STOCKPORT TOWN PREVIEW
The start of April arrives – it felt a million miles away back in late July 2024! But here we are, three games remaining and a play-off place booked. What is that on the horizon, possibly just five matches away? It matters not as Stockport Town rear into the near view first at the HWRS on Saturday.
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Stockport Town
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 5th 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 commencement of 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. Please make use of alternative parking and be mindful of residents and restrictions.
OVERVIEW:
There is considerable excitement in the Ramsbottom United ranks. You always dream way back in July to be ‘in the shake-up’ at the end of the season. The pre-season favourites were always Bury, given their vast resources, so it was always expected to be pick one of the others to join them.
The fact that the title is not yet won, with every team left with three games remaining in the final fortnight of the season – quite remarkably – shows what a superb season it has been. Only three sides can still win the league – table topping Bury, second placed surprise package Lower Breck and the Rams.
It really is all to play for but dare you not take your eye off the ball. There are still three crucial, huge games left to play and the first of those come against a Stockport Town side in 10th place but for who the play-offs are now out of reach. They have given it a good hard crack though with just two defeats in their last eight games, winning three of them against Colne, Pilkington and FC St Helens last Saturday.
They travel to the HWRS with a superb away record to their names too – only Bury (15) and the Rams (13) have won more games that Stockport on the road this season, their 12 successes level with Lower Breck, and they have not lost an away game since sinking 3-1 at Padiham post Christmas, although they have only played five on their travels (won 3, drawn 2).
Saturday is their last away game, amazingly having six home games and a single away match in their final seven of the season! You gotta love the NWCFL!
As for the Rams, they have shelved their February/March blip to record five wins on the bounce so head into this fixture in good form, a point that manager Steve Wilkes is very keen to extend through the final three regular season games and into the big shoot-out later in the month.
HISTORY
This is the third meeting between the Rams and Stockport Town and we welcome them to the HWRS for the very first time.
Both of the previous clashes have seen the Rams victorious, but only by a single goal in both contents.
Matthew Dudley’s 52nd minute strike was enough to see the Rams through in the FA Cup extra-preliminary round back in August 2023 before we travelled to the Stockport Sports Village just prior to Christmas and claimed another 1-0 win, this time Oscar Radcliffe’s 27th minute goal (above) was enough for the three points in front of a bumper pre-festive crowd of 404.
You could actually say that this is the fourth meeting between the sides as we met in a behind-closed-doors friendly on 15 December 2020 and won 2-1. It was a warm-up game for the resumption of league activities in the midst of the Covid pandemic. The season never did restart!
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“We had to dig very deep to get the result last Saturday at Prestwich Heys, who put up a great performance against us and I know how disappointed they were to let slip at least a point from the game.
“But it showed our spirit to keep going and we battled hard to get that win. But now we come into April in good form, with five wins in a row and knowing there are some huge games coming up, including this one against Stockport Town, who have shown this season they are a very good team and not scared to play their game on the road either.
“However, its really important for us to go into the play-offs in the best form possible so every game is crucial for us.”
