WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON PREVIEW
The Rams hit the road once again for league match number 25 as we head to West Didsbury and Chorlton for the second time this season, hoping to continue the run of 12 games league games unbeaten, seven of them on our travels.
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: Saturday 23rd November 2024
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ADMISSION: Adults £7 | Concessions £5 | Dogs allowed | Card or cash
OVERVIEW:
After the snow halted postponement of Tuesday night, the Rams go in to Saturday’s tricky league game away at West Didsbury and Chorlton still four points clear at the top of the table knowing that Bury are breathing down their necks with three games in hand.
It was forever thus that the reformed team from down the road would be the strong favourites for automatic promotion this season (as they were last season too), given their resources but it is the Rams who continue to lead the way in the NWCFL table.
On a run of 12 games unbeaten since that FC Isle of Man loss at home in mid-September, there are some huge games to come over the next few weeks, starting with this trip to south-west Manchester, who sit in seventh place in the table as it stands seven points outside of the play-off places but with a couple of games in hand over those above them.
However, our hosts have been rocked by three league defeats in their last four, including a surprise 2-0 loss at Colne last Saturday (who have now won their last two league games to lift themselves off the bottom of the table – at least we aren’t they only scalp they have scored this season now!).
That will count for very little in front of their normal sizable Saturday afternoon home crowd and on a ground where they have won seven of their 11 this season so far – and a ground where we have never won in our previous two attempts … well within 90 minutes anyway!
You can be certain that this will not be an easy game but please do make every effort to come and support the lads as they continue this great league season to date. Get there early though as WD&C’s attendances this season are up in the 700-1000 mark once more.
HISTORY:
The late, great South African Anglican bishop, the former Bishop of Johannesburg, Archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize winner would be very proud of this fixture.
For the last three occasions that Ramsbottom United and West Didsbury and Chorlton have meet in either league or cup action – the final score has been a ‘Desmond’. 2-2. (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist!!).
We first met in the LFA Trophy in 2014 where Grant Spencer, Lee Gaskell and Phil Dean all scored in the last nine minutes of the game to seal a 3-0 victory but, since we crossed horns in the same league last year, the scoreline has been the same.
The meeting at HWRS in August last year saw the Rams go 2-0 up in the first half through Chingwaro and Whyte but Davis and Billingsley responded for WD&C in the second half to take a share of the spoils. And the March return fixture ended the same way, with WD&C coming from behind twice to take a point. Birchall gave the Rams the lead, Matthews responded. Chingwaro put the Rams ahead again only for McKnight to equalise with six minutes left.
And then the Macron League Cup game back in October was the same again. Camara opened the scoring, Lazenbury brought it level, Whyte put the Rams up and then Grimshaw took them back down – only that time the Rams progressed through a penalty shoot-out.
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“Never an easy place to go to but we have had a good rest after our professional performance in beating Pilkington last Saturday so come into this game in good shape, aiming to keep our good run going.”
