*casts an eye on the temperatures for the weekend* Hmm, there might be a bit of a thaw on but there's rain forecast for later on this week, so we're either in for a still-frozen pitch or a waterlogged one. Hopefully not.

I - like the squad no doubt - are desperate for a match at the moment to get the momentum going again and this will be the perfect test against a decent Collieries side who I still tip to be in the promotion mix come the end of the season. 

Going into this match Collieries are in 7th spot with 28 points from 17 matches; yes, just 17 matches which means they are still poised to make a late surge: if you go off "possible points" then they still could theoretically reach a top-three position. We also find them in decent form and all: they are undefeated in their last six league outings with three wins and three draws and have only conceded 9 goals at Alder Street in the league all season.

Despite our last match being a 1-2 home reversal to Chadderton we are in decent position to claw our way into the top-half of the table and a win here would be a real boost; hopefully it will be something close to a repeat of the last-and-only time I have made this visit, an unbelievable 5-2 win in the FA Cup at the start of the 2007-2008 season when Collieries were riding high in the Premier Division.

Come on Cheadle!

Live score updates available on Twitter from 3.00pm onwards
Match report will be on here by MIDNIGHT SUNDAY

Last five seasons at Alder Street:
2010-2011: drew 1-1
2009-2010: lost 1-4
2008-2009: did not meet
2007-2008: won 5-2 (FAC1stQual)
2006-2007: did not meet 

Should we get the green light then it will be our first game for a couple of weeks and a chance to dish out some revenge for two defeats that we have already suffered at the hands of this lot this season: a 2-4 home defeat in the league and then a 1-2 reversal - also at home - in the League Challenge Cup.

We find AFC Darwen just two places and one point behind us in the table. Their current league form is 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses with those 2 wins coming over the last 3 games. The encouraging thing for us is that their home form hasn't been that splendid this season; of the 11 matches that they have played at The Anchor they have managed to lose 7 of them.

Whisper it quietly but there's a bad omen afoot for this match. Each time I have been to watch us at The Anchor we have come away with a win; whenever I haven't been there, we have lost.

I'm not there on Saturday. Sorry lads. It's up to you to break the spell.

Come on Cheadle!

Last five seasons at The Anchor:
2010-2011: won 2-0
2009-2010: did not meet
2008-2009: won 4-0
2007-2008: lost 0-2
2006-2007: won 2-0 

Eccleshall moved into the top-half of the table with a convincing 4-1 home win over Ashton Town (Danny Hughes with a hat-trick). AFC Darwen recorded an away win with a 2-1 win at Chadderton and Daisy Hill's ropey way form continued as they were beaten 1-3 on their travels.

Our very own Cheadle Town are still in 12th spot with 21 points from 20 games.

At the time of writing we sit in an unremarkable-but-not-disastrous 12th spot with 21 points from 20 matches having won 6, drawn 6 and lost 8. In total we've netted 41 times but have conceded slightly more at 45, so our goal difference isn't going to cause us much ruin as things stand. Not that I'm too concerned on that front because we've only received one severe shoeing this season - away at you-know-where - so if final places are decided on GD then we should be in fine fettle and it might be worth an extra rung on the ladder once the shake-up is complete at the end of April.

The difference between our home and away records is impossible to compare and contrast at the moment as we have played two-thirds of our games on the Park Road baize. With only four games left to play on home turf our season is evidently going to be made or broken on the road where, to be honest, our record thus far in all competitions this season has been mildly encouraging: only five defeats, and two of those were to Northern Premier League opposition (one of those was in the last minute of extra-time!).

Going back to league position and our annual holy grail of a top-ten finish looks a long way off if you take "possible points" into consideration. However, closer inspection will tell you that wins over Holker, Daisy Hill, Eccleshall and Darwen - all forthcoming matches with Daisy' home and away yet to come - will completely change that particular picture. All is definitely not lost.

One slightly worrying aspect is that we seemed to have lost the habit of virtually guaranteeing non-defeat when we have scored first. This particular - and quite handy - quirk that had been evident over the past two seasons has departed us; we have scored-first-and-won 8 times in total but have also scored-first-but-lost 8 times and all. The reverse situation where we tend to not-win if we concede first still applies - we have only conceded-first-but-still-won 2 times - but there's plenty of matches left to rectify that.

One particular stat that Steve might want to pick up on is the particular time within matches where we concede goals. If you want to score against us then it seems the final 15 minutes of each half is the best time to do it; nearly half of the goals against us have gone in during the 30-45 and 75-90 minute periods. As for when we score the most then the stats make for very un-Cheadle reading: we have netted the most frequently in the last fifteen minutes of a match. In the same vein you're pretty safe from missing a Cheadle goal if you're late to return from your half-time pie or pint: we have scored only 5 times in the opening fifteen minutes of the restart.

So there you have it so far, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Let the show recommence in February...

The now-customary box o'beer goes to a newcomer, somebody who has filled the gap left by a suspended Adam Roberts and/or an unavailable Warren Gaskin admirably over the past six weeks or so.

Well done David Ratcliffe. He'll be getting his alcoholic booty at some point next month.

Abbey Hey are still top of the pile following a 2-1 away win at Ashton Town. They are two points clear of Wigan Robin Park who administered a leathering to Leek CSOB, going to Harrison Park and winning 4-0.

