PADIHAM PREVIEW
** This match has been called off due to a waterlogged pitch. A new date will be advised in due course. **
For just the second time in the last seven weeks, the Rams open the gates for a home league game and it will be a warm welcome to our old friends from up the Valley in the shape of Padiham for match number 27 of the campaign.
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Padiham
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 7th December 2024
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ADMISSION: Adults – £9, Concessions – £5, U12 – £1 (with paying adult) – CASH ONLY
OVERVIEW:
You just never know what is going to happen in this league! Anything, but anything, can and probably will happen.
The performance of the Rams in the reverse of this fixture back in early September had everyone who was fortunate enough to witness it purring with pleasure and what many described as the perfect performance and resting the haunts of the previous visit on Boxing Day – or, for that matter, the last time they came to town earlier in this year.
The Storks are having a pretty good season but are something of draw specialist, having recorded eight – the joint most in the division – but have only lost four of their 23 league games. They sit in eighth place with 41 points, just five points shy of the play-off line, with games in hand.
Points on the board or games in hand? Which would you prefer?
The fact that the Rams are on an league unbeaten run of 14 games, containing 10 wins and four draws, ensures they come into this game with a four point lead at the summit of the NWCFL is testimony to having the points on the board. However, Padiham travel on a six game winning streak in the league – it has all the makings of a terrific game.
As December dawns, the Rams have four massive league games – two at home, two away. In a fortnights time, we travel to Stockport Town. Then Boxing Day comes with a trip down to Bury and then a home game with Squires Gate two days later. There will be 16 league games left to play in the first four months of the league season – who will be where? Who knows … but it’s in our hands.
HISTORY:
2010 … 2011 … 2024! The last three meetings between the Rams and the Storks at the Riverside. And all three of them have been won by the visitors! They will certainly travel with some positivity in their stride and a record to match.
The game in August 2010 saw the Rams take an early lead through Andy Dawson but Lee Morris and Andrew Haworth would respond before the break and that was that – a 2-1 win for Padiham. And they did it again in November 2011 when the Rams were 2-0 up through Ian Flannery and Jon Robinson only for Barry Shuttleworth and a brace for Morris to sting the hosts and saw the Storks fly off with a 3-2 success. A Padiham side featuring Shuttleworth, John Blackley, Kieran Fletcher, Stuart Telfer, Jordan Hulme, Andrew Sensale and Eddie O’Neill …..
Fast forward to April 2024 (pictured above, Rams playing in our white third kit) and it was a thumping 3-0 win for Arbories side as Jack Price, Tyler James and Joel Brownhill hitting the target. Can we turn it around? Or maybe produce a similar performance to the one that we enjoyed in September?
STEVE WILKES’ THOUGHTS:
“This league is a tough league and, in my opinion, Irlam are in a false position as they were excellent against us last Saturday.
“But we move on to another tough fixture this week against a Padiham side in really good form and they will want to prove their worth as play-off challengers and take our scalp but we are in a good place ourselves so it promises to be a very good game against a very good opponent.”
