Atherton Collieries head out on the road once more on Saturday, looking to make it two wins from two as they travel to take on Kidsgrove Athletic.
With poor weather forcing the postponement of scheduled home fixtures against Wythenshawe and Trafford, this weekend’s game will mark a third consecutive away trip for the Colls, who picked up maximum points when they visited Stalybridge Celtic two weeks ago.
That most recent outing ultimately ended 3-1 in favour of Michael Clegg’s men as the influential duo of Keilen Adams and Aaron Dwyer were again on the scoresheet, with the latter of the two netting a brace.
The same pair also got the goals in a 2-0 triumph over Avro at the Dreams2Reality Stadium, with those results (separated by a narrow 2-1 defeat at Clitheroe on Boxing Day) helping to maintain an at least somewhat reassuring cushion of five points to the relegation zone.
Saturday represents a chance to grow that gap further still and to start making significant progress up the league table, with maximum points enough to go up as many as four places (Kidsgrove being one of the teams that would be leapfrogged in that potential equation.)
The Grove did claim a 1-0 victory when these two sides last met back in September, but head into the return fixture having lost each of their last four league matches, last tasting victory against City of Liverpool on December 14.
That difficult stretch forms part of an overall record of nine wins, five draws and 11 defeats in the Northern Premier League Division One West, with that return of 32 points from 25 matches good enough for 15th in the standings at the time of writing.
So, with both camps certain to be hungry to claim what could prove a particularly valuable three points, this weekend’s game promises to be an intriguing and hard-fought encounter.
And for those planning on attending on Saturday, match tickets will be available to purchase on the day by either cash or card, priced as follows:
Adults: £10, Concessions: £6, Under 16s: £2, Under 12s: Free.
