Tomorrow then Saturday's Opponents: Bootle and Ashton Athletic

For those people who support teams lucky enough to be participating in the UEFA Cup, there is no novelty in seeing football being played on a Thursday night. Cheadle are somewhat distant from European football at the moment so, if you don't mind, we'll make something of the Thursday thing.

I think this is the first time we've seen Cheadle play on a Thursday. There. Done it.

Bootle and Ashton Athletic were, up until very recently, two teams in with an outside chance of claiming the second promotion place in what was turning out to be an interesting battle. However, Kirkham and Wesham have "ruined" the intrigue somewhat by cutting loose: their 2-0 defeat of Padiham last night [Tuesday] means that they sit 6 points clear of 3rd-placed Oldham Town and still with two games-in-hand.

Bootle play us right in the middle of a hectic schedule. Their rare ol' season which has seen them reach the final of both "domestic" cup finals has meant a bit of a fixture pile-up: this will be Bootle's third fixture already this week! Perhaps their minds are on those cup finals - or the heavy schedule is kicking in - as we meet them on the back of two consecutive defeats, the most recent being a 1-4 drubbing at Darwen on Tuesday night.

Then it's back to Ashton-in-Makerfield on the Saturday for our away trip to Ashton Athletic. There's not much to say about that match now, to be honest, except to say that Cheadle will be looking to avenge the home fixture where, despite making a good fist of it, they ended up losing 1-3. After that there'll only be two games left - how time flies.

The Bootle match report will be on here very late Thursday night, and it'll be Sunday lunchtime before the Ashton Athletic one wends its way onto here.

Come on Cheadle!

Last season: Bootle 2-2 Cheadle Town, Ashton Athletic 1-1 Cheadle Town