PRESTWICH HEYS PREVIEW

by | Oct 9, 2025

The storm has passed through, the pitch has dried out so shall we have another go at playing Prestwich Heys?  This time, it is in the Macron League Cup Round 2.

MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Prestwich Heys
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: Macron League Cup Round 2
DATE: Saturday 11th October 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:
It was really disappointing last weekend when the planned fixture in the league was understandably postponed due to Storm Amy and the horrendous weather that passed through the region over the weekend.

But fear not as our good friends from north Manchester won’t be strangers for too long as we will meet each other three times in the next few weeks with back-to-back league games splitting the month end and November’s start but, here we are with a Macron League Cup clash for a Saturday afternoon.

You can forget all about last season’s clash in this very competition in round three when the Rams hit Heys for a first-half five goal salvo to book their place in the quarter-finals and check out the visitors’ hugely impressive form of late, being unbeaten in their last seven games with just a draw against Charnock Richard in the drop points column.

This form continued to build with an impressive 2-0 win over FC St Helens on Tuesday night while the Rams were easing/stumbling (chose as appropriate) past Charnock Richard to remain two points behind league leaders Padiham while Heys are slowing climbing up the ladders, now sat in 14th place with 17 points from their 12 starts.

Of course, this is the League Cup and really anything could happen but its a home game for the Rams and we were in good shape to go a lot further in the competition before slipping out to Stafford Town with a late, late winner last season.  Can we go further this time?  In form Prestwich Heys will be hoping not.

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 Prestwich Heys for this game.

The Rams and Heys didn’t meet in the NWCFL until our return to the league back in 2023 and it has been a tale of two very different seasons!

We were old foes from the Manchester League days with two losses in the league – two high scoring losses as well, 5-3 at Sandgate Road and 3-2 at the Riverside – but we would secure the Gilgryst Cup in May 1995 after extra time, taking the spoils 3-2.

It was a long wait before we would meet again and in that first season, we suffered two heavy losses, that 3-0 defeat at Adie Moran Park which still sticks long in the memory and then a 4-2 loss at the HWRS in March 2024 with Harvey Hayhurst and Oscar Lucas scoring for the home side but it was too little, too late.

Last season though, it was different!  A pair of goals from the Sephton brothers, Luke on 56 and Scott on 84, ensured all three points were secured at the HWRS in September and it was the same score line earlier this year in March, coming back from an early home strike to take the victory when Tom Hoyle and a 97th minute winner from Luke Barlow sealing the win.

And then there was the League Cup victory, a 5-0 thumping – all five goals coming in a first half barrage to book our place in the quarter-finals.

Let’s see what happens this time around – because anything could given the respective forms of the two teams.

HOLIDAYING STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“I aged 10 years whilst listening and watching the game in the middle of the night whilst on holiday on Tuesday night but obviously pleased with the win which keeps us in the shake up at the top of the table.

“But this is a different competition but we will be taking it very seriously as form and continuation is key to watch we are trying to achieve.”