West are back in Step 5 of the National League System for the first time since 2019, starting the 2022/23 season with a visit to Ashton Athletic.

Key details

� Saturday 30th July 2022, 3pm
� Brocstedes Park, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 0NR
� £6 / £3
� Bryn station (1.2 miles), Wigan stations (4 miles)

Preview

Though it’s been 17 weeks since our last league match, no West supporter will need reminding that we enter the NWCFL Premier Division as champions of the First Division South. In doing so, we also return to the highest stage we have competed at in our 114-year history.

By a twist of fate, Ashton Athletic were the last team we faced at this level – a 2-1 home defeat to the Yellows on the final day of the 2018/19 season confirmed our relegation to the First Division South, though results elsewhere meant a West win would have been moot.

Last January’s Lancs Trophy visit provided some measure of revenge, though, as we produced one of our finest performances of the season to claim a 5-2 quarter-final win.

That game redressed the balance somewhat after some harrowing visits to Brocstedes – including 7-1 and 5-0 defeats in 2017 and 2018 respectively, with West three goals down inside 17 minutes on both occasions.

The Yellows will be looking for a significant improvement on last season’s 18th place – their poorest showing since 2012/13 and a far cry from consecutive top-six placings in 2018/19 and the abridged 2019/20.

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