Clitheroe away normally means goals
Clitheroe v Runcorn Linnets
Pitching In Northern Premier League West Division
Saturday, February 28th 2026 (ko 3pm)
Loom Loft Stadium,Shawbridge Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 1LZ.
Preview
LINNETS travel to the furthest point north of the NPL West Division to take on a Clitheroe side we have already beaten twice at home this season.
The 1-0 Emirates FA Cup victory on the opening day was the platform for a record run in the competition. Naim Arsan scored the only goal to separate the teams.
The league match in December saw us double the victory margin with James Steele and Scott Bakkor on the mark.
The Loom Loft Stadium or Shawbridge, as it has been traditionally known, is a good football venue with a great atmosphere being guaranteed.
Clitheroe boast the third highest average home crowd in the division with 646, followed by ourselves in fourth on 580.
With our travelling support, there is bound to be another healthy turnout this Saturday.
Both sides come into the contest in prolific form.
We have netted 11 goals in winning our last two matches while Clitheroe have scored 15 in their last three.
Last Saturday, they defeated a depleted visitors Darlaston Town 9-1.
This proved to be a farewell for French winger Veron Parny, who was among Clitheroe's scorers, but has since departed for league leaders Bury with the clubs agreeing terms for the transfer earlier this week.
With six different marksmen in the match, Clitheroe aren't short of goal options.
6ft 2in former FC St Helens and Bamber Bridge centre forward Harry Scarborough is credited with four goals in their last three outings.
Wideman Elliot Rokka, above, opened his Linnets account with a brace in Tuesday's 7-2 Liverpool Senior Cup victory against Tranmere Rovers' Under 19s team.
Past visits
Clitheroe is renowned for being a difficult place for visiting clubs to get results.
We have, however, fared well there in the past and were unbeaten in our first five Shawbridge appearances before last season's 4-1 defeat.
We were well beaten, despite Adam Moseley opening the scoring.
Our visits have tended to be high-scoring affairs.
We won 5-0 first time out in February 2019 and in September of the same year drew 4-4 in a rollercoaster contest.
Linnets scored two of the three stoppage-time goals that day, Kurt Sherlock getting both.
Overall, we have won three, drawn two and lost one at this weekend's destination, scoring 14 goals while conceding ten.
Form guide
Our hosts lie 13th in NPL West and 11th in the current form table but have banked seven points from their last three matches.
Their weekend landslide was preceded by a 2-1 home victory over Nantwich Town with their last away game resulting in a 3-3 draw at Stalybridge Celtic.
This was a big improvement on blank returns from the previous three which had seen losses at Trafford (0-3) and Vauxhall Motors (2-4) plus a 1-0 home setback against Avro (0-1).
Runcorn lie third in NPL West and have the fifth best record over the last six games.
We have won three out of four league aways since Michael Ellison took charge in the first week of January.
Linnets have the second best defensive record away from home in our league.
We have conceded 14 goals with Avro (13) the only team bettering that statistic.
How to get there
By road - Leave the M6 at Junction 31 and take the A59 for Blackburn. At the top of a short dual carriageway, bear left at the Swallow Hotel towards Clitheroe.
Continue on the A59 and carry straight on at the roundabout, avoiding the left turn for the A671 into town.
Instead, turn into Clitheroe from the Pendle Road junction.
Continue on Pendle Road until the Lidl supermarket. Directly opposite is a small terrace of shops and the Factory Shop.
To the right of these shops is a cobbled lane. A Clitheroe FC sign leads directly to the ground entrance.
By rail - Travelling by train from either Runcorn station to Clitheroe typically takes 2h 18m to 3h 35m. This involves two or three changes, often through Manchester Victoria or Piccadilly. There are no direct services.
Visit www.trainline.com
Parking
The car park at the ground is for players and match officials only.
The ground is surrounded with free on-street parking.
But please be sympathetic to local residents.
There are also several Pay & Display car parks within easy walking distances. Please be aware of time limits when parking on private car parks.
Admission
Adults £11
Concessions £7
14-17 £5
Under 14s are admitted free but must be accompanied by an adult for safeguarding reasons.
