By Steven Oldham Cover photo: Paul Moran Bootle vs Lower Breck

Lower Breck remain top with away win

Lower Breck‘s impressive start to life at Step 4 continued with a 3-1 away win at nearest rivals Bootle.

Gary Moore’s side left it late to snatch all three points, but that they did and the promoted side have only dropped two points all season.

Alex Cherera opened the scoring after 14 minutes before Connor Rankin equalised before the half hour mark. It would be in the final ten minutes when Breck won it, with Jordan Barrow netting on 82 minutes, shortly followed by Cherera completing his brace.

READ MORE: Bury & Lower Breck start Step 4 season victorious

Bootle fall to a first defeat since the opening day.

Wythenshawe Town off and running

Wythenshawe Town notched up their first win of the season in a 2-1 result that sees Trafford remain without a point to their name.

Jonny Nixon put Town ahead after 11 minutes, and Danny Edwards added another midway through the second half.

Henry Brown pulled one back for Trafford, but it would prove not to be enough to avoid his side falling to a fourth straight loss – with every game finishing in a 2-1 reverse.

Aaron Hart gives his immediate reaction as Town get their first win of the season in their local derby against Trafford FC.#WTFC|#YourTownYourClub 🟦⬜️ pic.twitter.com/BxznNdKLLL

— Wythenshawe Town FC (@WTFC1946) August 25, 2025

Heath double key for Vauxhall

Vauxhall Motors picked up a first win – and remain unbeaten – after seeing off Newcastle Town 3-1.

Three draws to open the season suggest Danny Holmes’ side are going to be tough to beat, but they found their scoring boots in this game with the three goals in this game equal to the total scored in those draws.

Toby Jones opened the scoring on 14 minutes, with Finlay Heath netting the first of his two goals on the half hour. Omari Brown pulled one back for the visitors on 56 minutes before Heath scored his second.

Ten-man Stalybridge win again

It’s definitely advantage Stalybridge Celtic in their early season rivalry with Bury – as Jon Macken’s side left Gigg Lane with a 2-0 victory in their pocket.

Celtic struck twice in quick succession to tie up the points through Brandon Newell and ex-Shaker Ruben Jerome just before the break. Another former Gigg Lane player, Andy Scarisbrick, was sent off with a half hour left to play, but Bury were unable to take advantage of the extra man.

The sides have met three times in the opening month, with two wins for Stalybridge following their draw in the first FA Cup match. A first league defeat for Dave McNabb’s side leaves them 17th.

Last-gasp win for Atherton Colls

Atherton Collieries made it back-to-back wins after beating Clitheroe 2-1 with an injury time winner from Javid Swaby-Neavin.

A first goal for Luke Nock since his summer transfer from Wythenshawe Town gave Colls an early lead, but his goal was quickly pegged back by Jacob Hanson on 21 minutes for the visitors.

The scoresheet remain untouched until Swaby-Neavin’s late intervention, and Clitheroe ended the match with ten men after substitute Luke Gill was dismissed deep into added time.

We spoke to assistant manager Danny Lafferty after Colls completed a Bank Holiday six-pointer with a dramatic victory over Clitheroe this afternoon 🎙️

Sponsored by @KennyWaste 🤝 pic.twitter.com/dSI32BToI2

— Atherton Collieries (@ACFC1916) August 25, 2025

Single goal enough for Avro

Avro returned to winning ways at nearby rivals Mossley, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win.

Dylan Gairns netted the game’s only goal on 74 minutes as his side bounced back from defeat to Shifnal Town at the weekend.

Mossley are still yet to win this season, but have three points to their name.

Honours even at Witton Albion

Runcorn Linnets remain unbeaten after the points were shared in a 1-1 draw at Witton Albion.

Both goals came in the first half, with the prolific Scott Bakkor putting Linnets ahead on 27 minutes. Witton captain Josh Langley equalised four minutes before the break to complete the afternoon’s scoring.

Witton won both games between the two clubs 4-0 last season.

⚽️🥅 | BAKKOR ADDS ANOTHER

Take a look at Scott Bakkor’s audacious penalty to put Runcorn 1-0 this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/L8H4u48YZJ

— Runcorn Linnets FC (@RuncornLinnets) August 25, 2025

Defeat for Congleton and Nantwich

Congleton Town‘s tough start to the season continued with a 1-0 loss at Kidsgrove Athletic.

A late Oliver Finney goal snatched all three points for the hosts three minutes from time.

Richard Duffy’s side are yet to win and find themselves second bottom at this early stage.

Finally, Nantwich Town fell to a second defeat of the season after losing 2-1 at Stafford Rangers.

Zidan Sutherland found the back of the net within the first minute for Rangers, and the home side doubled their lead just before the break through Jack Birch.

Byron Harrison pulled one back for Jon Moran’s side with 15 minutes left to play, but Stafford held on to the win and climbed into second place.

Elsewhere in the division Chasetown beat Sporting Khalsa 1-0 and there was a 1-1 draw between Shifnal Town and Darlaston Town.

READ NEXT: Witton Albion take first win in 3-1 away day