BARNOLDSWICK TOWN PREVIEW
Eight months and 23 days. 266 days in total. And finally, match number 46 of this long, long season appears into view. Of course, it is not going to be the last of the season as Barnoldswick Town complete the collection for the 2024/25 regular season at the HWRS.
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Barnoldswick Town
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 12th April 2025
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ADMISSION: Adults – £9, Concessions – £5, U12 – £1 (with paying adult) – CASH ONLY
PARKING:
Please note that due to the works on the old Mondi mill site off Bridge Street there’ll be no parking on Acre Bottom Lane on the approach to the cricket and football clubs. Also, the commencement of cricket matches at Acre Bottom means parking at the ground will be reserved for players and officials only. Please make use of alternative parking and be mindful of residents and restrictions.
OVERVIEW:
Does anyone remember 25 April 2024? It was the final match of the 2023/24 season. A season disjointed by the weather with the Rams playing 15 matches across March and April culminated in a game at Greenberfield Lane between 17th placed Barnoldswick Town and 18th placed Ramsbottom United.
A game of no consequence. A game played because it had to be played to complete the season. A 1-1 draw with Oumar Camara scoring with two minutes left to level. It was a pleasantly warm April evening but one that didn’t live long in the memory, especially coming off the back of a battling 0-0 draw that put the boot into Bury’s automatic promotion bid just a few days previous.
Fast forward twelve months and our last game of the season sees the Rams and Barlick lock horns once more. In the grand scheme of things, this game doesn’t have much riding on it, Barnoldswick are likely to finish in 16th place while the Rams have locked in third but will miss the chance of gaining 100 points for the first time after Friday night’s loss to Chadderton.
But there is a lot riding on this game, especially for the home side ahead of the big end of season shoot-out in the play-offs. Momentum is a great thing and the defeat on Friday night will have stung the Rams so that will need to be put behind us and focus restored on the next two or three games.
The main focus being this game against a Barnoldswick Town side that we have not beaten in our last four meetings – all of the previous three league contests in the NWCFL last season and this finishing 1-1 and there was the epic FA Cup Preliminary Round game that finished 5-4 to the visitors back in 2021.
It hasn’t been an easy run of late for Barlick, winless in their last eight games with only three draws to show for their efforts and defeats to AFC Liverpool, Prestwich Heys and a 6-0 reverse at Lower Breck last time out.
As for the Rams, their good six game winning run came to an abrupt halt under the Avro lights. Now is not the time to lose your way – but Barnoldswick will be out to cause some doubts.
HISTORY
This is the tenth meeting between the Rams and Barnoldswick Town since the first back in the NWCFL in August 2010.
Few of a certain vintage will forget the 2011/12 season when Barlick were one of the sides chasing us down alongside Runcorn Town and Bootle. Jon Robinson’s double at the Silentnight Stadium in March 2012 was key to the success the Rams finally secured that season.
But since then, despite a gap of nine years between fixtures, the Rams haven’t been able to put Barlick away! The last three league meetings, as mentioned above, have all finished 1-1. Matthew Dudley’s penalty cancelled out by Brad Carsley in August 2023; Jack Foster’s first half strike being cancelled out by Oumar Camara in the 88th in April 2024 and Tom Hoyle’s 5th minute penalty was not enough as Gareth Hill equalised on 67 minutes in October.
The Rams overall lead 4-2 with three draws and 16-12 in goals.
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“The lads are eager to put Friday’s result right in this final league game of the season against a difficult Barnoldswick Town side.
“They will not be coming here just to roll over and we will need to work hard. It wasn’t easy last week on the 3G pitch and it was a frustrating night but we weren’t downhearted as the lads put in a good shift.
“But we know what the end game is now – and this game is crucial as we build momentum ahead of next Saturday.”
