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| Brad Jackson |
Last Saturday we came from 2-0 behind to draw 2-2 at Tranmere with late goals from Andrew Nugent and Ntumba Massanka, and we face the same opponents tomorrow in the first round of the Youth Alliance Cup.
Gawthorpe is currently out of bounds for youth games because of the extensive work being carried out at the training ground. Much of the area around the youth team pitch is currently being converted into training pitches of the same quality as the current first team pitch which is on the left as you drive in.
That means different venues. We played Blackpool at Padiham FC, switched the Morecambe game to the away fixture at Slyne-with-Hest. We are back at Padiham a week on Saturday but tomorrow's game, brought forward from Saturday because of the televised game at Turf Moor, will now be played at Rolls Royce Sports Ground in Barnoldswick with a 2 p.m. kick off.
There were six league games played last Saturday with a further two on Tuesday of this week, and there are two big wins to report. Wigan beat Wrexham 5-0 and Walsall travelled north to Carlisle and won 6-0, a result that took them to the top of the league with Preston not in action.
North End did get the opportunity to return to the top on Tuesday but failed to take it when they went down 3-2 at Rochdale with the home side scoring a very late winner.
It leaves Walsall a point clear of both Preston and Bury, who beat Accrington. Tranmere are a point behind them with Wigan and us a further point behind, although we have played one game less than all of the teams above us.
Last week saw Port Vale drop to bottom place on goal difference. They didn't play either on Saturday but won at Fleetwood on Tuesday to claim their first points. It leaves Morecambe, who lost at Blackpool, on their own with no points now and Accrington just above them with a solitary point.
Oldham, whose season kicked off late, also got their first points with a 3-2 win at Shrewsbury but the table now shows just Walsall, Tranmere and Burnley as the only unbeaten clubs.
All the results are below along with this weekend's cup fixtures which features clubs from our league (North West) and the North East league. Those fixtures are followed by our goalscorers this season and the current league table.
RECENT RESULTS
Saturday 23rd August
BLACKPOOL 2 MORECAMBE 0
BURY 3 ACCRINGTON 2
CARLISLE 0 WALSALL 6
SHREWSBURY 2 OLDHAM 3
TRANMERE 2 BURNLEY 2
WIGAN 5 WREXHAM 0
Tuesday 26th August
FLEETWOOD 0 PORT VALE 1
ROCHDALE 3 PRESTON 2
THIS WEEK'S CUP FIXTURES
Friday 29th August
BURNLEY v TRANMERE - at Rolls Royce, Barnoldswick
Saturday 30th August
BURTON v NOTTS COUNTY
BURY v PORT VALE
CARLISLE v HULL
CHESTERFIELD v SCUNTHORPE
GRIMSBY v BLACKPOOL
HARTLEPOOL v WIGAN
MORECAMBE v DONCASTER
ROTHERHAM v MANSFIELD
WALSALL v OLDHAM
WREXHAM v ACCRINGTON
YORK v FLEETWOOD
BURNLEY'S GOALSCORERS
3: NTUMBA MASSANKA
2: CHRISTIAN HILL
1: ANDREW NUGENT
CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE
| Team | pld | w | d | l | f | a | pts |
| WALSALL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| PRESTON NORTH END | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 9 |
| ROCHDALE | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 9 |
| BURY | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
| TRANMERE ROVERS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| WIGAN ATHLETIC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| BURNLEY | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| BLACKPOOL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| SHREWSBURY TOWN | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| WREXHAM | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| OLDHAM ATHLETIC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| FLEETWOOD TOWN | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| PORT VALE | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| CARLISLE UNITED | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 3 |
| ACCRINGTON STANLEY | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| MORECAMBE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 0 |