Saturday 16th December 2017 (3pm), NWCFL Premier Division
Burscough v West
Victoria Park, L40 0SG
£6 adults, £4 concessions, free for under-16s
After bowing out of the Manchester Premier Cup in midweek, West return to league action on Saturday as they take on Burscough in a vital game at the wrong end of the table.
West travel to Burscough in dire need of points against a side who have struggled since their relegation from the NPL Division One North last season.
Saturday's trip to West Lancashire is the first of three away games against teams in the bottom half of the table - West visit Ashton Athletic on 23rd December before the South Manchester derby at Maine Road on Boxing Day.
At a glance
| Burscough | v | West |
| 20th | Position | 17th |
| LWDLW | Form (all competitions) | LLLLL |
| 23 | Played | 18 |
| 5 | Won | 7 |
| 5 | Drawn | 1 |
| 13 | Lost | 10 |
| 20 | Points | 22 |
| 31 | Goals for | 36 |
| 53 | Goals against | 48 |
| Terry Cummings (8) | Top scorer (all competitions) | Tom Bailey (21) |
| West v Burscough (NWCFL era): P1 W1 D0 L0 F4 A3 |
The Linnets
Burscough, winners of the FA Trophy as recently as 2003, have endured a traumatic 18 months on and off the pitch. They lost their manager and playing staff shortly after losing to Spennymoor Town in the 2015-16 NPL Division One North play-offs, before finishing bottom with 24 points the following season. This was played out against a backdrop of disputes between the board and the supporters which have continued as the Linnets adjust to life in the NWCFL.
On the pitch, they have begun to turn their form around after an awful start in which they failed to win in the league until the end of October. Since then, they have won four of eight games, including last Saturday's defeat of Northwich Victoria, and they have also progressed to the third round of the Macron Cup at the expense of Squires Gate.
Last time - West 4-3 Burscough, Tuesday 3rd October 2017
Nic Evangelinos scored an 89th-minute winner as West edged a thriller at Brookburn Road. The home side raced into a two-goal lead through Ben Steer and Evangelinos, but Terry Cummings scored twice to level the scores before the break. Tom Bailey and Adam Gilchrist exchanged goals in the second half before Evangelinos' late intervention.
Read the match report from October's meeting.
Getting to Victoria Park
By car
The quickest route from Chorlton to Burscough is via the M6, and takes around 50 to 70 minutes. Please check travel news before you set off.
By public transport
Burscough Bridge station is around 400 yards from Victoria Park. Trains run direct from Manchester - check the National Rail website for times.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m28!1m12!1m3!1d303699.00640453614!2d-2.802657870936175!3d53.510474396640184!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!4m13!3e0!4m5!1s0x487badf039c1da9d%3A0xf4755e85bb10d34f!2sChorlton%2C+Aberdeen%2C+Wilbraham+Road%2C+Manchester!3m2!1d53.4427799!2d-2.273543!4m5!1s0x487b1690195bb5ad%3A0x61407ee08f2bd9ed!2sBurscough+Football+Club%2C+Burscough%2C+Ormskirk!3m2!1d53.604563399999996!2d-2.8452976999999997!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1513281566824&w=600&h=450]
