Tuesday July 18th - Pre-Season Friendly - Cheadle Heath Nomads 0 West 5

Heavy showers in south Manchester didn't dampen West as they turned in a five-star performance to brush past a youthful and talented Cheadle Heath Nomads side, sitting one division lower in the NWCFL structure.

An early evening downpour briefly cast doubt on the fixture but the clouds soon cleared and, by kickoff, conditions were almost ideal. The pitch was in great condition and the rain added a zip to the surface.

Two of this week's three signings featured in an otherwise experienced starting line-up, Tom Schofield and Lewis Billingsley named alongside their new teammates for the first time.

West were immediately on the attack and the scoring was opened on 7 minutes, Matthews with tidy play down the left finding McKNIGHT inside, who jinked himself into half a yard of space before placing his left-shot across the Nomads keeper into the opposite bottom corner, kissing the post on its way in.

Less than five minutes later, West doubled their advantage. This time MATTHEWS ran through and did the work himself, outpacing the backtracking defence and finishing from just inside the area as the angle started to narrow.

Within seconds of the restart, Elliott fancied his chances from 25 yards and saw his powerful shot miss by less than a ball's width, slamming into the stanchion behind the goal. West were adamant a deflection had saved Nomads from conceding a third but the referee gave a goal kick.

Andrew Jones in the West goal had only occasional involvements in the opening exchanges but was called into proper action for the first time on 17 minutes, Nomads' #10 letting fly from long range but AJ was equal to it, gathering the ball after patting it down from underneath his crossbar.

West were also making inroads down the right, with Jones and Billingsley combining well and enjoying service from Foulds' diagonal passes on more than one occasion.

ELLIOTT invariably got his name on the scoresheet as we approached the half-hour mark, accurately lifting a side-foot lob over the Nomads keeper from an acute angle near the left-hand byline, again the ball acquainting itself with the post before nestling in the net.

The final chance of the half came a minute or so before the break, Elliott releasing Billingsley who opened his body up to lift a shot unfortunately a yard over the bar. West were good value for their three goal lead.

No changes were made at half-time, with stamina now the focus as the new season approaches.

Nomads looked to have given themselves a route back into the game but their 49th minute goal was disallowed for offside, though in truth a good number of players had already stopped.

A couple of minutes of later, West increased their lead and put the game beyond doubt. A passage of midfield play saw the ball reach McKNIGHT in a slightly advanced position but still with the defensive line in front of him. The solution was a strike beyond both the defenders and their goalkeeper, the ball arrowing through to the bottom left corner once more.

The erratic showers returned and spectators found or made cover for the last third of the game, with West out of sight and Nomads' race run the pace of the game noticeably reduced.

The first West changes arrived on the hour, with a triple swap followed by a further trio soon after; Cook, Dickinson and Grimshaw promptly joined by Eme, Ryan and Delaney.

One of those half-dozen, DELANEY, delivered the final bright moment of the night, confidently meeting a Dickinson corner from the left and slotting home with a side-foot volley.

Matthew Smyth and Max Lewens completed West's substitutions.

The final score of 5-0 coincidentally matched West's only previous win at The Heath, in January 2020.

Listen to Chris Adams' post-match thoughts here.

Pictures by Si Cook and Chris Michell. Click here for the full match gallery.

West line-up: Andrew Jones, Callum Jones, Ben Hampson, Markell Foulds, Callum Graham, Lewis Billingsley, Tom Schofield, Darren McKnight, Ben Elliott, Rhain Davis, Billy Matthews

Subs used: Matty Cook, Sam Dickinson, Lee Grimshaw, Zeke Eme, Jack Ryan, Liam Delaney, Matthew Smyth, Max Lewens

Goals: McKnight 7, 51, Matthews 11, Elliott 29, Delaney 74

Attendance: 100.

West's pre-season itinerary continues against Whalley Range on Thursday July 20th, 6.45pm kickoff.