West begin the season in both a new division and with a renewed sense of hope following a disappointing end to the 2018/19 campaign. As with most relegations seasons, fans at Brookburn Road were glad to see the back of a season that began with a feint optimism around promotion, and ended up with a futile final day scrap for survival. Around eighty players were registered over the course of it, and a change in management saw an uptick in form that was noticeable while sadly not being enough to salvage our place in the league. There have been changes at both committee level – following several productive years in the role, club servant Glyn Meacher stepped down as chairman, replaced by Rob McKay and Steve Eckersley – and in the home team dugout.
The squad and management
Former Atherton Collieries and Northwich Victoria captain Brad Cooke makes his competitive debut as a manager against Eccleshall on the opening day of the season, and will be hoping his winning nous as a player transfers easily over into his new role. With him are two other former Colls men, in assistants Warren Jones and Rob Sadler, who together have shaped a squad that is recognisable while also being new and, crucially, exciting.
Already announced have been the arrivals of Kris Holt (midfielder) from Runcorn Linnets, – who was immediately made club captain – Matty Boland (midfielder) from Irlam, and returning club favourite Ashley Woods (forward) from Colwyn Bay. A number of other familiar faces have been on show throughout pre-season, and we can confirm that Ben Steer (midfielder/forward) has returned to West for the 2019/20 campaign following a season at cross-city rivals Wythenshawe Town, with Zach Cooper (defender), Matthew Eckersley (defender/midfielder), Lee Gavin (midfielder), Thomas Horner (defender), Daniel McLaughlin (forward), and Joshua Tinker (defender/midfielder) also being retained and signing on for another season.
Elsewhere, we’ve welcomed Matthew Cook (defender Winsford United), James Cottee (forward, Ashford Town), Jamie Forbes (defender, Atherton Collieries), Lee Grimshaw (forward, Prestwich Heys), Jordan Henry (forward, 1874 Northwich), Michael Itela (forward, Salford City, Prestwich Heys), Andrew Jones (goalkeeper, Altrincham, Stafford Rangers, Mossley), Callum Jones (defender/midfielder, Altrincham), Dylan Moloney (forward, Droylsden), and former West player Chris Middleton (defender, Wythenshawe Town).
You can find a full run-down of the players through our squad list here.
Rich with experience both in the North West Counties Football League and above, West have undoubtedly set their stall out early on with their recruitment – Brad Cooke has repeatedly said that promotion at the first time of asking is the aim. The plan stated plan is to also keep a fairly lean squad, a contrast the larger groups we’ve seen at Brookburn Road in the past few seasons. If a chemistry is found early doors, there’s undoubtedly the quality for this side to push right at the very top: although all at the club are aware that this could be perhaps one of the most competitive divisions in non-league this year, given the quality of recruitment elsewhere.
The division
Last season, the league was taken by a Rylands side who are in the midst of their own revolution both on and off the pitch. Owned by Paul Stretford – known to football fans as the agent of Wayne Rooney – they were a class apart from their divisional rivals. Even following a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player, Rylands cantered to the trophy, finishing 7 points clear of their nearest rivals, scoring 111 and conceding only 27 in the process. They’ll be hoping to go straight up again, while their competitors for the title last year – Vauxhall Motors (2nd, 78 points), Stone Old Alleynians (3rd, 72 points), Wythenshawe Amateurs (4th, 71 points), and Wythenshawe Town (5th, 68 points) will be hoping to become a similarly dominant force in the league this time out.
Due to changes in the structure of the English football pyramid, there will be up to four promotion spaces available in the North West Counties Division One this season. This will mean there’s more margin for error but, equally, could persuade committees across the league to up their playing budgets in chasing one of those spots – leading to a much more competitive division overall. There has been a high standard of recruitment across the league, presumably with one eye on being able to make the most of this one-off occurrence.
West open the season this Saturday away at Eccleshall (read our match preview here) and close it at Abbey Hulton United on April 25th 2020. It is Wythenshawe Town who West will play at home first, and is one of the names perhaps best known to West fans. Amongst their ranks are former West players Nia Bayunu, and one of the notable performers from last season, Ashley Leather. They’re also recruited smartly from elsewhere, with Jerome Wright having played at a much higher level and becoming an important part of their side after joining earlier in the year. Second-placed Vauxhall seem to have retained the majority of their successful squad from the last campaign while adding to the quality available to them – Glenn Rule, formerly of Chester, Stockport, and Stalybridge, is their latest signing.
In truth, this is the part of the season where every club believes that they could be the one to put a run together – fellow relegated side Abbey Hey will certainly be looking to bounce back, while Maine Road would love the opportunity to reclaim their title as South Manchester’s Premier Club by earning promotion. It is those derby days that West fans will look forward to most, and are likely to create the most memories – hopefully more joyous than bittersweet.
While it is difficult to put a positive spin on a relegation, the number of relatively local away games this time out (both Wythenshawes, Abbey Hey, Maine Road, Stockport Town, Cheadle Heath Nomads, Cheadle Town, and New Mills are all an easily commutable distance away) is certainly one reason to look forward to it. However, the lack of a home league fixture until the 21st September (Stone Old Alleynians) following four consecutive home league fixtures midweek means it will be an odd start to the campaign. This, of course, means that there’s no August Bank Holiday game – a blow for the club, not only due to the bumper crowd that usually attend but also for the festivities that normally come with it.
