WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON PREVIEW
Just the six games remaining and a guaranteed play-off berth is within reach but there are some serious hurdles to come – and with the Grand National not far off, our match with another of the play-off contenders, West Didsbury and Chorlton, could be described as ‘The Chair’!
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs West Didsbury and Chorlton
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 22nd March 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:
The sun is shining and spring has sprung and, what is this, a non-league football season with a month to go and only six games remaining – I mean, where are the teams with 17 games still to play and forced to play four games in a week? Such madness!
For the Rams, it is just six games left – we play our game ‘in hand’ on Wednesday when we head over to South Liverpool. But there are some huge games remaining and one of the biggest is on Saturday when fellow promotion hopefuls, West Didsbury and Chorlton, head to the HWRS for league match number 41.
West, who are on a decent run of form with just two defeats from their last eight games since losing at home to Prestwich Heys in early February, sit in fifth place with 74 points, ten behind the Rams having played a game more.
The equation for the Rams is quite simple – a point will 99% guarantee them a play-off place (due to our superior goal difference over the only side that could overhaul us, Irlam) while two points will ensure we enter the four-way end of season shootout. Of course, there is still the hope of topping the table as a win here would reduce Bury’s lead over us to seven points but, in the trusty mantra of every football manager the world has ever seen … ‘let’s take every game as it comes’.
‘Control the controlables’ and all that!
The Rams’ remaining games are all significant hurdles towards the end of season goal – this fixture against West Didsbury and Chorlton could be seen as the biggest of the hurdles (like the 5ft 2in ‘The Chair’ at Aintree) but many a horse has fallen at apparent lesser jumps – 20th placed South Liverpool, bottom of the ladder Prestwich Heys, 9th placed Stockport Town, a faltering Chadderton and mid-table Barnoldswick Town will certainly be out to provide some significant challenges ahead across the next month.
And then … well, who knows what? The glory, the cheers from the crowd and hats flying in the air – or back to the yard to contemplate.
HISTORY
OK, let’s cut to the chase here … we have not lost to West Didsbury and Chorlton in our previous five meetings. There, I said it!
Of course, that means absolutely nothing whatsoever given that two of the three league meetings have ended in 2-2 draws – both coming last season – with West equalising in both games late on.
This season, however, the Rams travelled to south Manchester and returned with a 3-1 victory thanks to Tom Hoyle’s double and a Harvey Whyte penalty that Connor J Hughes’ late response couldn’t prevent the away victory which came off the back of League Cup Round 1 nailbiter which the Rams won 5-3 on penalties after the game finished – of course – 2-2!
This will be the sixth meeting between the sides, three in the league and two in the cup competitions – FA Trophy in 2014 and League Cup in October last year. The Rams are 2-0 ahead with three draws and a 12-7 goal advantage.
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“We know the importance of this fixture against West. We know what they are capable of and they have shown this season that they are a force to be reckoned with. They still have serious play-off ambitions and held Padiham 1-1 last Saturday in front of an amazing crowd.
“But I have been pleased with the way that we have bounced back from the defeats earlier in the month and the way that we have controlled games, especially last week against Litherland where we looked back to being a threat every time we went forward.
“We can’t take that for granted though, we will need to be at our best on Saturday against a very good West side.”
