PREVIEW – W DIDSBURY & CHORLTON
Are you a black cat owner? Has it gone missing? If so, then we might just have the answer. Manager Steve Wilkes has run over it. And every other black cat in the Ramsbottom area. Either that, or he and his team have sleep-walked under a multitude of ladders. The shutters are brought down on March … and what a March it has been!!!
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: Good Friday 29th March 2024
KICK-OFF: 1:30pm
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:
What do the Rams have to do to break the curse of this season? It has been 15 games since the win over Irlam on the Tuesday night before Christmas. We have won just two, lost 11 and drawn the other two.
However, five of the last six defeats, starting with the Wythenshawe Town late show in mid February and rolling through to the swirling dervish Chadderton goal have seen the Rams lose by the odd goal in three.
Our goal difference is only -11 … only!! … but it shows just how narrow the defeats have been.
That said, the story remains the same and the Rams sit in 18th place, like they continue to do but the gap between us and Pilkington in 23rd place is just four points. Yes, games in hand but we have secured just a single point in our last seven games and black cats are suffering!
Our last game in this difficult month comes with a trip to south Manchester to face a side that were going superbly when we were due to play them back in December and then again in January before the weather gods decided against it. They now find themselves down in 14th place and their play-off hopes quashed in the midst of just one win from their last eight. And they come into this game on the back of a 5-1 loss at Padiham … we know what that feels like!
22nd in the form table takes on 23rd. The makings of a classic!
HISTORY:
This is just the third meeting between the sides but our first trip to Chorlton to take on the highly progressive club in West Didsbury and Cholton.
For a reminder of the 2-2 draw back in August – a Jekyll and Hyde performance as match reporter Will Place described it – can be found here! Geez, we’d settle for a bit of Jekyll and Hyde!
STEVE WILKES’ THOUGHTS:
“Friday sees us travel to West Didsbury as we still go looking for this illusive win in recent weeks.
“I think anyone who watched the game on Tuesday at Chadderton would agree we deserved something out of it, but ultimately we didn’t.
“We will have Roman Allen back from suspension which is a boost for us.”
