West Didsbury & Chorlton v FC Isle of Man

• Saturday 14th October 2023 
• 3:00pm kickoff - gates open at 1:30pm and we advise arriving early to avoid queuing or delays
• NWCFL Premier Division, Matchday 17
• The Step Places Stadium, Brookburn Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 8FE
• Cash or card - £7 adults, £5 students / 60+ / under 16s, Free under 12s
• Season tickets / pay on the gate / advance tickets available HERE
• Food and drink available 
• Dogs welcome

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Preview

The latest threat to West's unbeaten run is FC Isle of Man, who arrive at the Step Places Stadium looking to prevent that sequence extending to eight.

The Ravens have made a balanced start to the season, winning and losing the same number of games - seven - although this Saturday's meeting is already their 12th away league game.

Therefore it comes as no surprise to learn that the majority of their points on the board have come on the road, 61% in fact.

They come into the fixture sitting close to their final league position of 2022/23, which was achieved through a strong run of eight wins in the final 12 games. Paul Jones oversaw a turnaround that gave the Ravens momentum to lift themselves up the table. The first eight wins had taken 24 games.

There had been periods of the season when the Ravens were looking anxiously over their shoulder rather than upwards - especially when Burscough made a late dash for safety - but their own performances meant survival was never truly under threat and the relative comfort of mid-table disguised the ups and downs of the season. Indeed, FCIOM were one of only two clubs to manage an unbeaten run, a winning streak, a winless run and a losing streak of five games or more during the season.

The 2023/24 season has been similarly streaky to date, the Ravens' results reflecting sequences of wins and defeats rather than outright inconsistency. Having won their last two, on the back of a narrow defeat at Bury, they will be hoping extend their own sequence as opposed to being West's latest notch.

Ravens games have been relatively low scoring - averaging three - even taking the 4-4 draw at AFC Liverpool into account. Across all competitions only two goals have been scored or shipped in the opening 15 minutes of goals, while 25 goals have come in the last half-hour (52%) suggesting we could be for a late show again.

Individually, Dean Pinnington leads the way on six goals with half a dozen others on three.

West continue to nurse injuries - Ben Elliott's sacrificial equaliser against Kendal Town puts him out for 14 days at least - while Darren McKnight, Ben Elliott, Andrew Jones, Callum Jones and Raheem Hanley are also definitely out, while Billy Matthews is on the cusp of a return from a head injury.

With three goalkeepers now at his disposal, Chris Rowley has a decision to make between the sticks but otherwise, owing to low availabilty, most of team arguably picks itself. A good runout at Ashton United - Tuesday night's Manchester Premier Cup defeat - puts one or two names in the frame for selection.

With Elliott missing, Lewis Billingsley is the sole leading marksman on display for West, with nine. Of the four other players to have registered three times or more, only Lee Grimshaw is definitely available.

Two points and two goals wasn't the desired return from the last two home games but West have a great chance to build on that and take all the points in front of a bumper Brookburn Road crowd.

History

In August 2019, FC Isle of Man confirmed its intentions to enter a team into the English football league, at step six of non-league system. On 8 October 2019, the club announced it had become affiliated with the Isle of Man Football Association, following the backing of clubs in the Manx football system.

However, there was opposition to the move from some local clubs and supporters over FC Isle of Man cherry-picking the best players from teams around the island and other clubs losing out on potential spectators. To ease this concern, FC Isle of Man kicks off its games in the later time slot of 18:30 to avoid any potential clash with the local league, which consists of 26 teams.

On 18 February 2020, St George's manager Chris Bass was announced as the club's first manager and days later the North West Counties Football League confirmed FC Isle of Man had submitted an application to join the league in time for the 2020/21 season.

On 21 July 2020, it was announced that the club would participate in the North West Counties Football League First Division South. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the team withdrew from the 2020/21 FA Vase.

On 7 December, the club was temporarily suspended from the league as it had yet to play any games and would not be able to complete all their fixtures by 31 May 2021, as required by The Football Association.

