Ramsbottom United (A)
NWCFL Premier Division
Matchday 42

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• Saturday 22nd March 2025 
• 3:00pm kick off
• Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Acrebottom Lane, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
• CASH ONLY THROUGHOUT THE GROUND
  • £9 adults
  • £5 concessions (65+, 12 to 16)
  • £1 for accompanied under 12s
• Parking available at the ground and Ramsbottom town centre also has various car parks minutes' walk away from the stadium
• Bar open at the adjacent Ramsbottom Cricket Club from 1:30pm. Tea Bar and Can Bar within stadium
• Dogs allowed
• For directions, travel and facilities info, click here and select 'Matchday' 

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Preview

West travel to 3rd placed Ramsbottom United on Saturday with five league games remaining. 

While the home side's place in the playoffs is all--but-confirmed - and will be mathematically assured with a win here - West still have work to do to secure their own position.

Currently enjoying a four-point cushion on 6th placed Irlam, West's remaining opponents average 10th position, including two of the top 7 as it stands. The Silver Street side face an average of 15th position, with only one of the top 10.

Three consecutive home defeats have realistically ended Ramsbottom's title ambitions that had previously sustained throughout the season, but the Rams have since returned to form, picking up two-goal wins over Charnock Richard and Litherland REMYCA.

The sides are meeting for the third time tthis season, Ramsbottom leaving Brookburn Road victorious twice already in 2025/26. First up was a Macron Cup penalty shootout win in October, followed a month later by a 3-1 league win in biblical weather conditions.

Only Lower Breck have won more home games this season than the Rams and, prior to the recent spate of defeats, they had not lost at home since early September. 

West's own form in 2025 has been good but inconsistent, with an unusual series of win, not win, win, not win... running since early January. Considering last weekend's 1-1 draw with Padiham, hopefully this statistical quirk suggests a West win is on the cards?

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Form Guide

Ramsbottom United
Position: 3rd
Form position: 10th
Home position: 3rd
Last six overall: WWLLLW
Last six home: WLLLWD

West
Position: 5th
Form position: 7th
Away position: 9th
Last six overall: DWLWDW
Last six away: WLWDLW 

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Ramsbottom United At A Glance

Home colours: Blue & white
Change colours: Red & black
Pitch surface: Grass
2023/24 position: 18th, NWCFL Premier
2024/25 average attendance: 313
Travelling distance: 23 miles
West away season round trip: 1,816 miles

Ramsbottom United were founded in 1966 and their chairman, Harry Williams, has held this position for the duration of their history. Their first 30 years were played at amateur level, before joining the North West Counties Football League in 1995. They made it as far as Step 3 of the non-league pyramid in 2014 but experienced their first-ever relegation two years later to drop back into the Northern Premier Division Division One West. They were relegated again in 2023 and are playing only their second season back in the Counties since winning the Premier Division in 2012.

It is therefore unsurprising that West and Rammy’s paths have rarely crossed. The sides first met in the Lancashire Challenge trophy in 2014, with West falling to a 3-0 defeat in the second round. Aside from that, last season's meetings were the first league fixtures between the clubs. 

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Head to Head

Overall
P4 W0 D3 L1 F6 A9

At The Harry Williams Riverside Stadium
P2 W0 D1 L1 F2 A5

Our last trip to Ramsbottom finished 2-2 on a warm August evening at the start of last season. West went two goals behind but recovered as Rhain Davis and Lewis Billingsley set up a dramatic finish, with West ultimately unfortunate to not snatch all the points. Our report from that match is HERE.

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Browse through our wonderful match galleries, from club photographers:
Nathan Ashmall, Chris Michell, Jack Todd and Christina Bowett.