Alliance Affairs - Clarets game off as Preston storm on

Last updated : 31 October 2002 By Peter Heywood

Preston more than made up for their temporary blip against Wigan the previous week by dispatching Rochdale 4-1 away. Dale had taken an unexpected first half lead, but two goals each from Paul Forker and (who else?) Kelvin Langmead emphasised the true distance between the sides. Coach Simon Davey was delighted with his side’s performance, probably the best of the season so far.

With Tranmere inactive yet again, Wigan and Oldham both took advantage of the situation to move up to second and third respectively. The JJB Latics ensured that Blackpool remained propping up the rest of the division with a 1-0 home win. David Lee’s youngsters have certainly hit form now, and Saturday’s game at Gawthorpe (if it goes ahead) should be well worth watching.

In the remaining game the Pukka Pies Latics overcame Bury 2-1 at home.

Even at this relatively early stage in the season, it’s already looking pretty clear that, as was the case last year, the North West Conference will fail to complete its fixtures. Each team should now have completed seven games; a glance at the league table shows that already that is far from the case.

With the onset of the bad weather, and with teams involved in midweek reserve, FA Youth Cup, and county cup games, the chances of catching up on these missing games by the end of January are minimal.

Of course, the coaches will say that the results don’t really matter, it’s playing the games that counts and gaining experience. But when lots of players are hardly getting the chance to kick a ball in anger at the moment, it must be giving cause for some serious concern.

This Saturday’s fixtures:

Burnley v Wigan (11am)
Bury v Blackpool
Rochdale v Stockport
Tranmere v Oldham

Leading reported league scorers:

9 Kelvin Langmead (Preston)
6 Paul Robinson (Tranmere)
5 Lee Hamilton (Carlisle)
4 Matthew Blinkhorn (Blackpool)
4 Michael Kewley (Preston)

Youth Alliance League Table

Burnley's Fixtures and Results