NWCFL Premier Division side Avro stand in the way of West and an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie against Runcorn Linnets, as competitive football returns to Brookburn Road for the first time this season.

Key details

Saturday 7th August, 3pm
The Step Places Stadium, Brookburn Road, M21 8FE
� Parking at Hardy Farm, M21 8DP (see below)
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
� Replay at Avro on Tuesday 10th August if scores are level after 90 minutes
� Pay on the gate – £5 adults / £3 concessions / free for under-12s. Please note that season tickets are not valid.

Preview

West have made a perfect start to the NWCFL First Division South campaign, winning on the road against Alsager Town and Stockport Town, but the visit of Avro promises to be an acid test of Chris Rowley’s side’s progress.

This will be the first time the teams have met in recent years, but West and Avro have history – the Oldham-based side finished one position above West the last time we shared a division, the 2011/12 Manchester League top flight. Since then, both clubs have made rapid progress on and off the pitch, and Avro will be intent on playing a serious role in this year’s Premier Division promotion race.

Joint-managers Lee O’Brien and Lee Hampson’s team sat top of the pile before the 2020/21 campaign was curtailed – missing out on upward movement due to a more modest 2019/20 record – and have made a solid start this time around. They dispatched Padiham 3-0 at home on the opening day, before cancelling out a two-goal deficit to claim a draw at Northwich Victoria in midweek.

Saturday’s game will mark West’s return to the oldest cup competition in the world, following a year’s exile. Our 2019/20 run ended at the Preliminary Round stage, the fifth time we have fallen at that hurdle. Avro, meanwhile, are hunting for their first-ever win in the competition – exiting at home to Litherland REMYCA and Bootle in the last two seasons.

Parking

Hardy Farm car park, located at the bottom of Hardy Lane, will again be in operation. Please use M21 8DP (what3words: ///kicks.unity.admits) for navigation, and stewards will be on hand to assist supporters. As usual, please do not park on the private roads on and around Brookburn Road. Please contact the club to arrange disabled parking.

Other fixtures

NWCFL First Division South
Wythenshawe Amateurs v FC Isle of Man (2pm)
Abbey Hulton United v Barnton
Alsager Town v Maine Road
Brocton v Cammell Laird 1907
Cheadle Heath Nomads v Abbey Hey
Eccleshall v Stockport Town
Ellesmere Rangers v Sandbach United
Rocester v Cheadle Town
St Martins v Stafford Town