How it finished last time
| – | First Division South | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Rylands (C) (P) * | 38 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 111 | 27 | 84 | 85 |
| 2 | Vauxhall Motors | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 86 | 46 | 40 | 78 |
| 3 | Stone Old Alleynians | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 92 | 56 | 36 | 72 |
| 4 | Wythenshawe Amateurs | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 92 | 53 | 39 | 71 |
| 5 | Wythenshawe Town | 38 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 92 | 58 | 34 | 68 |
| 6 | FC Oswestry Town | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 76 | 52 | 24 | 68 |
| 7 | Sandbach United | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 88 | 54 | 34 | 67 |
| 8 | Abbey Hulton United | 38 | 20 | 4 | 14 | 71 | 65 | 6 | 64 |
| 9 | Cheadle Heath Nomads | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 77 | 66 | 11 | 62 |
| 10 | Stockport Town | 38 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 76 | 62 | 14 | 53 |
| 11 | St Martins | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 71 | 68 | 3 | 52 |
| 12 | Barnton | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 71 | 72 | -1 | 50 |
| 13 | Eccleshall | 38 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 65 | 91 | -26 | 46 |
| 14 | Maine Road | 38 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 71 | 98 | -27 | 42 |
| 15 | Cammell Laird 1907 | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 55 | 73 | -18 | 41 |
| 16 | Cheadle Town * | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 61 | 67 | -6 | 40 |
| 17 | Alsager Town | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 47 | 80 | -33 | 40 |
| 18 | New Mills | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 74 | 113 | -39 | 35 |
| 19 | Ellesmere Rangers | 38 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 43 | 97 | -54 | 25 |
| 20 | Stone Dominoes (R) | 38 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 25 | 146 | -121 | 13 |
Fixtures & Results
| 30 Nov, 00:00 | A |  | New Mills | NWCFL | |
| 03 Aug, 15:00 | A |  | Eccleshall | NWCFL | 0 - 4 |
| 06 Aug, 19:45 | H |  | Wythenshawe Town | NWCFL | 1 - 1 |
| 13 Aug, 19:45 | H |  | Stockport Town | NWCFL | 1 - 0 |
| 17 Aug, 15:00 | A |  | Abbey Hey | NWCFL | 1 - 3 |
| 20 Aug, 19:45 | H |  | Cheadle Town | NWCFL | 2 - 1 |
| 26 Aug, 15:00 | A |  | Barnton | NWCFL | 0 - 1 |
| 10 Sep, 19:45 | H |  | Abbey Hulton United | NWCFL | 5 - 0 |
| 21 Sep, 15:00 | H |  | Stone Old Alleynians | NWCFL | 0 - 2 |
| 24 Sep, 19:45 | A | | New Mills | NWCFL | 3 - 3 |
| 28 Sep, 15:00 | A |  | Cammell Laird 1907 | NWCFL | 1 - 2 |
| 26 Oct, 15:00 | A |  | FC Oswestry Town | NWCFL | 2 - 1 |
| 02 Nov, 15:00 | H |  | Cheadle Heath Nomads | NWCFL | 0 - 0 |
| 16 Nov, 15:00 | A | | Wythenshawe Town | NWCFL | A - A |
| 26 Nov, 19:45 | H |  | Alsager Town | NWCFL | 4 - 1 |
| 30 Nov, 15:00 | A |  | Ellesmere Rangers | NWCFL | 3 - 2 |
| 03 Dec, 17:45 | A |  | Vauxhall Motors | NWCFL | 3 - 0 |
| 14 Dec, 15:00 | H | | FC Oswestry Town | NWCFL | P - P |
| 17 Dec, 19:45 | H |  | Wythenshawe Amateurs | NWCFL | 2 - 1 |
| 21 Dec, 15:00 | A | | Stockport Town | NWCFL | 2 - 1 |
| 26 Dec, 15:00 | H |  | Maine Road | NWCFL | 0 - 3 |
| 28 Dec, 15:00 | A |  | St Martins | NWCFL | 2 - 2 |
| 04 Jan, 15:00 | A | | Alsager Town | NWCFL | 1 - 2 |
| 11 Jan, 15:00 | H | | Cammell Laird 1907 | NWCFL | 2 - 1 |
| 15 Jan, 19:45 | A | | Cheadle Town | NWCFL | 2 - 1 |
| 18 Jan, 15:00 | A | | Stone Old Alleynians | NWCFL | 0 - 1 |
| 21 Jan, 19:45 | A | | Wythenshawe Town | NWCFL | 2 - 2 |
| 25 Jan, 15:00 | A | | Cheadle Heath Nomads | NWCFL | 0 - 5 |
| 28 Jan, 19:45 | H |  | Sandbach United | NWCFL | P - P |
| 01 Feb, 15:00 | H | | Eccleshall | NWCFL | 4 - 0 |
| 15 Feb, 15:00 | H | | New Mills | NWCFL | P - P |
| 22 Feb, 15:00 | H | | FC Oswestry Town | NWCFL | P - P |
| 29 Feb, 15:00 | H | | Barnton | NWCFL | P - P |
| 07 Mar, 11:00 | A | | Wythenshawe Amateurs | NWCFL | 1 - 0 |
| 14 Mar, 15:00 | H | | Vauxhall Motors | NWCFL | 0 - 1 |
| 17 Mar, 19:45 | H | | FC Oswestry Town | NWCFL | |
| 21 Mar, 15:00 | H | | Barnton | NWCFL | |
| 24 Mar, 19:45 | H | | New Mills | NWCFL | |
| 28 Mar, 15:00 | A | | Sandbach United | NWCFL | |
| 04 Apr, 15:00 | H | | Ellesmere Rangers | NWCFL | |
| 11 Apr, 15:00 | H | | St Martins | NWCFL | |
| 13 Apr, 15:00 | A | | Maine Road | NWCFL | |
| 18 Apr, 15:00 | H | | Abbey Hey | NWCFL | |
| 21 Apr, 15:00 | H | | Sandbach United | NWCFL | |
| 25 Apr, 15:00 | A | | Abbey Hulton United | NWCFL | |
