By Steven Oldham Cover photo: Ian Meachin Daisy Hill vs Steeton
Jump to:
Halewood Apollo win 3-1 in first NWCFL match
Halewood Apollo made a winning start to life in the North West Counties First Division North with a 3-1 victorty at Garstang.
The Merseyside club’s opening day victory came despite going a goal down after just three minutes – with Stephen Mercer on target for the home side.
Jesse Dowling etched his name into the club’s history books with their first goal as a Step 6 club on 20 minutes, and the score remained level until the closing stages.
READ MORE: 6! New Mills crush Telford on opening day
Steven Irwin put his side ahead for the first time on 77 minutes, and the win was sealed with substitute Kyle Schorah’s effort five minutes from time.
Daisy Hill hit fifth gear
Daisy Hill picked up one of the day’s most impressive results while thrashing Steeton 5-0 on home turf.
The game was bookended by goalmouth action – with all five goals coming in the 15 minutes either side of referee Daniel O’Brien’s whistle.
Gerry McCullion netted a quick brace on 6 and 15 minutes, with Ollie Partington adding a third on 79 minutes. Will Shawcross matched his team-mate with two goals in quick succession in the closing moments – one from the penalty spot.
After just one game, it’s already a bigger win than the Westhoughton side managed throughout the entire 2025-26 season.
The thoughts of manager Nicky Hunt after today’s 5-0 win over Steeton. pic.twitter.com/UJb5wn8iFP
— Daisy Hill FC (@OfficialDHFC) August 1, 2026
Holker win seven goal thriller
Holker Old Boys had to dig deep to eventually see off newcomers AFC Knowsley 4-3 in the final moments.
The sides took turns to hit the back of the net, with Lee Turkington opening the scoring four minutes in for the newly promoted side, before Brandon Collins levelled the game at the 20 minute mark.
Lewis caught up with manager Dave Platt after the match yesterday pic.twitter.com/pr5gaf96XO
— AFC Knowsley (@afc_knowsley) August 2, 2026
Holker grabbed the half time lead thanks to Tyler Spence, but were pegged back four minutes after the restart by Leon Arnasalam. The Barrow club went 3-2 up thanks to Ryan Fagan, but again, the visitors fought their way back into it with Kurtis Pearson’s goal on 79 minutes.
It would be Patrick Allington who snatched the win for the hosts with his goal three minutes into added time. The Cumbrian side will be looking to improve on last season’s midtable finish, despite only being three points outside the playoffs in a closely contested league.
Thornton Cleveleys off to winning start
Thornton Cleveleys won by the odd goal in five over Cammell Laird, who were laterally transferred from the South division over the summer.
Despite the loss, Lairds were 2-0 up in the early going – with Adam Smith netting both goals before the half hour. The hosts were level before the break however – with Jackson Bateman starting the comeback on 36 minutes, and Daniel Stoney restoring parity five minutes later.
A straight red card for the visiting Tom Murray before the break could have left his side vulnerable, but they almost bagged a point before Kyle Higham’s decisive goal four minutes from time.
Darwen fight back to win
Darwen came from behind to beat last season’s playoff finalists Maghull 2-1 late on.
Nathan Moffitt had put the visitors ahead after seven minutes, and his goal looked to be decisive with no further scoring until midway through the second half.
Pawel Zuk scored straight from his corner, although the goal was initially credited as a Charlie Lloyd header. A Sam Holt tap in two minutes from time completed the comeback and grabbed three points for the Lancashire side.
The Salmoners managed to win this one despite having four players in the sin bin at various stages of the game.
Results in brief
Bacup Borough had the game done and dusted before the break in a 3-0 win over Ashton Town. Aiden Lancaster netted his side’s first goal of the campaign on 23 minutes, with an own goal going in their favour before Connor Morris wrapped up the win by the 36th minute.
Woolton are off and running with a 3-1 win at Colne, giving them a perfect platform to build on last season’s third place finish. Jacob Barratt, Daniel Ventre and Matthew Robinson were on target for the visitors, with Miles Storey pulling one back for Andy Harrison’s side at 2-0.
Two Josh Nicholson goals gave Ashton Athletic a 2-0 win over AFC Blackpool. The striker scored twice in the final ten minutes to win it for his side.
It’s a measure of improvement for Athletic, who lost both games to this opposition last season while on their way to a bottom three finish.
Uppermill began life as a Step 6 side with a debut point in a 1-1 draw at Ashville. Michael Sholabi gave the newcomers a dream start within the first minute, before the home side drew level from the penalty spot through Joe Levey.
⚫️⚪️ Peter & Harley share their thoughts after yesterday's game! ⚪️⚫️#utv #interview pic.twitter.com/xQ10N9jKRd
— Ashville Football Club (@AshvilleFC) August 2, 2026
Flixton are also on the board after taking a point at Squires Gate. Ex-Chadderton man Lewis Byrne gave the Manchester side the lead on 61 minutes before James Hughes secured a point for the hosts ten minutes later.
Finally, Maine Road and Fulwood Amateurs also played out a 1-1 draw. Will Sim gave the visitors the lead on 28 minutes, before Siraj Hussein rescued a point ten minutes from time for last season’s bottom side.
North West Counties First Division North results
- Ashton Athletic 2-0 AFC Blackpool
- Ashville 1-1 Uppermill
- Bacup Borough 3-0 Ashton Town
- Colne 1-3 Woolton
- Daisy Hill 5-0 Steeton
- Darwen 2-1 Maghull
- Garstang 1-3 Halewood Apollo
- Holker Old Boys 4-3 AFC Knowsley
- Maine Road 1-1 Fulwood Amateurs
- Squires Gate 1-1 Flixton
- Thornton Cleveleys 3-2 Cammell Laird
READ NEXT: 4-2 debut win for Runcorn in Midland Premier
Leave a Reply