The Whites' near-perfect start to 2025 (five wins, one draw) has opened up a six-point gap at the summit of the NPL West with a game in-hand on second-placed Congleton Town.

Michael Ellison's team have come through a sticky start to a tough-looking February with maximum points despite going down to 10-men after just 22 minutes in last Saturday's triumph at Stalybridge Celtic.

They backed that up with a 1-0 win at in-form Witton Albion in midweek that was more comfortable than it perhaps felt with Widnes limiting Ben Harrison's team to zero shots on target.

There's 14 crucial games to go but there's no bigger than the next, and Collieries will prove to be a tough nut to crack.

The Opposition

Atherton boss Michael Clegg has promised that his team won't be coming to the DCBL Stadium to sit 10 men behind the ball, pledging to take the game to the league leaders.

Colls have slipped into the division's bottom four in recent weeks owing to Stafford Rangers' recent revival but Atherton responded with a 4-2 win over Hanley Town last time out that arrested a three-game losing run.

Clegg has built a talented squad following his return to Alder House in September, and their fearsome foursome of Kielen Adams, Scott Bakkor, Matty Bryan and Aaron Dwyer can hurt any team in this league.

Previous Meetings

This is a fixture that stretches back to Widnes' first-ever season in the North West Counties League back in 2013.

Collieries won both matches that campaign handsomely and have only ever been on the losing side once in this contest.

Atherton have a 100% record at the DCBL Stadium too and Clegg was the manager on their last visit to WA8 to face a Widnes side - a 2-1 come from behind victory in April 2019 that was ultimately pivotal in Collieries being crowned NPL West Champions three weeks later.

The reverse fixture this season was a 0-0 draw back in October.

Matchday Information

Saturday’s clash at the DCBL Stadium is a 3:00pm kick-off. Admission is priced at £10 adults, £7 concessions and £2 under-16s on the gate via cash or card.

As is currently the case with our home fixtures, no unaccompanied U16s will be admitted into the stadium.

Our digital programme is available to read online HERE, while you can purchase a hard copy if you prefer HERE.

Social media coverage will as always take place on our official channels – X @Widnes_FC and Instagram - @widnesfc