THIS is it.

Having cast half an eye over the other for most of the season – and perhaps even before that – Warrington Town and Warrington Rylands can now look each other square in the face.

Latchford meets Padgate, south of the Mersey meets north and the established order meets the up-and-comers.

The last part of that paragraph may irk some but in terms of this particular level of football, Town are certainly entrenched while Step Three is still very new to Rylands.

As much as both sides will play it down as just another game publicly, they will no doubt be acutely aware of the added significance this fixture naturally brings.

Football is used to playing second fiddle to rugby league in this town but on Tuesday, the sporting eyes of Warrington will be fixed firmly on Cantilever Park.

With that in mind, this is a golden opportunity for both sides to showcase the best of themselves.

In essence, they are competing to attract the same kind of people through their turnstiles – the casual supporter looking for a “second team” to support.

Both have their diehards who would not dream of patronising the other, but that extra income floating fans bring is so critical to clubs at this level.

Town have continued to hold sway in that department despite the sides being at the same level and having had a poorer start to the campaign – their average attendance stands at 747 this season with Rylands’ at 446.

That figure is swelled by the crowd of 1,406 that saw them face well-supported FC United of Manchester last month but even in removing both sides’ biggest gates this season – 786 watched Rylands beat Marine at Gorsey Lane in August – Town’s average gate is still comfortably higher (582 to 377).

At the moment, they are more prominent when it comes to the hearts and minds of townsfolk.

If you went into the town centre and asked 100 people to name you a football team in Warrington "Family Fortunes" style, Town would surely be the top answer.

Since THAT FA Cup night in 2014, Yellows have taken fans both committed and casual on a journey that has included promotions, memorable play-off nights and agonising near-misses and as a result, gates have been steadily increasing.

The same is true across town but for all the success they have had in recent years – three promotions and an FA Vase win at Wembley – and the better form they have shown this year, Rylands still have catching-up to do when it comes to capturing the imagination of the Warrington public.

In spite of attempts to dispel them, you only need to look at social media to see a swell of dissatisfaction at the way Rylands Recreation Club went from being a multi-sport venue to a space used solely for football and an impression that Blues have “bought” their way through the pyramid.

They were not helped by the bulk of their FA Vase run being held behind closed doors amid Covid restrictions when in normal times Gorsey Lane would have been jam-packed but currently, they are swimming against the tide of public favour.

However, if they display the vibrant, risk-taking, goal-scoring play that has punctuated their rise through the leagues when all of the neutral eyes are on them, that may well change.

It is a chance to score a win off the pitch but to do that, the performance on it has to be spot on and my big hope is that the football does the talking.

Trouble has followed big crowds at football games in Warrington in recent times and with the added spice a local rivalry brings, it always has the potential for people to get carried away.

If anybody reading this column is intent on causing issues this evening, take my advice – don’t.

Enjoy the game, support whichever club you prefer and savour what should be a magnificent occasion for football in our town.