Atherton Colls hit top form in their 5-0 win over Bamber Bridge while Daisy Hill and Atherton LR go in search of their first wins on Saturday.

All that and more is in our latest non-league round-up.

COLLS’ FIVE-STAR DISPLAY

The Bolton News:

Atherton Collieries recorded their biggest ever victory in the Northern Premier League on Tuesday night with a 5-0 win against Bamber Bridge at the Skuna Stadium.

Adding to an earlier Jordan Darr strike, three goals in four minutes just before the half-time whistle – from Danny Lafferty, Elliot Rokka and Darr – gave Colls a commanding lead, and substitute Jack Banister rounded off the evening with a stunning solo effort in the second half.

Having now picked up seven points from a possible nine in the last week, Colls manager Brad Cooke was brimming with pride post-match.

“It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted since I walked back into the football club,” he said.

“I’ve got a team where I’m absolutely proud of everything that they’re doing when I’m stood on the sideline.

“Over the last seven days, every single member of our squad has started a game and contributed.

“I’m proud of the lads, I’m proud of the football club for putting on three games in seven days in the current circumstances and I’m proud of the town for coming and supporting us in their numbers.”

Tuesday night saw the Black and Whites come up against Wanderers midfielder George Thomason who is on loan at Bamber Bridge.

He saw team-mate Chris Marlow sent off for a second yellow card towards the end of the contest, in what was a tough evening for the youngster and his loan club, who have won just one of their opening six games.

Fellow Wanderers loanee Callum King-Harmes was on the bench for the visitors, but didn’t make an appearance.

On the back of a positive week, Colls, seventh in the early table, will look to continue their fine run of form away at Witton Albion in the Pitching In Northern Premier League tomorrow.

Words by Ben Owalumi

BORO MANAGER’S INTERESTING ANALOGY

The Bolton News:

Radcliffe boss Lee Fowler took plenty of heart from seeing his side match the best the Pitching In Northern Premier League has to offer.

Boro dominated large parts of the game at Premier Division leaders Warrington and created plenty of chances, only to come up short in a 2-1 defeat.

Fowler quipped: “At the minute, we are falling in a barrel of boobs and coming out sucking our thumbs.

“We need to start having that luck, the shots and decision making in the box.

“Sometimes you just have to turn and smack it and if it goes in off someone, that is the luck we deserve at the minute.

“The style of play, the application, the effort I can’t fault this group of players.

“We conceded again in the opening 10 minutes so we have given them what they are looking for and as soon as we address that I think this team has massive potential.

“If I was a fan paying £12 I would be very happy with the football I am seeing.”

Fowler now turns his attentions to Saturday’s meeting with Gainsborough Trinity at the Neuven Stadium.

Words by Adam Harrison

DAISY SEEK FIRST VICTORY

The Bolton News:

Daisy Hill make the short trip to Ashton Town on Saturday, and will be hoping to pick up their first points of the season after a disappointing opening day 5-2 defeat at home to Prestwich Heys.

Last week’s scheduled game against AFC Liverpool was postponed, and manager Brian Hart believes that a difficult away game after two weeks of inactivity will be a test for his squad.

“This is going to be a hard game because they have a good group of players, they are one of the better teams we played last season, and they move the ball around well,” said Daisy boss Hart.

“I’m pleased in a way that it is a tough team we are facing, if we had been facing a team who, say, were below us last season we might have been going in with the wrong attitude.  

“But for this game we are back as underdogs, and I think that suits us better because we tend to lift our game a little bit more in these situations, and feel we have something to prove.

“We know we have goals in the team, we have just got to be a bit more solid as a unit, and make sure our shape is better, and be able to react better to situations at times.  

“That can’t come from the management team at the side, it has to come from the players themselves.”

Words by Ian Templeman

LR ON HOME SOIL

Elsewhere in the North West Counties League Division One North, Atherton LR welcome St Helens Town to Crilly Park.

Mark Robinson’s men are also looking for their first win of the campaign after opening with defeats at home to Golcar United and at Chadderton with LR seeing other games postponed.

HEYS WIN DERBY WITH AFC

The Bolton News:

MATT Barnes spoke of one of the highlights of his football career after seeing his Prestwich Heys side take the derby spoils against Bury AFC.

Jack Coop’s late winner handed Heys a 2-1 victory at Radcliffe’s Neuven Stadium on Tuesday night in what was a first setback for the phoenix club following wins over Steeton and Saturday’s 6-2 victory against AFC Darwen.

Coop gave Heys a sixth-minute lead before Tom Greaves equalised with five minutes remaining – his seventh goal in three games – to set up a grandstand finish.

But it was the visitors rather than the hosts who claimed the bragging rights as Coop grabbed the winner deep in to stoppage time.

It came after a weekend which saw people in Heys tracksuits involved in a disturbance in Ainsworth. Footage has been widely shared on social media with the club apologising to local residents and a police investigation launched.

Barnes said: “I’ve just said to the lads in there they’ve done exactly what we asked of them.

“I’m so proud of them after the weekend we’ve had.

“It’s out there, everybody knows, that’s one of the proudest moments of my football career.”

AFC boss Andy Welsh insisted lessons would be learned from the new side’s first league defeat.

“We weren’t set up correctly behind our attacks and it cost us and we came back down to earth with a bump,” he said.

“But I’ll hold my hands up and the players will hold their hands up and admit that we got it wrong.

“Fair play to Heys, they got their early goal and it gave them something to protect.

“We huffed and puffed a bit in the first half but I thought we were very good in the second half and got the goal we deserved.”

While Heys return to action at Cleator Moor Brook tomorrow, AFC will have to wait until Wednesday for their next game at Garstang.