Skelmersdale United (A) \\\ Match Information

• Saturday 9th March 2024 
• 3:00pm kickoff
• NWCFL Premier Division, Matchday 38
• The Community Ground, Bobby Langton Way, Burscough, L40 0SD
• Food and drink available in the clubhouse from 2pm
• Pay on the gate, cash or card:
  • £7 adults
  • £5 concessions
  • £3 under 16s
  • £1 under 10s
  • Free under 5s

Live text commentary on Twitter @wd_cfc

Preview

Skelmersdale United are West’s opponents this weekend following an impressive 2-1 win at Litherland on Wednesday night.

That result came courtesy of two excellent Lewis Billingsley free-kicks in the second half to enable West to win a league match after going behind for the first time since September. It was a contest that West controlled for large spells despite being played on a rough surface that undoubtedly favoured the opposition’s more direct style of play.

Saturday’s match will be West’s second trip to the Community Ground in quick succession following a 2-0 win away at Skem’s landlords Burscough in late January. The ground’s artificial surface is likely to be more conducive to West’s general approach of getting the ball quickly into wingers’ feet than Litherland’s weather-beaten pitch was on Wednesday and this will be a fixture that West will travel to with an expectation of taking all three points.

Skelmersdale are adrift at the bottom of the NWCFL Premier Division, although relegation cannot be mathematically confirmed for a couple more rounds of fixtures, the Blueboys’ fate is all but sealed. With eight games left to play, they are 11 points from safety and have picked up just two points from their last eight matches. They have conceded far more goals than any other side in the division and their top scorer Max Bollongino has not appeared since the 10-1 loss at Bury in January. Although what has been a largely joyless season for Skem appears to have come off the rails altogether, West manager Chris Rowley will be keen to ensure that West show no signs of complacency. Skem have punctuated their season with a small number of iimpressive results against unsuspecting opponents, most notably with a 2-1 win at home against league-leaders Bury, and West will need to ensure that they are not caught cold themselves.

Wednesday night saw Rowley deploy a slightly different tactical approach, as West’s usual back four became a back three with Matty Cook and Ollie Ford operating as wing-backs. In his post-match interview Rowley suggested that this was a means of stifling Litherland’s direct attacking approach. While that decision evidently paid dividends in Merseyside, that same tactic is unlikely to be necessary against Skem. The Blueboys are of course managed by ex-France, Tottenham and Wigan player Pascal Chimbonda, who has spoken at length about his team’s philosophy of playing attractive, possession-based football, and he has stuck to this in spite of the challenges that his side faced. Chimbonda is registered as a player-manager and has played in Skem’s last six matches. He is likely to feature again against West.

In terms of personnel, Rhain Davis will be a doubt for the trip after an accidental collision with teammate Astley Mulholland on Wednesday night resulted in him being substituted at half-time. Charlie Whiteoak and Billy Matthews could potentially return to the squad, and Hal McHugh will hope to play a part following his introduction to the West playing squad for the second half on Wednesday night.

Meet our opponents

It has been a torrid year for Skelmersdale United, who finished in the top half of the Northern Premier League Division One West last season. Less than 12 months on and they now find themselves on the precipice of relegation into step 6 of the non-league pyramid.

The reason for such a rapid and spectacular decline largely boils down to long-standing stadium issues that have blighted the club for almost a decade. The club were founded in 1882 and have a rich history, including winning the FA Amateur Cup at Wembley in 1971 and a large number of local trophies along the way. However, the club then left their spiritual home of White Moss Park in 2002, marking the start of a series of upheavals for the club.

The Blueboys moved into the Westgate Interactive Stadium (better known as Stormy Corner) after leaving White Moss Park and continuing to enjoy success in the NWCFL and the Northern Premier League. The club did not own the stadium though and, when an extension to the lease could not be agreed with the landlords in 2016, Skem were evicted and found themselves homeless. They tried to re-build the club while playing at nearby Prescot Cables and, after a brief return to Skelmersdale in 2019 to play at the JMO Sports Park, that ground did not pass FIFA’s “bounce test” in the summer of 2022 and could not continue to house Skem. They were consequently forced to set up away from their home town once again and moved in at Burscough for the 2022/23 season.

Much to the club’s dismay, Burscough’s Community Ground failed the requirements for step 4 football the following summer, which led to Skem being relegated back to the NWCFL. A mass exodus of the playing and coaching staff followed, and the club were required to hastily assemble a squad to compete this season, which is proving a difficult if not impossible task amidst such trying circumstances.

Form Guide

Skelmersdale United
Position: 9th
Form position: 13th
Last six overall: DLWWWL
Last six home: WWDLDW

West Didsbury & Chorlton
Position: 14th
Form position: 10th
Last six overall: LDLWWW
Last six away: LLWLLL

Last Meeting

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
NWCFL Premier Divison
West 2 Skelmersdale United 0
West scorers: Foulds, Matthews
Attendance: 432

Recent Meetings

The two sides met competitively for the first and only time earlier this season. West eased their way to a comfortable 2-0 win on a pleasant Tuesday evening in August. The goals both came in the first half, from Markel Foulds and Billy Matthews, helping continue West’s decent start to the season.

Head to Head

Overall:
P1 W1 D0 L0 F2 A0

At Skelmersdale United:
no previous meetings

Quick Info

Travelling distance: 38 miles
West away 2023/24 round trip: 1,352 miles
Last season's position: 11th, NPL Division One West
Last season's average attendance: 195
Pitch: Artificial
Home colours: All blue
Change colours: All red

Other weekend fixtures
NWCFL Premier Division
Saturday 9th March 2024
Chadderton (4th) v Padiham (6th)
Charnock Richard (12th) v Squires Gate (23rd)
Colne (11th) v Burscough (22nd)
FC Isle of Man (14th) v Longridge Town (20th) (6pm)
Glossop North End (19th) v Prestwich Heys (7th)
Irlam (13th ) v Bury (1st)
Litherland REMYCA (9th) v Cheadle Town (16th)
Lower Breck (8th) v Wythenshawe (3rd)
Pilkington (21st) v Kendal Town (5th)
Ramsbottom United (17th) v AFC Liverpool (15th)
Wythenshawe Town (2nd) v Barnoldswick Town (18th)

Pictures by Simon Cook & Chris Michell