West Women Preview | Preston North End (H)
West vs Preston North End
- Sunday 18th October 2026
- 2pm kick-off
- NWWRL Premier Division, Matchday 10
- Brookburn Road, M21 8DP for parking - note there is no parking on the nearby Chorltonville Estate, see our Matchday page for further detail.
- Admission, pay on the gate with card or cash
- £4 Adults
- £2 Concessions (16-17 & over 60s)
- Free for Under 16s
At this game, we'll again be teaming up with The Beagle & Nell's Pizza to give all in attendance a voucher for a free slice of pizza. Click here for more details.
A second successive Sunday at Brookburn Road sees West welcome Preston North End, knowing a win would move us up to 2nd in the NWWRL Premier Division after leaving it late to best Bury last time out.
A battle of third against fourth proved to be as close as the league table suggested. Chances were limited, but Beth Wilson pounced after 22 minutes, taking down a cross and hitting home to give us the lead. The balance of play tipped in favour of the visitors in the second half, as they drew level with 25 minutes remaining, and pressed for a winner with the clock ticking down.
West defended resolutely, and - when an opportunity arose - struck the killer blow. A 91st minute forward ball found Ava Bushell, who coolly slotted past the keeper to send both her teammates and the shed into raptures and ultimately secure all three points.
Sunday's opponents Preston North End spent their Sunday at bottom of the table Poulton Vics and needed to come from behind to win 2-1 on the road. The result sees them up to eighth in the table
North End arrived as champions of Division One North, winning 13 of their 16 league games and going unbeaten at home - their first promotion in more than seven years. Life a step up has been tougher going. A 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra on the opening day, courtesy of an Alicia Scott strike, was followed by defeats to Darwen and Bolton Wanderers, before a 4-2 win over Tranmere Rovers at Inglewhite Road got them back on track.
They've had to live with a few near misses since. A trip to Bury ended in a 3-0 defeat, and a visit to Mancunian Unity was even more painful - North End led 2-0 at half time in Chadderton, only to lose 3-2 to a 97th minute winner. A 1-0 home defeat to Nantwich Town followed, with joint head coach Logan De Klerk conceding that his side "could probably have more points on the board" as they find their feet in the division.
Cup football has been far kinder to them. While our own FA Cup run ended at the hands of Mancunian Unity, North End beat tier six Wirral United 5-1 at Deepdale - the side's first competitive outing at the stadium - before putting seven past North Ferriby to keep the run going.
It's a competition the club have a recent history in. In 2024/25 North End reached the First Round Proper, with forward Madison Hadley scoring 11 goals in four games, including a share of the fourteen they put past Clitheroe Wolves. It was enough to win her the competition's Golden Ball as top scorer, pipping Manchester United's Ella Toone and Chelsea's Aggie Beever-Jones, with the award presented to her at Wembley on the day of the final.
Sunday will be the first league meeting between the sides, although we have crossed paths at Brookburn Road before. Preston visited in January 2025 for an ADP Plate tie, progressing 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The reverse league fixture is scheduled for Inglewhite Road on 28th March.
Upcoming North West Women's Regional League Premier Division fixtures
| Sunday 18 October | ||
| Darwen | 14:00 | Poulton Vics |
| FC St Helens | 14:00 | Crewe Alexandra |
| Nantwich Town | 14:00 | Bolton Wanderers |
| Tranmere Rovers | 14:00 | FC United of Manchester |
| West Didsbury & Chorlton | 14:00 | Preston North End |
Travelling to Brookburn Road
We strongly recommend that, where possible, visitors walk, cycle or use public transport when travelling to our stadium.
Car parking at the stadium itself is strictly restricted to players and officials. If you're a supporter and you require a parking space for accessibility reasons, please contact ollie@wdcfc.co.uk.
If you are driving to the match, please use our car park at Hardy Farm M21 8DP or alternatively the car park opposite the Bowling Green pub M21 9ES.
Please note that there is NO PARKING allowed in the Chorltonville area adjacent to the ground, which is private.
For further details of how to get to Brookburn Road, please head to the MATCHDAY page.
North West Women's Regional League Premier Division table, after the games on Sunday 11 October
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolton Wanderers | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 24 |
| 2 | Mancunian Unity | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 19 |
| 3 | West Didsbury & Chorlton | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| 4 | Nantwich Town | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 5 | Bury | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 13 |
| 6 | Darwen | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -5 | 13 |
| 7 | Crewe Alexandra | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -2 | 10 |
| 8 | Preston North End | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -7 | 10 |
| 9 | FC United of Manchester | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -11 | 8 |
| 10 | FC St Helens | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -16 | 8 |
| 11 | Tranmere Rovers | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -11 | 6 |
| 12 | Poulton Vics | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | -13 | 3 |
Sunday's North West Women's Regional League Premier Division results
| Sunday 11 October | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 0 - 2 | Mancunian Unity |
| Darwen | 2 - 3 | Nantwich Town |
| FC United of Manchester | 2 - 3 | FC St Helens |
| Poulton Vics | 1 - 2 | Preston North End |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2 - 4 | Bolton Wanderers |
| West Didsbury & Chorlton | 2 - 1 | Bury |