Saturday 26th April 2025
NWCFL Premier Division
Play-off Semi-final
Lower Breck (A)
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Preview
On Saturday, West travel to Merseyside to face Lower Breck in the NWCFL Premier Division Playoff semi-finals.
Awaiting the winner will be the victors of the other semi-final between Ramsbottom United and Padiham, to ultimately fight for a place in the Northern Premier League Division One West.
West go into this match in excellent form having won the final four games of the regular season whilst only conceding a single goal during that run. Top scorer Jordan Lazenbury scored his 30th of the season last weekend at FC Isle of Man, a match also marked by the return to the starting XI of club captain Jimmy Moore.
There is no getting away from the astonishing run of form that opponents Lower Breck are on themselves. The Liverpudlians finished the season with a run of 14 consecutive wins and haven't lost a home game since 10th October 2024. They haven't dropped any points to teams lower than 4th since early November and were only denied the title by a similarly freakish run by Bury.
Breck finished the season with an outstanding 106 points (2.3 PPG), and such a PPG ratio would have seen them lift the title in every other NWCFL season since 2018/19. The hosts are therefore favourites going into this play-off match, given that they amassed 20 more points than West over the course of the 46-game season.
West are hitting their stride at the perfect time though, and have shown throughout this season that they are more than capable of matching any other side on their day. Over the two league games between West and Lower Breck this season, West came out on top by four goals to three.
If Saturday's match is level after 90 minutes, it will go straight to a penalty shootout. Lower Breck have not been involved in a shootout this season, and haven't won a match by this method since August 2022, losing the two they've faced since then.
Neither West nor Lower Breck have ever played a play-off match in the NWCFL, and nor have either played in the Northern Premier League.
In terms of the day itself, West fans are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance. All three fans' coaches have sold out and further details of pick-up points and drop-off locations will be announced in due course.
Lower Breck will signpost an 'away' section where a dedicated bar will be set up, and West fans are encouraged to congregate at that end of the ground. There will be no segregation, however, and West fans can still access the full range of facilities on offer throughout the Anfield Sports & Community Centre.
Based on advance ticket sales alone, the fixture promises to be the largest attendance in Lower Breck's history and supporters are strongly advised to arrive early to ensure entering the ground quickly and beating the queues.
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Form Guide
Lower Breck
Position: 2nd
Form position: 1st
Home position: 1st
Last six overall: WWWWWW
Last six home: WWWWWW
West
Position: 5th
Form position: 4th
Away position: 7th
Last six overall: WWWWLD
Last six away: WWLWLW
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Lower Breck At A Glance
Home colours: Red & black
Change colours: All blue
Pitch surface: Artificial
2023/24 position: 10th, NWCFL Premier
2024/25 average attendance: 203
Travelling distance: 34 miles
West away season round trip: 2,120 miles
Lower Breck Football Club were founded in the summer of 2010 in the Tuebrook area of Liverpool. The aim on formation was to establish a youthful group of quality, committed players capable of challenging for honours in all future competitions in the years to come. They played in local leagues for the first seven years of their history, but in 2017/18 they successfully applied for a place in the NWCFL after winning all four competitions they were involved in and going through the whole season unbeaten.
The club almost won promotion from the NWCFL First Division at the first attempt in 2018/19 but, despite scoring 130 goals, came fourth and were denied by Avro and Longridge Town. Promotion was secured over the two covid-affected seasons - they were top of the table when the first curtailment arrived and had won 4 from 4 at the time of the second lockdown.
In their four full seasons in the Premier Division, Lower Breck have finished 19th, 16th, 11th and now 2nd. Throughout their history in the Counties, Breck have improved their position each season.
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Head to Head
Overall
P7 W2 D1 L4 F11 A16
At Lower Breck
P4 W0 D1 L3 F4 A10
West have never won at Lower Breck, with a 1-1 draw at the tail end of the 2022/23 campaign the sole positive result at tthe Anfield Sports & Community Centre.
The most recent meeting took place in March when Lower Breck eased to a 3-1 win. The hosts scored twice late in the first half and sealed the points just before the hour-mark. Billy Matthews forced an own goal five minutes later, but it proved to be a mere consolation on a sobering evening in L6.
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Browse through our wonderful match galleries, from club photographers:
Nathan Ashmall, Chris Michell, Jack Todd and Christina Bowett.
