FC ST HELENS PREVIEW
MATCH: FC St Helens v Ramsbottom United
VENUE: Windleshaw Sports, Windleshaw Road, St Helens, WA10 6TD
COMPETITION: North West Counties League Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 10th August 2024
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ADMISSION: Adults – £7, Under 16s and Concessions – £3.
RAMMY IN: Blue
PARKING:
All parking for players, officials and spectators is located at the bottom of Windleshaw Road in the car park. Please do not use the club house or the residential street.
OVERVIEW:
It has been a decent start to the season so far. Naturally it was disappointing to exit the FA Cup in the extra preliminary round – for the first time in 17 years it has to be said – but we sit in sixth place in the fledgling NWCFL league table with a draw and a win to our name thus far.
There has certainly been some encouragement for the beleaguered supporters who have stuck with the team across the last few seasons but Saturday will see a serious test against the early league leaders – a very new name to Rammy supporters in FC St Helens.
A club formed from a split from St Helens Town Reserves, they are no real relation to the side the Rams were familiar with up until 2012 when visiting the former St Helens RLFC home ground of Knowsley Road – this team in the town play at the home of St Helens RFC before they moved to Knowsley Road in 1890 – Windleshaw Sports Ground.
And they couldn’t have wished for a better start in their first ever season at Step 5 with a 3-0 win over Abbey Hey on the opening day before taking down Cheadle Town away form home 3-1. However, they would also see their dreams of Wembley dashed in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup last weekend, falling to a 1-0 loss at Emley.
Winners of Division One North last season by a clear nine points, winning 24 of their 34 league matches, hopes will be high that they can continue their charge through the divisions. But the Rams have their own plans to be in the shake up and the start made this season has warmed the hearts.
Manager Steve Wilkes is bouyed by the return of a number of players who have been unavailable for the early commencement of the league campaign and, whilst a couple of players have decided to seek their football elsewhere, the squad looks to be settled. Long may it continue!
HISTORY:
There isn’t any as this is the first ever meeting between the Rams and FC St Helens, who were only formed in 2014 and joined the West Cheshire League before moving to the Cheshire League a year later and in 2022 were admitted to the NWCFL.
Pic – FC St Helens Facebook
