Hardy Lane car park (M21 8DP) which is a short walk from the ground. Please note that there is NO PARKING on Brookburn Road or any other roads within Chortonville as they are private roads.
OVERVIEW:
It has been a seriously long wait to get the car off the driveway, type into the satnav a location and head off for a Rammy away game (if you discount our hastily arranged friendly on Saturday down in Staffordshire). But we finally, after seven weeks, get the chance to make a journey and it is a fairly short one down to south-west Manchester where high flying West Didsbury and Chorlton await.
For many, our last trek out was one to forget as they received a chastening defeat in Charnock Richard and while we have only played three league games since then, the league table hasn’t really changed a huge amount in that the Rams are down in 14th place but only 11 points away from the play-off places and, of course having not played many games, a few games in hand on those above.
However, our hosts are seventh place West, a tough proposition at the best of times but a side that are enduring something of a drop in form after a very impressive start. They have secured just three wins in the last 15 games and just one in their seven in all competitions, which included a heavy removal from the FA Vase away at Emley on Saturday.
But with a very vociferous home crowd – only Bury average a higher home gate than the side from Chorltonville – they will be looking to put that right against what maybe a slightly rusty Rammy side who have played only once in the last three weeks and that was the friendly with NPL Division One league leaders Leek Town.
There is still a very long way to go in this season, 21 games played is still not even half way through! But manager Steve Wilkes and his side are very positive that a charge up the table is still very much on the cards but WD&C are certainly a side not to be taken at all lightly and they have very firm ambitions to be challenging those play-off places, if not more.
But so do a great many of the division! It is sure to be intreguing!
HISTORY:
It is the return fixure from back in August when the Rams threw away a two-goal first-half lead at the HWRS to draw 2-2 courtesy of Rhain Davis and Lewis Billingsley’s second half strikes.
That was just the second time we had ever met as the first was in the LFA Trophy in November 2014, the Rams running out 3-0 victors with three goals in the last ten minutes from Grant Spencer, Lee Gaskell and Phil Dean.
STEVE WILKES’ THOUGHTS:
Rams boss Steve Wilkes is hoping that the long gap in action won’t have too much of an effect on the ultimate ambition.
“We finally get back playing after over two weeks of inactivity and they don’t come much harder than an away trip at West Didsbury.
“We need to build on our Burscough victory as we need to start climbing the league but we will hopefully have a couple of new faces in the squad that will increase the competition for places.”
