By Holly White
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They say three times a charm and for Euxton Villa, they’ll certainly be hoping this old saying comes true.
After two years of heartbreak, the North West Counties Division One North side have secured a playoff spot in the league for the third consecutive time.
Two years of elation and ‘this could be our chance’ comes down to this. Two years of close calls and ‘we’ll get it next time’ comes down to this.
After coming into the league from the West Lancashire League just three seasons ago, their performance can’t be faulted over those years.
Chairman Mark McDonnell
Managing to get into the playoffs every year you’ve been in the North Division? That’s not bad going. “I’m massively proud,” said chairman Mark McDonnell.
“I think when we set off three years ago and we got into this division our target was to maybe come halfway and consolidate.
“I think we’ve achieved more than expected so it’s brilliant from the lads after a bit of a rocky patch so I’m really proud of the football team.”
This year comes with more intensity and belief than ever before- a real hope that it can be done. But the end of the season has seen an increase in uncertainty after Villa failed to secure a definite playoff position for a number of weeks.
Jubilation came though on Saturday 5 April with a 2-1 win over Maghull, confirming Villa’s fifth place finish in the league.
And their trip to Ashton Athletic on the final day of the season not only secured a 1-0 win, but their highest points finish ever.
With morale positive and optimism in the air, there’s a real passion and drive to continue this success into the semi-final. Could they do it?
With it now confirmed that their opposition will be second-placed Nelson FC, the pressure is on to take the underdog title and prove to others that anything is possible.
Boss Matt Atherton
For manager Matt Atherton, who has led Villa for almost a decade, he isn’t worried about other people’s opinions.
He said: “We’re going to worry about us and getting our levels to where we need to be. “If we can get anywhere near our standards, we know we’ll be a match for anyone.
“I know any of those teams in the playoffs, we’ve beaten at different points in the season. “We only need to look at that to know we can do it if we truly believe it.
“We need to think about us, so let’s hope we can build momentum and take that into the semi-final.”
The countdown is on for Villa’s trip to East Lancashire. Potentially two games separate Villa from promotion to the Premier Division.
It’s not just Atherton that thinks the narrative could switch this year either, with McDonnell hopeful that previous despair will boost momentum in the team.
Momentum
He said: “You’d like to think with a couple of experiences of losing the semi-final that we’re a bit more street-wise now.
“We’ve had a good season and I think sometimes you learn the best from your defeats so I think having a couple of experiences with this will set us up better.
“We’re going to Nelson knowing we’ve beat them 2-0 and they’ve beat us so I think it’s a 50/50 game but we should go in with full confidence.”
With Saturday 19 April getting ever nearer, anticipation and expectation continues to rise to see who will join Atherton Laburnum Rovers in the league above.
For a club that embodies family and a positive atmosphere, the potential to go higher is something that would mean so much to those that have been involved in the club for many years.
Mark McDonnell specifically has been at the club for 30 years, having previously managed the team.
Watching his club get promoted would be a dream, saying: “I think it would be a massive achievement.
“The management team are really ambitious, how the club looks now with the facilities and the ground we’ve got I think we’re gearing up for the counties prem now.
“I think if we do it I’ll be immensely proud so I hope we do it.” Dare to dream?