Elsewhere, Atherton Collieries let a 2-0 lead slip at home to draw 2-2 with Eccleshall; Rochdale Town moved into 5th place with a 3-2 home win over Daisy Hill and Formby inflicted another winless day on Holker Old Boys by snatching a late 2-1 win at Rakesmoor Lane (if only we could do that when we go up there!).

Our very own Cheadle Town are in 12th place with 21 points from 20 matches.

Ben Brooks receives a framed picture of himself after he had scored Cheadle Town's 1500th league goal in the North West Counties Football League against Abbey Hey the other week; team manager Steve Brokenbrow does the honours

Cheadle Town's recent upturn in form took a knock as they tumbled to this disappointing 1-2 reversal at home to Chadderton.

And after such a promising start to the match, too. We created three gilt-edged chances in the first half - scoring with one - but then faded away, resulting in a somewhat torpid second-half performance where the visitors were arguably the better outfit. Unfortunately there was no biblical downpour or poorly-sighted linesman to rescue us this time around.

A lively opening ten minutes was capped by us taking the lead. Chadderton were robbed of possession on the right, the ball was floated over and collected by Josh Taylor six yards out; despite having his back to goal he still managed a neat, economical turn-and-shot.

Two minutes later and we should have extended the lead. David Ratcliffe clipped an inch-perfect ball for Arron Dellosa to latch onto but his lob bounced centimetres wide of the post.

The course of the game then changed dramatically in the remaining eleven minutes of the half.

With 32 minutes gone, Chadderton's Danny Shaw was given time to collect the ball on the edge of the area and shift it onto his (obviously) favoured right foot before toe-bunging it into the roof of the net with Paul Socha bursting through on the left six minutes later before burying into the corner from a tightish angle.

With time ticking away at the end of the first half we were given the chance to start afresh for the second half as we were given a penalty following a shove in the back; normally deadly from the spot, Ben Brooks chose today to roll his shot wide of the post. 

Perhaps our haeds were still a little low after that as Chadderton had a volley of chances to wrap the game up around the hour mark. On 59 minutes they ballooned it over the crossbar following a scrable in the box, saw a counter-attack end up with the foot of the post being struck two minutes later with a teasing cross being fluffed right in front of goal shortly after that.

But, at 1-2, you're still very much in the match and - as I have said so may times before - you always get that one more chance....

...which came with a minute to go. We hadn't troubled him that much in the second half so credit to the Chadderton keeper for keeping altert enough to make an excellent save, tipping one of Andy Lindon's fierce drives over the crossbar.

So this is what you get for thrippling them 8-2 in the FA Cup? Knocked out of the First Division Trophy and now a league defeat. There's still one more joust to come when we travel to Andrew Street in April....

TEAM: Cavanagh, Hall (Riley), Clarke, Ratcliffe, Gaskin, Walley, Dellosa (Lindon), Taylor, Brooks, German, B Brokenbrow (Eme). Subs: Eme, Riley, Lindon, Street.

This one's definitely a case of "haven't we met before?" 

This is the re-arranged version of the league fixture that was controversially abandoned after 70 minutes back in August following a downpour and resulting poor eyesight of the linesman. Don't ask.

Add to that an FA Cup and First Division Trophy tie between the two teams this season and you get the feeling that the line between familairity and contempt is wearing a tad thin.

Chadderton come to us in half-decent form themselves - 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in their last six league outings - and are positioned in 8th place with 26 points from 18 matches and a fair few games-in-hand on those around them. One point of warning for us is that 16 of Chadderton's league points have come away from Andrew Street, as have two-thirds of their goals, and that they are unbeaten in their last four visits to Park Road.

If anybody is thinking of coming to this one then it's a 2.00pm kick-off. Come on Cheadle!

Match report will be on here by MIDNIGHT SUNDAY
Live match updates will be available via Twitter from 2.00pm onwards

Last five seasons at Park Road:
2010-2011: lost 3-4; lost 0-1 (VLC1)
2009-2010: lost 2-4
2008-2009: drew 1-1
2007-2008: won 2-1; lost 0-2 (FDT3)
2006-2007: won 1-0 

Eccleshall recovered from two matches without scoring a goal to beat AFC Darwen at home by three goals to nil, a result that means we slip to 12th place.

The other two matches were draws. Holker Old Boys' indifferent form continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Ashton Town whilst Rochdale Town and Oldham Boro played out a 3-3 thriller at The Mayfield, a result that keeps both teams in the top ten places.

Perhaps not a lot has changed since then. Cheadle played the game of their lives and still lost and hopefully the pie, peas and gravy at Victoria Park (or "Little Wembley" to give it it's new, daft moniker) is still quite exquisite for a club at Level 10 of the proverbial pyramid.

Standing in the way of an eyebrow-raising third win on-the-bounce for us is a Nelson side who currently sit second-from-bottom but are unbeaten in their last three league outings and have the psychological advantage of their 3-2 win on the Park Road baize earlier on in the season.

We'll have a couple of suspended players back for this one which will give Steve a bit of a selection headache but may ultimately hand him the bonus of a strong bench.

It's a 2.00pm kick-off which could potentially be a bit of a nuisance as the wife has the car until 12.45ish. I might have to acquire a brick for a right foot....

Come on Cheadle!

Live score updates will be available via Twitter from 2.00pm onwards
Match report will be on here by MIDNIGHT SUNDAY