Match Preview - Warrington Rylands
The Blues claimed their first league double of the season away from home, earning a 1-0 victory over Ashton United, enabling us to leapfrog our opponents’ position in the league and almost certainly settle any remaining fears of relegation within the Club.
The key moment of the match arrived in the 65th minute, when Connor Heath tapped in from close range after excellent work and a low cross from Liam Buckley, providing Connor his 11th goal of the season. Overall, the match was scrappy, with few clear-cut chances at either end. Defensively, Leek were completely solid, with Dino Visser not having to make a save for the entire 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Ashton UTD goalkeeper Jordan Eastham was required to make multiple crucial stops in order to keep the score down. By the final whistle, Leek had done enough to walk away with all three points and momentum to put into the next fixture.
Our next opponent is Warrington Rylands, who currently occupy 4th in the league, having lost 1-0 at home to Cleethorpes Town on Saturday.
The True-Blue Army Will Assemble At?
A home fixture for The Blues – the clubhouse and Blues Bites are open, football will be on the telly prior to the match, and our merchandise will be available to purchase.
We will be wearing our home kit of blue shirts, blue shorts and white socks.
How much to get in?
- Adult - £13
- Concession (over 65) - £9
- 18-21 - £9
- Under 18 - £5
- Under 8s – FREE
You can pay on the gate or get your tickets ONLINE in advance here through FANBASE with access to a free digital programme
The Opposition
- Warrington Rylands – The Blues
- Formed – 1906
- Ground – The Quickline Arena (capacity ~1,345)
- Gaffer – Neil Reynolds
Their website?
How are they doing?
Warrington are currently 4th place after 33 games. Out of those, 14 have been wins while 12 were draws and 7 were defeats. They have scored the fourth most goals in the league heading into this match; however, they did fail to score in their last game. In their past 5 games, Warrington have lost just one and have both won and drawn twice. Warrington have seen an impressive jump in league position from last season, moving up from mid-table to playoff contenders, most likely due to a higher level of consistency in who plays for the club.
Their Main Man?
Ben Hardcastle is just about topping the scoring charts for Warrington as he’s claimed 11 so far this season, being their only player to reach double figures in this campaign. He was the club’s top scorer and Players’ Player of the Year in the 24/25 season. Most notably, he won NPL West Player of the Year with Ashton United back in the 2018/19 season, as Hardcastle contributed a large number of goals and assists, as well as helping the side drive forwards. The attacking midfielder came through a local grassroots academy before beginning his senior career with Atherton Collieries around 2017.
Their Gaffer?
Neil Reynolds first made his name in management in 2018 with FC United, where he led the side to the Northern Premier League Premier Division title in the 2022-23 season. In 2024, Reynolds was appointed as manager of Warrington Rylands, where his first mission was to stabilise the club following their previous manager, which he successfully achieved as he earned the club a mid-table finish. This season, the plan has been to drive for promotion as he’s pushed the side into the playoff spots and promotion has become a real possibility.
Reynolds had a successful time as a player before stepping into management, as he is notably one of the early players involved in FC United’s rapid rise through the non-league pyramid. He also spent time playing for other clubs such as Clitheroe and Colne at a similar level to FC United, being a strong and reliable midfielder who slowly transitioned into more managerial roles.
Warrington Rylands – have we met before?
Leek have faced off against Warrington Rylands on 5 separate occasions. All of those fixtures have come in the past 5 years, where Leek have only won once while losing 4 times. That win came at the end of 2021, where we saw a dominant victory with a goal from Dan Trickett-Smith and a brace from Rob Stevenson sealing a 3-0 win. Most recently, we lost 2-0 earlier in the season after conceding a brace to George Waring. Over the 5 games there have been 10 goals, meaning there’s an average of exactly 2 goals a game!
