League action returns to The Vestacare Stadium this Saturday, 16th November, as Avro welcome Witton Albion.
The Ro head into this fixture looking to complete the perfect week. A win away against league leaders Vauxhall Motors last Saturday was followed up by an emphatic 6-2 victory against Gilla FC on Tuesday night as Avro played European football for the first time. After a difficult couple of weeks, joint managers David Birch and Mike Norton admitted they went back to the drawing board last weekend, and this certainly paid off as our good fortune at The VanEupen Arena continued.
In recent weeks, Avro have welcomed back Dom Smalley, Jack Morrow and Benito Lowe back into the squad after their return from respective injuries which has provided David Birch and Mike Norton with food for thought when selecting their squad. This was certainly the case last weekend as Benito Lowe opened the scoring and Dom Smalley delivered the usual standard of performance on the wings. Jack Morrow also came off the bench to sure up the Avro midfield to see out the remainder of the game.
Avro head into this fixture sitting 18th in the league on 18 points. They have, however, played less games than most teams above them so a victory here today closes the gap to the play offs as Congleton Town currently occupy the last play-off place on 26 points.
Witton Albion arrive at The Vestacare also looking for points after enduring a difficult campaign so far. After missing out on the play-offs on goal difference to City of Liverpool last season, they currently sit in 14th on 20 points. Witton Albion headed into the 2024/25 season missing half of their squad that got them so close to play-off football last season in a run that saw them lose just 4 of their last 25 games.
This squad re-shuffle saw them turn their attention to The North West Counties League to build a squad they believed could compete to the same standard as to what they have been so used to in previous seasons. After a tough pre-season, Witton Albion decided to part ways with Jon Macken as the manager, just 2 weeks before the start of the league season. This change resulted in a new management duo of Ben Harrison & Jim Lawrie heading into the season. After an interim period, the pair were appointed joint managers on a full-time basis last month.
Avro know that a win will take them above Witton which will be the goal heading into the fixture. The management and playing team will take confidence from the past week and look to make it 3 wins from their last 3 fixtures.
Last time out between the sides, Avro took a point from the U Lock It Stadium as goals from Liam Ellis and an 88th minute equaliser from Muis Bibire Bello resulted in a 2-2 draw. Witton then headed to The Vestacare in January of this year and a strike in the 13th minute from Harry Brazel was the difference as Witton held on to a 1-0 win.
Tickets are available for this fixture still with adults priced at £10, concessions £8, and U21’s from £6. These are available here.
