STOCKPORT TOWN PREVIEW
It will be a huge weekend in Ramsbottom! The Black Pudding Throwing Championships hits the streets on Sunday but the town’s football team have their own excitement with a clash against play-off contenters Stockport Town on Saturday.
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Stockport Town
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 13th September 2025
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ADMISSION: Adults – £9, Concessions – £5, U12 – £1 (with paying adult).
NOTE: We are a CASH ONLY stadium – there are NO CARD FACILTIES at the ground.
OVERVIEW:
The town is a-buzz. Excitement is filling the valley air and it is not just the anticipation of the annual Yorkshire Pudding knocking off ritual outside The Oaks on Bridge Street on Sunday, but the highly interesting fixture that takes place at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon between two fairly in-form sides.
The Rams have put behind them a tricky August that closed with defeat at Padiham to kick off September with two commanding performances on home soil against Wythenshawe and AFC Liverpool, scoring seven goals and conceding one, that was a slight blip on the record but still, six points bagged.
However, standing in the way for our third home game in a row is Stockport Town, something of a surprise package as they sit in fifth place in the fledgling table with four wins and two draws from their opening eight games. With 14 points pocketed sees them in the play-off places as it stands but, of course, there is a very long way to go.
The Cheshire side did come unstuck late in August against two of the promoted sides, going down 0-5 to Atherton LR and being held at home by Euxton Villa 1-1 before returning to form last Saturday with a 1-0 win over Litherland REMYCA. So they will travel up the M66 with some confidence and looking to knock the second placed side down a notch.
That said though, the sides have met three times previously and the Rams have secured victory on each occasion, which, naturally, includes a season double last term against the newly promoted outfit.
Manager Steve Wilkes has cut a happy figure with his sides’ showings of late, especially the much needed boost to the goal difference tally which was trailing behind some of the other contenders but is much better now, sitting at +10. But, as he has said, he is imploring his side not to take their foot off the pedal and continue to show their mettle each and every game.
This game against a good Stockport Town side will be another serious test of the Rams’ credentials.
FACILITIES
The game at Ramsbottom United will be by payment in CASH at the turnstile (the club does not have a card facility). Prices are as shown above and programmes are £2.
Due to cricket and adjacent building works, parking for spectators should be away from the ground, in either town centre car parks (drivers are advised to check any time limits) or in the various side streets, all of which are no more than 5-10 minutes walk away but please be mindful of local residents and businesses.
Various bus routes come into Ramsbottom town centre (https://bustimes.org/localities/ramsbottom for details) and the East Lancs Railway (https://www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk/events-activities/western-region-weekend/) station is adjacent to the ground.
Tea Bar serving hot and cold drinks, pie and peas, sweets, crisps etc will be open within the ground, as will the Can Bar serving beer, lager and cider.
HISTORY
We offer a very warm welcome to everyone coming up from Stockport for this game, meeting for just the fourth time.
All of the previous three have gone the way of the Rams and Stockport Town are yet to hit the target across those clashes.
Our first time meeting was in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary round in August 2023 when Matt Dudley’s 52nd minute strike was all that separated the sides and it was a similar story in the league game pre-Christmas last year when Oscar Radcliffe on 27 minutes settled the contest. It was slightly more comfortable in the reverse fixture in April when Luke Sephton and Oumar Camara’s (pictured above) first half goals took the Rams to a 2-0 win.
That’s the history but Saturday will be the present – so anything could happen!
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“I have been really pleased with our performances over the last week although disappointed to have conceded late on against AFC Liverpool. But to take six points from two difficult fixtures with decent showings has seen us keep tabs at the top of the table.
“But we know that Stockport Town will be a hard game as Paul [Turnbull] has got them working well and they are not fifth in the table by mistake, they are a good side but, as we have said before, if the lads turn in the performances that we have seen recently, then I am confident we can get the result. But that is down to the lads.”
