Weekend (Double) Round-Up...and the Week Ahead

Starting with Saturday's cup action....

Kirkham and Wesham are just an avoidance-of-defeat away from Wembley. They came back from 0-2 down at home to Needham Market in the first leg of their FA Vase semi-final to win 3-2. Best of luck to them in the second leg next weekend.

We also have the line-up for the Vodkat League Trophy final. In the semi-final second legs, Maine Road went to Chadderton and thrashed them 6-0 thus winning on aggregate by the same scoreline; they will face Bootle who picked up an excellent 2-1 away win at Div 1's Winsford United, thus winning 4-3 on aggregate. If you're interested then that final will be played at the Tameside Stadium (home of Curzon Ashton) on Wednesday 30th April.

In the league there was an Easter double-header of action. New Mills are 18 points clear at the top thanks to two wins (9-0 at home to Holker at 4-0 at Leek). Kirkham are in 2nd place with six games-in-hand; they gained a hard-fought 4-3 win at Holker Old Boys on Easter Monday. Ashton Athletic's 1-1 draw at Oldham Town on the Saturday and surprise 1-3 defeat at home to Ashton Town keeps them in 3rd, with Oldham's subsequent 0-1 loss at Chadderton keeping them in 4th.

The two teams with loads of games-in-hand - Chadderton and Bootle - are in 5th and 6th placed respectively. I'm now ruling anybody below that out of the promotion race because they haven't got enough games left in their pockets to make a substantial push.

Our very own Cheadle Town look to be finishing no higher than 14th place; we are 10 points behind Ashton Town in 13th, but with a game-in-hand on them. A victory over Eccleshall this Wednesday and again at Ashton Town on April 5th would theoretically cut the gap to 4 points and give us a better chance of finishing higher; anything less and 14th is as good as our final league position is going to get, I'm afraid.

I'm not around now until Friday evening, so there'll probably be no match report for our home match against Eccleshall on Wednesday night - unless Polardin does the honours - nor any preview for Saturday's away match at Bootle.

In my absence, come on Cheadle!