West Didsbury & Chorlton v Prestwich Heys

• Tuesday 27th February 2024 
• 7.45pm kickoff - gates open at 6:30pm and we advise arriving early to avoid queuing or delays
• NWCFL Premier Division, Matchday 35
• The Step Places Stadium, Brookburn Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 8FE
• Cash or card - £7 adults, £5 students / 60+ / 16 and under, Free under 12s
• Season tickets / pay on the gate
• Dogs welcome
• Food and drink available including Wrap Scallion burritos

Live news and text commentary on Twitter @wd_cfc

Preview

After three long weeks away, West hope to resume their season on Tuesday night with the visit of high-flying Prestwich Heys.

While the rainy weather has not completely subsided at the time of writing, the forecast does look promising and West will hope that the evening presents an opportunity to put the most recent 4-3 loss at AFC Liverpool behind them and return to winning ways.

That defeat in Merseyside certainly feels like a distant memory by now, but manager Chris Rowley will remind his players of the many positives that were taken from the performance that night. The attacking play in particular brought back memories of the early season flair which saw West start out as genuine promotion contenders, and those that followed the team to Liverpool will have felt hard done by to have left the Marine Travel Arena empty-handed. A rare goalkeeping error from Ali Hughes and a controversial late penalty decision were the cause of West’s eventual undoing, but the performance as a whole was indicative of a side that are in the process of rebuilding a positive foundation for next season.

Captain Matty Cook was sent off for a second yellow card at Liverpool which means he will be suspended against Prestwich and, on the other side of the back four, Jake Kenny has since left M21 for pastures new at Wythenshawe FC. Subject to any other injuries that have been picked up in recent weeks, it may be a slightly unfamiliar looking defensive lineup when West return to action. At the other end of the pitch, winger Kieran Molloy will be in contention for his West debut after signing from Bala Town.

Tuesday’s visitors currently sit in 5th and look well placed for a spot in the end-of-season playoffs. That said, their recent form has started to stagnate. Prestwich have played more football than most teams in recent weeks, although they have struggled in the three matches played since West last kicked a ball. The only point they’ve registered during that period came thanks to a last-minute penalty that rescued a point against strugglers Burscough. They do currently occupy the last playoff spot and whilst they are level on points with 6th place Padiham, Prestwich do have four games in hand to potentially give themselves some breathing space. They appear to still be without top-scorer Greg Daniels, whose recent injury has coincided somewhat with Prestwich’s recent downturn in form. It is not surprising that his loss has been such a blow for Tuesday’s visitors, with the striker having scored an astonishing 15 goals in a nine-game run leading up to the festive period to lift catapult Prestwich up the table. Even if Daniels remains out for Tuesday night’s match, Prestwich can still rely on the form of Matthew Davies who has himself notched seven goals in his last 11 outings.

On balance, it looks to be a good time to play one of the stronger sides in the division, although it remains to be seen just how much the extended break will have a knock-on effect on West’s match sharpness.

History

Prestwich Heys were formed in 1938 at Heys Road Boys School and they established themselves as ‘Heys Old Boys AFC’. Throughout their early years they built a reputation as being one of the best amateur teams in the country and they won several pieces of silverware in the Lancashire region. It is understood that they changed their name to Prestwich Heys AFC in 1964 as a means of acknowledging the national fame that their recent successes had apparently brought them.

Heys were founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982. They were relegated back to the Manchester League in 1996, where they remained until 2016 when they fought their way back to the big time, maintaining Counties membership ever since.

They play their football at Adie Moran Park, named after former chairman Adie Moran who passed away whilst on holiday shortly before the 2007/08 season, aged just 43.

Heys are one of a small number of NWCFL teams overseen by two joint-managers; James Hampson and Lee O’Brien have successfully shared the top job since June 2022

Form Guide

West
Position: 12th
Form position: 11th
Last six overall: LWWWLL
Last six home: WWLLDD

Prestwich Heys
Position: 5th
Form position: 13th
Last six overall: DLLLWW
Last six away: DLWWLL

Last Meeting

Thursday 6th April 2023
NWCFL Premier Division
Prestwich Heys 2 West 1
West scorer: Tom Westall (80)
Attendance: 241

Recent Meetings

Despite the season being less than eight weeks from completion, West and Prestwich have not yet met in the 2023/24 season, with the return fixture taking place on the penultimate weekend of the season.

Whilst the clubs have met in the Manchester League many times over the years, last season was the first time that both sides have competed together in the same division of the North West Counties League. The home side won 2-1 on each occasion, but prior to that the only competitive meetings in recent memory have come in the the Lancashire Challenge Trophy.

The most memorable of those encounters came in November 2021 when West of the First Division South scored four second-half goals to claim a 4-3 away scalp at the Premier Division side. A brace from Billy Matthews levelled the scores at 2-2 going into the final stages, and while Lee Grimshaw gave the hosts the lead in the 80th minute, late goals from Liam Delaney and Zeke Eme caused bedlam among the travelling fans and set West on their way towards a cup run that went all the way to a final to round off a memorable promotion season.

Head to Head

Overall:
P4 W2 D1 L1 F9 A8

At The Step Places Stadium:
P2 W1 D1 L0 F4 A3

Quick Info

Home colours: Red & white / black / red & white
Change colours: Grey & navy / navy / grey & navy
Travelling distance: 14 miles
Last season's position: 7th, NWCFL Premier
Last season's average attendance: 214

Directions

We encourage supporters to use public transport, cycle or walk if possible. 

By car:

There is no parking available at the ground for supporters, except for pre-booked disability access.

Please instead use Hardy Farm, M21 8DP.

Disability spaces must be accessed no later than one hour before kickoff and all vehicles will be unable to exit until 15 minutes after the final whistle to ensure the safety of all supporters leaving the stadium.

There is additional public car parking on Chorlton Ees opposite The Bowling Green pub, who are also allowing supporters to use the pub car park, but there is little other on-street parking.

Please also note that there is no parking available on Brookburn Road itself, nor the surrounding Chorltonville area, as they are privately maintained, exclusively for the use of residents.

By public transport:

The Step Places Stadium is one mile from Chorlton Metrolink station, on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines. Follow Google Maps directions to find your way to the ground.

If you are travelling from outside the Greater Manchester area, the Metrolink network can be accessed from any of Manchester’s central train stations. Visit the Transport for Greater Manchester website for tram times and more information.

By cycle:

The Step Places Stadium is a perfect location for those who cycle, being located next to the River Mersey, Sale Ees and only a few minutes away from the Fallowfield Cycle Loop. We have secure bicycle racks inside the ground to lock up your bike throughout the game. Please ask a volunteer if you need assistance.

Prohibited items

Bringing pyrotechnics and/or alcohol into the ground is prohibited. It is a criminal offence to bring pyrotechnics into any stadium. Stewards may conduct bag searches for prohibited items upon entrance to the stadium. Bag searches are a condition of entry and your co-operation is greatly appreciated. Spectators who break these rules may be banned from the ground and any pyrotechnics and/or alcohol will be confiscated.

Midweek fixtures
NWCFL Premier Division
Tuesday 27th February 2024
Bury (1) v Wythenshawe (3)
Chadderton (4) v Irlam (15)
Glossop (18) v Kendal (8) (8pm)
Longridge Town (20) v Pilkington (19)
Ramsbottom United (16) v Colne (10)
Squires Gate (21) v Cheadle Town (23)
Wythenshawe Town (2) v Litherland REMYCA (9)
Thursday 29th February 2024
Macron Cup Quarter Final
Barnoldswich Town v Charnock Richard

Pictures by Simon Cook & Chris Michell