...in a list of fixtures that will have the neutral supporter on the edge of his seat with the potential to see a complete change up of the order at the top.

At the very top of the league, Carlisle, proving their experience after a number of seasons in North 1 West are sitting 4 points clear of their opponents Aspatria. A trip to Bower Park is no easy task to overcome but if anyone can break the Black Reds home streak, it is the league leaders. Aspatrias’ results away at Upper Eden and Silloth will have raised eyebrows across the league, but with word that their backline will be at full strength this has all the makings for game of the week.

Two sides hoping for a Carlisle victory in order to possibly sneak into 2nd, are 3rd placed De La Salle and 4th placed Bolton. The fixture between these two at Avenue Street presents the opportunity for either side to move into 2nd, dependant upon the result in Cumbria. But with Fleetwood hosting Littleborough and Hawcoat Park on a roll, 5th or even 6th place could be beckoning for the loser. It should also be noted that both sides have a game in hand over 1st and 2nd place. Both teams come into the game having picked up wins in their last 5 outings and history tells us that results between the two are always closely fought.

Fleetwood will be looking to relive some of their early season form and break their duck when Littleborough visit Melbourne Avenue at weekend. Boro have already opened up a gap over the bottom 5 and will now be looking to secure their position in the middle of the table against a side they can beat if they are on top of their game. Hawcoat will be hoping for Fleetwood to land their 3rd loss on the bounce as they eye up 5th place or better when they take on Silloth at home. The Tigers had pundits all across the league wondering what had happened when they managed to hold Aspatria to a 6-17 scoreline at home. Their league form to date has been poor with no wins yet, but given their last performance, don’t be surprised if they spring a surprise this weekend in an attempt to drag themselves off the bottom.

Oldham broke their losing streak with a bonus point win over Aldwinians and face a short away trip to Trafford MV this weekend. Oldham led the way in the opening few weeks and Trafford are still struggling to cope with the jump to level 7. A win for the side from Sale would help them open up a gap from the bottom teams and give their campaign a boost as we move into the final few weekends of 2016.

Upper Eden have the benefit of another home game with more local opposition Wigton visiting on Saturday. Wigton’s experience up front should overcome the youthful exuberance of UE’s forwards but out wide the teams both have the potential to exploit each other. Most will expect the Green Machine to take this one, but recent results prove that UE can topple teams on their day.

Finally, Aldwinians face the unappetizing trip to the west coast of Cumbria to face Workington. The Zebras have started to pick up the odd result and will be eyeing up the fixture against a side that has only chalked up one win in their last five outings.