Trafford preview

by | Aug 3, 2026

For the first time this season, we swing open the doors to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium for a league game and the lights will beam brightly for the visit of relegated Trafford.

MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs Trafford
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties League Premier Division
DATE: Tuesday 4th August 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 wasn’t that long ago that we wandered out of the ground, downbeat, disappointed and despondent after going down in the end of season play-offs to Chadderton – missing out on promotion for a second season in a row.

That disappointment has just about healed and we head into another season – thankfully a 38-game season rather than a 46-match marathon – with renewed hope, renewed vigor and fully revitalised for what the next eight months will bring.

Rob Henry has taken over the managerial reigns from the retired Steve Wilkes and put together a hugely talented squad with new names, returning favourites and some reliable old faces that will hopefully go one (or two) better than last season.

Our first opponents of the home league season are a team we are more than familiar with in Trafford, who dropped back to the NWCFL for the first time since 2008 and who have followed a very similar trajectory to the Rams – up and out of the NWCFL, into the NPL, up to the Premier Division and back again.

We last met them at home in our horror season of 2022/23 – they were the only side we beat across 17 games from late November to early April, a 3-2 win on Boxing Day 2022 (pictured above) so it is a warm welcome to all those who have made the journey up from Shawe View.

They kicked off with a 3-0 success over Longridge Town on day one of this season which put them in second place in the very early league table and there are some familiar faces with both Sephton brothers making an early return to the HWRS.  It is fair to say that they are one of the more fancied sides so this will be a significant test so early in the campaign.

Of course, the Rams will be looking forward to playing on a much improved surface than they endured on Saturday in the 1-1 draw at Litherland REMYCA but know this will be a tough game.

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
Our match day history goes all the way back to 2003 and this is the 27th league encounter in a sixth different division – having met in NWCFL Division 1, NPL 1 North, NPL Premier, NPL 1 West, NPL North West and now NWCFL Premier.

The head-to-head in league games is 11-10 to Trafford with five draws but the Rams has only won one of the four games played since the Covid break in NPL games – that Boxing Day game of 2022 mentioned above.  We lost the return fixture (of course we did, we lost most games that season!) 1-0 to a Max Hazeldine second half strike.

The record at the HWRS is 6-5 to the Rams with two draws with the Rams unbeaten in the last three with two wins and a draw since 2019.  I know its means very little in the grand scheme of things but those are the facts and figures!

And there has never been a 0-0 draw and four of the five draws have finished 1-1. 

Where’s your money at?