Chadderton preview
The league takes a short break as the one piece of knock-out silverware the Rams still have an interest in reaches round two and a visit to the HWRS of Chadderton, who will head in town with positivity given their last knock-out appearance there!
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Chadderton
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: Macron League Cup Round 2
DATE: Saturday 24th October 2026
KICK-OFF: 3.00pm
ADMISSION: Adults – £9, Concessions (over 67) – £5, U12 – £1 (with paying adult).
NOTE: We are a CASH ONLY stadium – there are NO CARD FACILITIES at the ground.
OVERVIEW:
It was 182 days ago that Chadderton came to the HWRS and broke Rammy hearts with a sinking in the semi-finals of the play-offs. The disappointment of that late April day still hangs in the air.
However, the Rams exacted a little revenge just over a month ago when they went to Andrew Street and returned home with a 2-1 victory thanks to Jack Donlan and Rowan Chambers’ early first-half strikes with Darren McKnight pulled one back in the second half but the Rams held on for an excellent win.
Admittedly wins have been a little thin on the ground of late, that was our last league success although did follow it up with a commanding 4-0 win in the League Cup over Cheadle Heath Nomads but this game will be as tough as it comes against a Chadderton side who dropped their three match unbeaten run with a 2-0 loss at home to Prestwich Heys last weekend.
This match is a chance for the team and the management to put behind them their disappointments of recent results and regain a focus on turning things around. Yes, it is a much used phrase but the team are more than capable of achieving that and, a win in the fixture could be just the tonic they require.
It matters not that it is a cup game and a place in round three the reward but there is more to it than that. It is a chance to dust off and come back strongly.
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 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.
Please be aware that the access road to Ramsbottom Cricket Club and Ramsbottom United FC has now had a no parking policy imposed with immediate effect carrying a fine of £100. Please do not park on this road.
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:
This will be the 15th meeting in all competitions between the sides since the first in the FA Vase at the Riverside back in 1997 which remarkably finished 5-4 to the visitors after extra time!
The Lancashire Telegraph reported “a kamakaze approach to the second half saw Ramsbottom surrender a two-goal advantage before crashing out of the FA Vase in a first qualifying round thriller at Riverside.
“Hibbert scored with a minute left in normal time to deny Ramsbottom victory. And two goals in the opening period of extra time from John Laidey and Richard Ferguson proved too much for the hosts.
“They hit back through Mel Burke with five minutes of a pulsating tie remaining but could not level it before the final whistle.
“The visitors struct first when Gareth Morris took advantage of sloppy defending in the 11th minute. Ex-Altrincham player Paul Cuddy’s powerful header from a Mark Keegan free forced Rammy back into it just after the half hour.
“Martin Hulme put the home side ahead two minutes later with a stunning 22-yard drive before Keegan caught out Chadderton keeper Bedford five minutes from half-time to give his side a two-goal cushion.
With half an hour to go, Neil Rhodes brought down Chris Barlow and Andy Diggle scored from the penalty spot to narrow the score to 3-2. Two minutes later Steve Strange put the ball in the net but the referee disallowed it because of an off-the-ball incident involving Phil Rose.
“Warren Brierley was sent off dubiously for a second bookable offence and with Ramsbottom down to 10 men that proved the turning point before the end-of-match theatricals.”
The last time these two sides met in the League Cup was way back in January 2008 – Chadderton again winning after extra time 3-2 despite Matt Eckersley and Rob Crank’s goals. Two players who may remember this game – Chadderton’s current management duo of Ben Greenidge and Carl Taylor – who both played.
The head-to-head record is heavily in favour of the Rams, with nine wins to Nelson’s three (four draws) and we have not lost a league game against our visitors since our first meeting on 28 August 1995, being hammered 4-0 at Victoria Park with player-manager Nigel Coates scoring twice in the opening five minutes and completed his hat-trick in the second half and Liam Roberts completed the rout.
Since then, it has been one-way traffic as the Rams stand unbeaten in the last 11 meetings including completing the double in the last season we met in 2009/10, 2-0 at Victoria Park thanks to Carl Lomax and Anthony Johnson and a 3-1 success at the Riverside in April 2010 as Jon Robinson, a Steve Maden own goal and Lomax again doing the damage after Adam Whiteside had given the visitors the lead.
Our most recent games have come in the League Cup in October 2023 and in the FA Vase in December 2025. A Henri Ogunby hat-trick was enough to take the spoils in the former but it was very much all Nelson in the latter as Ryan Bolton, a Fin Devenney penalty and James Kemp scored in the second half to ensure their path to Round 4.
