Author: Richard Isaacs

It probably comes as a surprise that Saturday’s game will be the first ever competitive meeting between Ramsbottom United and Irlam.

With this Saturday’s FA Cup qualifying round encounter with Irlam kicking off the 2020/21 season, let’s have a look back at the first time the club stepped on “The Road to Wembley” in 1998.

In the first of a new series, we will look back at events that took place on this respective Saturday across Rammy’s semi-professional history.

In this first part of an EXCLUSIVE six-part interview with Rammy Stats, we look back on the reign of Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley at Ramsbottom United.

With a total of 279 appearances in his Rammy career, Grant Shenton looks back at his Rammy highs and lows across his six season spell with the club.

At the start of the 2000/01, the Rams were paired in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup with a club that had played in non-league football for over 50 years but it was their move just two years later in the Scottish Leagues and subsequent demise in 2008 that made them the story of the footballing world.

A mainstay of the Rammy side through eight seasons after joining as a fresh-faced youth, “Whiz” looks back over his career at the club and his highs and lows.

A night of frustration for the Rams, as despite their possession and pressure, they could not turn this into goals against a solid and determined Padiham defence, seeing the visitors win 2-1.