Saturday 30th December 2017 (3pm), NWCFL Premier Division
West v Padiham
Brookburn Road, M21 8FE
£5 adults, £3 concessions, free for under-12s accompanied by an adult

West look to end 2017 on a high as Padiham visit Brookburn Road for the final match of the year.

Steve Settle's side will be looking to bounce back from Boxing Day's disappointing derby defeat at Maine Road, while the Storks saw their festive East Lancashire tussle at home to Barnoldswick Town fall victim to the weather.

At a glance

The Storks

Padiham are guaranteed to finish 2017 in the top half of the Premier Division after a solid start to the season. Things began ominously, with an early FA Cup exit at the hands of City of Liverpool and a run of four defeats in their opening five league games, but a 5-1 hammering of Burscough on 5th September heralded a change of fortunes. The Storks only lost two more games until the end of November and hit eight at Daisy Hill in the Lancashire Challenge Trophy, and they also found worldwide fame when the dramatic conclusion to their 3-3 draw at home to Widnes went viral.

Repeating their NWCFL title success of 2012-13 looks unlikely - the Storks are a rare recent example of a team winning promotion from the Premier Division and being relegated back - but an improvement on last season's 7th-place finish looks well within their grasp.

Last time - Padiham 3-1 West, Wednesday 5th April 2017

Two second-half goals saw the Storks beat West for the first time in five attempts. Georgi Whyment cancelled out James Dean's opener, but Martin Parkes and Mark Coyne sealed the points for the home side after the break.