It’s a historic day for the club on Saturday as we play in the FA Vase 4th round for the first time in our history. We welcome Horden Community Welfare to the Step Places Stadium and we’re hoping for a big crowd to support the team in their efforts to go another step closer to Wembley. As this is an FA Vase match, season tickets cannot be used. Tickets are available to buy on the gate or you can skip the queue by buying a ticket in advance (follow the link below)
Key details
� Saturday 14th January 2022, 3.00pm
� Isuzu FA Vase Fourth Round Proper
� The Step Places Stadium, Brookburn Road, Chorlton, M21 8FE
� £6 / £4 / Under 12s £1 with an adult. Season Tickets cannot be used in this match. You can skip the queues and guarantee your ticket by buying from Shocal in advance: https://www.shocal.org/business/event_shop?sid=440
� No parking at the ground – use Hardy Farm, M21 8DP
�️ Programme on sale for £2
Please help our volunteers and reduce queuing by arriving at least 15 minutes before kick-off and using correct change, if paying by cash and purchasing your ticket on the day.
Preview
Our 8 match unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday with our defeat at AFC Liverpool in a match which Chris Rowley described as both disappointing and uncharacteristic. The squad and the coaches have been given the rare luxury of a midweek without a match and they will be keen to put Saturday’s defeat behind them and turn their attention to what is a history-making day for the club this weekend. The 4th round of the FA Vase is unchartered territory and is an opportunity for the team to progress further towards the dream of walking out at Wembley. West supporters will be hoping to see a return to the togetherness and heroics that have seen two penalty shootout wins away from home and three hard-fought home victories in the FA Vase so far.
Ben Elliott limping off the pitch on Saturday was a sight that no West supporter wanted to see and he will face a race against time to be fit for Saturday. With 22 goals in all competitions, Elliott is still sitting on top spot in the NWCFL goalscorer table with 3 goals more than the striker in 2nd place. His absense would be a tough one for the team to cope with but one positive to take from Saturday’s match is that we have shown that we are capable of finding goals from other players on the pitch, with Curtis Miller and Darren McKnight both scoring impressive goals. After receiving an injury in our last FA Vase match at Whitley Bay, Rhain Davis was fit enough to start Saturday’s match but again received a knock that could put him out of Saturday’s game. Connor Hancock has also been carrying an injury since Whitley Bay and will be keen to prove his fitness before the weekend.
Our visitors are themselves now on an 8 match unbeaten run and are coming off the back of an impressive 0-6 away win on Saturday. Horden have in fact made a bit of a habit of scoring a lot of goals this season, chalking up 5 or more goals on 6 occasions since August. They currently sit in 4th place in the Northern Football League Division 2 (Tier 6) after winning their last 5 matches. Their top scorer is Liam Wright with 11 goals.
Despite rail strikes, motorway queues and taxi chaos, West supporters descended on Liverpool last weekend to support the team. The West fans made a real difference to the team’s performance in the second half and the squad and coaches will be hoping for another big crowd at Brookburn Road on Saturday. We hope to see as many of you there as possible for what could be a famous day for the club.
Come on West!
