FC Isle of Man (A) \\\ Match Information

• Saturday 2nd March 2024 
• 6:00pm kickoff
• NWCFL Premier Division, Matchday 36
• The Bowl, Pulrose Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM2 1RB
• Pay on the gate, cash or card:
  • £10 general
  • £5 students, over 60s, 12-16s, disabled
  • £3 5-11s
  • Free under 5s

Live text commentary on Twitter @wd_cfc

Preview

An overseas trip awaits this weekend as West embark on a journey across the Irish Sea to face FC Isle of Man in Douglas.

Chris Rowley’s side will feel confident going into Saturday’s clash after pushing promotion-chasing Prestwich Heys all the way on Tuesday night at Brookburn Road to earn a creditable 1-1 draw in the fog.

West have now taken 10 points from their last five matches but, like a number of other recent performances, it took until the second half on Tuesday night for them to click into gear. West can be thankful in particular for two heroic saves from ‘keeper Ally Hughes to keep the score at 0-1 going into the break, although by the end of the night West were certainly good value for a point and had opportunities to take all three against a team that look well-placed for a spot in the end-of-season playoffs.

Neither side is likely to still harbour serious ambitions of achieving the same feat. FC Isle of Man are currently sat in 13th place, one point behind West in 11th . While both clubs would’ve hoped to have made more progress than they have done this season, they can both generally consider themselves to be clubs that are on upward trajectories following their promotions from the NWCFL Division One South at the end of the 2021/22 season. Whilst the islanders’ form has remained inconsistent, they have been looking up the table rather than down and have not been close to experiencing the relegation battle they successfully navigated last season. They have lost their last two matches though, the second of which came in particularly spectacular fashion away at Kendal Town. It would be fair to say that the Ravens never got a foothold in that match, and they found themselves three goals down inside the opening six minutes. The goals did not stop there though and the visitors were 5-1 down before the half-hour mark, although they did manage to stem the tide somewhat and limit tthe damage to a 6-1 loss.

West are likely to be without playmakers Charlie Whiteoak and Tom Schofield for the trip to Douglas and Billy Matthews remains a doubt following his last-minute absence on Tuesday. In more positive news, captain Matty Cook is available after completing his one-match suspension.

The supporters making the trip over can expect an entertaining game. The King George V Bowl has an artificial 3G surface, and West’s four games this season on that surface have seen an average of over five goals.

Travel Information

For those flying into Douglas, there are buses from Ronaldsway Airport into central Douglas, leaving directly outside the airport every 15 minutes. Visitors should take the 1, 1H, 2, 2A, 22 or 11A services heading north from the airport, heading towards Douglas Promenade in the centre of town and take around 20 minutes to arrive.

The King George V Bowl is a 20 minute walk from Douglas town centre. In previous seasons West supporters have congregated at the Rovers Return pub on Church Street before the match but, for those looking to meet somewhere closer to the stadium, FC Isle of Man encourage travelling supporters to use the Pinewood, a short walk from the Bowl.

Alcohol is not sold or permitted inside the stadium.

The match kicks off at 6pm but elsewhere there are several other local matches taking place, kicking off around the island at 2:30pm. For those who are not travelling, the Union 1908 supporters’ group are screening the match live at the Seven Oaks pub in Manchester city centre. Entry to watch the match is free or by donation.

History

FC Isle of Man were founded in 2020 after the IoMFA spent several years formulating plans to enter a team into the English footballing pyramid. The English FA eventually granted IoMFA’s application to join the league at the start of the 2020/2021 season, but those plans were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The following summer, FC Isle of Man started their English footballing adventure by kicking off their 2021/22 NWCFL Division One South season at Maine Road. They won promotion to the Premier Division in their inaugural Counties season, beating New Mills in the playoff final, to join West at the top table of the Counties-level football in the North-West. They retained their place in the Premier Division following a strong finish to the 2022/23 season.

While there was some local criticism of FC Isle of Man’s proposals at their outset, the Ravens have built up a solid fanbase on the island. Despite the obvious logistical challenges that they face in attending away matches, they have an active supporters’ group that has taken consistently large away followings over to England for most games this season. They have the second highest average home attendance in the league, behind only Bury, and have continued to grow year-on-year. This is aided by having all of their home matches scheduled on Saturdays for the ease of travelling players and supporters.

Form Guide

FC Isle of Man
Position: 13th
Form position: 10th
Last six overall: LLWWWD
Last six home: LWWDLW

West Didsbury & Chorlton
Position: 11th
Form position: 9th
Last six overall: DLWWWL
Last six away: LWLLLL

Last Meeting

Saturday 14th October 2023
NWCFL Premier Divison
West 2 FC Isle of Man 1
West scorers: Smyth, Davis
Attendance: 1,051

Recent Meetings

Over 1,000 fans crammed in to Brookburn Road in October to watch West claim a hard-fought three points. The game was evenly matched for the most part, eventually settled by a stunning Rhain Davis free-kick in the 81st minute, sending our Manx counterparts home empty-handed.

While West have a 100% record in M21 against the Ravens, they are yet to pick up an away win on the island. Last season, West rescued a 2-2 draw after being 2-0 down at the break and on the previous visit were denied the points by a second-half stoppage time double from IOM, who nicked a 4-3 win. This game has since been dubbed the 'best ever' match seen at the Bowl.

Head to Head

Overall:
P5 W3 D1 L1 F12 A8

At The Bowl:
P2 W0 D1 L1 F5 A6

Quick Info

Travelling distance: 118 miles
West away 2023/24 round trip: 1,198 miles
Last season's position: 13th, NWCFL Premier
Last season's average attendance: 758
Home colours: White & sky / purple / purple
Change colours: All yellow

Weekend fixtures
NWCFL Premier Division
Saturday 2nd March 2024
AFC Liverpool (15th) v Wythenshawe Town (2nd)
Burscough (23rd) v Litherland REMYCA (9th)
Bury (1st) v Lower Breck (8th)
Cheadle Town (20th) v Pilkington (19th)
Colne (10th) v Glossop North End (18th)
Irlam (14th) v Kendal Town (6th)
Longridge Town (21st) v Padiham (7th) (11am)
Prestwich Heys (5th) v Chadderton (4th)
Squires Gate (22nd) v Ramsbottom (16th) (5pm)
Wythenshawe (3rd) v Barnoldswick Town (17th)

Pictures by Simon Cook & Chris Michell