AFC LIVERPOOL PREVIEW

A Saturday by the River Irwell awaits as the Rams welcome AFC Liverpool to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium for yet another home game, the third of the five consecutive home games hoping to build on the impressive victory over Wythenshawe on Tuesday.

MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs AFC Liverpool
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 6th September 2025
KICK-OFF: 7:45pm
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:
Now that’s better and, for this particular reporter, it was joy to be able to be there (thanks England’s cricketers for falling over in a heap and finishing early at Headingley).  The best performance of the season and an instant bounce back from the disappointment of the Bank Holiday reverse at Padiham as a fine Wythenshawe side were cut to shreds at the back by a clinical Ramsbottom outfit.

It was a result that moved the Rams back to second in the table, just two points behind the unbeaten league leaders and a boost to the goal difference to boot – it was a good night all round as the largest home crowd of the season, 320, enjoyed the showing from Steve Wilkes’ charges.

WIth news of Sefton Gonzales departure – a second stint at the club lasting just two substitute appearances – and Jamie Proctor’s exit for work in Dubai after a similarly short spell, it could have caused a jolt in the team dynamic but it was nothing of the sort as a brace of goals from Jacob Holland-Wilkinson, taking his goal tally to five, and a Luke Sephton header before the break was enough to down the South Manchester side.

But that will be parked as AFC Liverpool, who find themselves down in 21st place in the early table with a single win from six starts – a 4-0 away day win at Pilkington on Bank Holiday Monday, look to improve their current predicament, especially after they slipped to a 4-3 loss against neighbours City of Liverpool last weekend.

They have proven dangerous opponents on a number of occasions in the NWCFL and nothing will be taken for granted in this fixtures with manager Wilkes emploring his side to give him more of what he saw on Tuesday night and not just occasionally dipping in and out of this sort of form.

Kick off is at 3pm on Saturday – there is cricket on across the fence with Ramsbottom Women playing a league game starting at 1pm so arrive early and enjoy the last knockings of leather on willow for the season or seek alternative parking away from the ground.

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 over from AFC Liverpool for this game – the fifth time we have hosted and recorded three wins and one defeat from the previous four.

Last season, the Rams recorded a 2-1 win courtesy of Harvery Hayhurst’s double strikes, one in each half that sandwiched Thomas Beckett’s equaliser at the HWRS before the Rams took a 3-0 success at the Marine Travel Arena in February with Oumar Camara’s pair split by a Richie Baker strike.

Historically, the Rams have won 5 and lost 2 of the previous seven clashes – the first coming in 2012 and famously, one of AFC Liverpool’s wins, on 29 February 2012 at Prescot Cables 2-1 caused a very late night meeting of the managers that caused the Prescot bar staff kicking them out!  We would be promoted unbeaten after that game though!

STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“A great performance on Tuesday night but I have said to the players that we need to show more performances like this, rather than dipping in and out of it like we have done sometimes this season.  We played very well and I was really pleased to see a showing like that against a good Wythenshawe side who could have caused us problems but we kept a clean sheet – and we did that a lot last season and need to start doing it more often now.

“However, we will not be taking AFC Liverpool lightly at all – they are a dangerous side despite their current leading position – you don’t beat Pilkington 4-0 if you are not a good side so we must continue this vein of form.”