They played their inaugural match at their home ground, The Bowl, against Guernsey FC in the summer of 2020, competing for the newly formed Skipton Cup; the match ended in a 1–0 victory for FC Isle of Man.

The Ravens finally entered the NWCFL for real ahead of the 2021/22 NWCFL Division One South season. They played their first competitive league match against Maine Road on 31 July 2021, with Frank Jones scoring the club's first competitive goal.

Their first season ended in success as a 4–2 victory over New Mills in the Promotion Playoff Final saw the club promoted to the ninth tier of English football. The Ravens completed the season with a second piece of silverware, winning the Edward Case First Division Cup.

In November 2022, following a run of mixed results, an announcement was made that Chris Bass had parted company with the club, Director of Football Paul Jones taking over until the end of the season.

During February 2023 the club began the process to find a permanent manager for the 2023/24 campaign, with Jones still in his interim role the club.

On April 24, 2023, the club confirmed that Jones had been appointed to the post full-time with effect from that date. Two days earlier, the club had secured a 13th placed finish following a good run of form to end the season.

Form Guide

West
Position: 4th
Form position: 11th
Last six overall: LDDWDW
Last six home: DDWWLW

FC Isle of Man
Position: 13th
Form position: 15th
Last six overall: WWLDLL
Last six away: WLDLLD

Head to Head

Overall:
P4 W2 D1 L1 F10 A7

At The Step Places Stadium:
P21 W2 D0 L0 F5 A1

Last Meeting

Saturday 25th March 2023, NWCFL Premier
FC Isle of Man 2 West 2
West goals: Darren McKnight 56, Zeke Eme 67
Attendance: 862

Quick Info

Travelling distance: 118 miles
Last season's position: 13th, NWCFL Premier Division
Last season's average attendance: 758
Home colours: Red / red / black
Change colours: Sky blue & white diagonal stripes / purple / purple

Directions

We encourage supporters to use public transport, cycle or walk if possible. 

By car:

There is no parking available at the ground for supporters, except for pre-booked disability spaces.

Please instead use Hardy Farm, M21 8DP.

Disability spaces must be accessed no later than one hour before kickoff and all vehicles will be unable to exit until 15 minutes after the final whistle to ensure the safety of all supporters leaving the stadium.

There is additional public car parking on Chorlton Ees opposite The Bowling Green pub, who are also allowing supporters to use the pub car park, but there is little other on-street parking.

Please also note that there is no parking available on Brookburn Road itself, nor the surrounding Chorltonville area, as they are privately maintained, exclusively for the use of residents.

By public transport:

The Step Places Stadium is one mile from Chorlton Metrolink station, on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines. Follow Google Maps directions to find your way to the ground.

If you are travelling from outside the Greater Manchester area, the Metrolink network can be accessed from any of Manchester’s central train stations. Visit the Transport for Greater Manchester website for tram times and more information.

By cycle:

The Step Places Stadium is a perfect location for those who cycle, being located next to the River Mersey, Sale Ees and only a few minutes away from the Fallowfield Cycle Loop. We have secure bicycle racks inside the ground to lock up your bike throughout the game. Please ask a volunteer if you need assistance.

Prohibited items

Bringing pyrotechnics and/or alcohol into the ground is prohibited. It is a criminal offence to bring pyrotechnics into any stadium. Stewards may conduct bag searches for prohibited items upon entrance to the stadium. Bag searches are a condition of entry and your co-operation is greatly appreciated. Spectators who break these rules may be banned from the ground and any pyrotechnics and/or alcohol will be confiscated.

Weekend fixtures
Premier Division
Friday 13th October 2023
Lower Breck v Burscough
Saturday 14th October 2023
AFC Liverpool v Cheadle Town
Chadderton v Bury
Colne v Litherland REMYCA
Glossop North End v Squires Gate
Irlam v Charnock Richard
Kendal Town v Barnoldswick Town
Longridge Town v Prestwich Heys
Ramsbottom United v Pilkington
Skelmersdale United v Wythenshawe
West Didsbury & Chorlton v FC Isle of Man
Wythenshawe Town v Padiham

Pictures by Chris Michell