ATHERTON LR PREVIEW

by | Jul 24, 2025

Well, here we go again then.  It only felt like a few days ago that the last season finished (it isn’t that long ago!) but, just like that, it’s time to climb aboard the nine-month rollercoaster that is the NWCFL, destination unknown but hopefully somewhere nice!

MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Atherton LR
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 26th July 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:
26 April came and went and here we are again, just three months later, another season in the NWCFL dawns.  The 2024/25 campaign was a fantastic one, memorable in so many ways but ultimately the final goal went unfulfilled.  So, shall we have another go?

With the summer heatwave still in full effect (yes, it has rained a bit but its still summer at its finest), the doors to the 2025/26 NWCFL campaign open again and it’s a warm welcome back to Atherton Laburnum Rovers who we meet in the league for the first time since November 2011.

Rovers secured promotion back to the top-flight last season having won Division One North, five points ahead of Nelson with 25 wins from their 34 games and will want to stamp their authority upon their stepping up, certainly with huge ambitions of their own.

For the Rams, it has been a case of putting behind the disappointment of missing out on promotion through the play-offs and concentrate on trying to crack that nut come April.

With a win-filled pre-season campaign – all five games securing victories including an impressive 2-1 victory over a strong Fleetwood Town U21s on Tuesday night – the Rams head into the opening game with good confidence and with some stellar signings made by manager Steve Wilkes, the anticipation is strong.

Jamie Procter, Nick Hepple, Terry Cummings and Jacob Holland-Wilkinson have all joined up plus the returning pairing of Matt Dudley and Jamie Rother have whetted the appetite whilst the return to fitness of Luke Sephton and Andrew Teague plus the maintaining of a great many of last years’ squad, including keeper Brad Rose back for another year from Radcliffe has certainly marked the intention.

Of course, its performances on the park that will matter and Saturday’s opener against the promotion LR will prove a stern test of one of the pre-season title favourites (if you believe some commentators).

Are you ready?  Here we go …….

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
It is a very warm welcome back to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium to old friends Atherton LR, who we have played 32 times in semi-professional football since the first in 1997 although our history goes back way further than that, in fact, to our first ever season in the Bolton Amateur Combination Premier Division in 1973/74 when Laburnum Rovers finished 6th and Ramsbottom United 10th.

It is fair to say that Rammy have dominated the history with 20 wins to LR’s 6 (six draws) and no league defeats to them since October 2005 when the home side won 1-0 at Crilly Park and no defeats to LR at the Riverside since September 2002.

It’s unlucky 13 in the league since that game in 2005, including the Rams’ record victory 9-1 in 2006 at the Riverside thanks to Ryan Moore (3), Steve McDonald and Steve Maden (2) and singles from Carl Lomax and Lee Cryer.  No-one saw it coming at 1-1 after half an hour though!

Our last meeting came in the LFA Trophy in October 2013 where 96 hardy souls watched the Rams win 3-1 with goals from Tom Brooks and a brace by Callum Smith with only Mark Adams’ 68th minute strike giving the visitors hope.

The goal tally is 78-38 to the Rams overall.

STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“We have enjoyed a good pre-season and strengthened considerably in the three months since the Padiham loss, which still hurts now but we have to put it behind us and give it a really good shot.

“Last season saw the Rams return to their best but missing out on promotion was disappointing of course but we come into this season, and this match against Atherton LR, with plenty of confidence.

“But we know that getting off to a good start is very important and we will not be taking LR lightly at all, they have come up from Division 1 after a great season and will want to show themselves.  So we will have to play well.”