Prestwich Heys (A)
NWCFL Premier Division
Matchday 18
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Preview
West make the short journey north to Prestwich Heys on Tuesday night with the hope of building on Saturday's 3-1 win over FC St Helens.
Saturday's win was West's 9th in 11 league games and moved the club to within touching distance of the playoff places. Lower Breck in 4th are the only side above West who are playing this midweek and a win will take West above FC Isle of Man and into 5th spot.
The first three months of the season have been a very different story for Tuesday's hosts. Prestwich Heys languish in 23rd and are propped up only by bottom-side Colne. They have managed just 8 points from their first 20 matches and have only taken one solitary league point from the ten home games they have played. It's a significant drop off for a club who were sat in the playoff places at one point during the final day of last season. They have recently had a change in manager however and new boss Ryan Hutchinson took charge of his first game at the weekend. There was no immediate 'bounce' for the new manager though as they lost 3-0 at home to Padiham, although reports suggest that Prestwich played well in that match and it would be unwise for West to be complacent against a team that have only take one point from their last 11 matches.
Prestwich's own preview for this match suggests that they are likely to introduce some new signings for Tuesday's encounter and this game may be harder to predict than the table suggests. One player registered to Heys that West fans will remember is Tyrese Beaumont, who impressed during during his short spell in M21 last season. He is yet to register an appearance for Prestwich, however.
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Prestwich Heys At A Glance
Home colours: Red & white / black / red & white
Change colours: Grey & navy / navy / grey & navy
Pitch surface: Grass
2023/24 position: 8th, NWCFL Premier
2023/24 average attendance: 211
Travelling distance: 14 miles
West away season round trip: 448 miles
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.
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Form Guide
Prestwich Heys
Position: 23rd
Form position: 22nd
Home position: 24th
Last six overall: LLDLWL
Last six home: LLLLLL
West
Position: 6th
Form position: 2nd
Away position: 11th
Last six overall: WLWWWW
Last six away: LWDWWW
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Past Meetings
West travelled to Adie Moran Park in the penultimate game of the 2023/24 season. It was a game that undoubtedly meant more to the hosts, who were still chasing a playoff place following an excellent late run of form. West's own season had come off the rails some months earlier, and the match played out as expected. Prestwich won 3-1 and the first of their goals came from winger Kieron Molloy, who had only left West a short while earlier to play his football closer to home.
The sides have met six times during the Counties era and West have won two, drawn two and lost two of those games. Prestwich Heys have taken the slightest of upper hands during those games, as they have scored 12 goals to West's 11.
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Head to Head
Overall
P6 W2 D2 L2 F11 A12
At Adie Moran Park
P3 W1 D0 L2 F6 A8
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Browse through our wonderful match galleries, from club photographers:
Nathan Ashmall, Chris Michell, Jack Todd and Christina Bowett.
