Atherton Collieries will travel in search of a swift return to winning ways as they hit the road to take on Stafford Rangers on Saturday.
An encouraging run of two wins and three unbeaten games in a row (all achieved without conceding) was halted in the Colls’ most recent outing, a 2-1 home defeat against Runcorn Linnets on October 11.
A relatively rare (and timely, given a prior run of three games in less than a week) eight-day break has followed for Michael Clegg’s men, providing extra time to plot an immediate response to that setback, and a recapturing of the recent momentum which had powered a move off the bottom of the table.
Standing in the way will be a Stafford side who have also encountered some early turbulence following a change of division, with their opening 12 games of the Northern Premier League Division One West campaign returning 12 points in a stretch that has included three wins, three draws and six defeats.
A commendable win 2-1 away at Bootle (followed by a goalless draw against Kidsgrove Athletic) may have offered hope that a corner had been turned but, like the Stripes, Saturday’s opponents will be looking to shake off a loss, having been beaten 2-1 at Wythenshawe last weekend.
So, with both sides having experienced similar recent fortunes, it promises to be a hard-fought encounter between the two, who claimed a win apiece during their pair of clashes at step three during the 2023/24 season.
The Colls did suffer a 2-0 defeat during their last visit to Marston Road back in November 2023, but were able to enact revenge for that result with a 1-0 win in the return fixture the following April.
And to see if the lads can secure a second successive victory over Stafford Rangers, travel to Saturday’s game (departing the Dreams2Reality Stadium at 11am and priced at £20 per seat) can be secured by contacting the club or supporters club through social media, or emailing robcollsmedia@outlook.com.
Meanwhile, match tickets can be purchased either in advance via the following link (https://staffordrangersfc.ktckts.com/event/srfc2425h07/atherton-collieries) or on the gate, priced as follows:
Adults: £13, Concessions/Students: £8, Under 16s: £4.
