Newton Begin New Campaign in Presidents Cup

The newly promoted First Team travel to Ruskin Drive Sports Village to face St Helens Town U23 in their opening fixture of the 2026/27 season.

Newton-le-Willows FC begin their 2026/27 campaign on Saturday afternoon when they face St Helens Town U23 in the Cheshire Football League Presidents Cup.

The match kicks off at 12:15pm at Ruskin Drive Sports Village and will be the first competitive fixture of the season for both sides.

Although the Presidents Cup forms part of the clubs’ pre-season preparations, the competition provides an opportunity to compete for early silverware while adding an extra competitive edge ahead of the beginning of the league campaign.

Both teams enter the new season following successful promotion campaigns.

Newton will compete in Cheshire Football League One this season after winning the League Two championship, while St Helens Town U23 have also stepped up a division after winning Reserve League Two.

The two teams did not meet at first-team level last season, although Newton’s Reserve Team faced St Helens twice in the league. St Helens won both closely contested matches, recording a 3–2 victory at Ruskin Drive before winning the return fixture 5–3.

Saturday’s match could see four players make their competitive Newton debuts. Goalkeeper Alfie Speakman, defender Matty Smith, winger Nathan Wright and midfielder Craig Winer are all included in the squad.

Kristian Rapson and Alex Peplow have also moved up from the Reserves and will be part of the First Team squad for the fixture.

Joint player-managers Anthony Plant and Ben Crowe will both miss the game. Plant is unavailable through illness, while Crowe is ruled out through injury.

New signing Rio Gill, Chris Percival, Ricky Fahey, and Matthew Hart are also unavailable.

With promotion celebrations now behind them, Saturday’s match represents the first opportunity for Newton to begin building momentum for the season ahead—and potentially take the first step towards securing some early silverware.

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Fixture details

St Helens Town U23 v Newton-le-Willows FC
Cheshire Football League Presidents Cup
Saturday 1 August 2026
Kick-off: 12:15pm
Ruskin Drive Sports Village