THEY have had to wait a little longer than initially planned but finally, Warrington Town and Warrington Rylands can focus squarely on the first ‘derby’ match of the season.
Tuesday night’s meeting at Cantilever Park will be the first time the neighbours have faced each other competitively since 1978.
Blues’ surge through the divisions coupled with Yellows’ brace of agonising near-misses in promotion bids means the sides now sit at the same level for the first time since both were in the Mid-Cheshire League in the 1960s and 1970s.
The initial date of September 6 had to be pushed back due to Town’s involvement in an FA Cup replay but now, the clash of north meets south can take place.
The two managers – Town’s Mark Beesley and Jody Banim of Rylands – will disagree on plenty but one thing that strikes a chord with both is how big an occasion this is set to be.
A bumper crowd is expected to turn out to see the town’s two footballing standard-bearers go head-to-head and both sides will have their own reasons for wanting to put on a show.
After an indifferent start to the season, Yellows started the process of getting themselves back on track by beating high-flying Radcliffe 1-0 on Saturday.
However, Beesley is under no illusions as to how tough the task of continuing in that vein will be.
“We’ve got to focus on each game as it comes and now we can look at Tuesday,” he said.
“It’s a big game for the town and it’s good that the town has these kind of games. I’m sure both teams will enjoy the occasion.
“Having said that, we have to treat it like any other game.
“They’re a very good team – I’m not going to come out and say otherwise.
“I’ve watched them – they have some really good attacking players, they’re defending well and they look a good team under the new manager. They’ll be right up there at the end of the season.
“They’ve been allowed to recruit well – they’ve recruited from the top drawer and they have, so we’re expecting a really tough game.”
In terms of current form, Rylands certainly come into the game in better shape.
They currently sit sixth in the Northern Premier League Premier Division table – six places and three points above their neighbours – and are unbeaten in their past five matches.
Last month’s shock departure of long-serving manager Dave McNabb has not knocked them off course, with Banim presiding over three wins, two draws and two defeats since taking over on a caretaker basis.
As such, he is viewing this game as a chance to continue the development they have been showing under his charge.
“We’re really excited and we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
“It’s a massive occasion for the town and hopefully people come out and support it.
“I think it’s nearly 50 years since the teams last played each other and it’s great for Warrington to have two teams playing at this level.
“It’s another opportunity for us to go and get three points, so we’ll go there and be positive.
“I’m really pleased with what we’ve got – we’ve got good options and back-up all over the squad. We’ve just got to turn these dominant performances into three points.”
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