WEST DIDSBURY GAME OFF
** Not surprisingly this game has succumbed to the snow. A new date will be announced when arranged. **
First it was the rain and the waterlogged pitches. And then came the frozen temperatures. We shall attempt, once again, to get 2026 off and running on Tuesday night when we welcome fellow promotion hopefuls West Didsbury and Chorlton to the HWRS … weather permitting!
MATCH: Ramsbottom United vs West Didsbury and Chorlton
VENUE: Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS
COMPETITION: North West Counties League Premier Division
DATE: Saturday 6th January 2026
KICK-OFF: 7:45pm
ADMISSION: Adults – £9, Concessions (over 67) – £5, U12 – £1 (with paying adult).
NOTE: We are a CASH ONLY stadium – there are NO CARD FACILTIES at the ground.
OVERVIEW:
Only time will tell whether the pitch has defrosted sufficiently from the weekend to see this game on to get the 2026 section of our league campaign going but, if it does, then it really is a belter of a start!
Third v fourth. Two sides with 52 points. A side with an unbeaten home record across 12 games against a side who have lost just one of their 12 played away from home. The best home defensive record against the best away defensive record. It has the makings of one hell of a game.
The Rams have games in hand – well we haven’t played a home league game in two months and only two since the start of December. It is just like the olden days – we haven’t seen a season like this for a decade or so. Remember the Boxing Day flooding of the Riverside in 2015? Global warming, you say?!?
Of course, West Didsbury and Chorlton have already come through the Rammy gates and left with a victory this season in the Macron Cup in November so know the secret of coming and winning but this fixture is more famed for its draws so goodness knows what is going to happen this time around.
West haven’t played since Boxing Day when they were beaten at home by league leaders Wythenshawe 1-0, going down to an early goal but they are hoping to be firmly in the shake up come the end of the season.
So wrap up warm and settle in for a cracker of a game … if you haven’t already had enough of crackers!
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 and access to the cricket club, 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 also 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
We offer a very warm welcome to everyone who has come up from West Didsbury and Chorlton for this game.
The head to head in this fixture is 3-1 to the Rams with three draws but this is the first time the two sides will have met in the league this season but have met in the Macron Cup on 22 November when the visitors prevailed 2-1 with goals either side of the break before Matt Dudley claimed a consolation a minute from time.
Last season, the Rams completed a double over West in the league, winning 3-1 away from home and 1-0 in March at the HWRS in front of 540 spectators.
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“This weather is very frustrating but the efforts that the groundstaff are putting in to get the ground playable is outstanding but we can’t help the weather and the sub zero temperatures.
“If we do get this game on, we know this is a huge game in our season ahead of some more massive games this month. The games continue to back up meaning we will be forced to play Saturday and Tuesday for the next month or so which will be difficult, providing the weather plays ball.”
