Formed in 1938 the Green Army finished in 1st place in the First Division North last season, claiming the league title with 78 points. They reside in St Helens at The Arcoframe Stadium which holds a capacity of 1,000 spectators. The one to watch for when they face the Ridge will undoubtedly be Callum Laird who scored 24 goals in 41 appearances, pushing Pilkington to top goal scorers in the First Division with 78, conceding just 26 along the way.

WYTHENSHAWE FC

Soon to be one of the oldest clubs in the Premier Division, Wythenshawe FC will join up with neighbours Wythenshawe Town with the Blues just missing out on playoffs last season. Fresh of the back of both a name change from Wythenshawe Amateurs and winning the First Division South with a whopping 93 points, The Ammies will join us in the Premier Division this season after winning 30 out of their 38 matches in the league. Longridge will look forward to a trip to The Selco Builders Warehouse Community Stadium, possibly one of the longest ground names in world football.

CHADDERTON

As the First Division playoff winners Chadderton will be yet another Manchester club to join us in the coming season. Chaddy beat out St Helens 6-5 on penalties in the play off final to secure their Premier Division status in late April. Joint managers Carl Taylor and Ben Greenidge will be looking to continue the clubs rise with the Oldham based side no strangers to Longridge. The last meeting between the two sides came in 2019 as Town ran out 3-1 winners with goals from Tom Ince, Richie Allen and Jay Hart.

CHEADLE TOWN

Promoted from the First Division south after a 3-1 win in the Playoff final against Sandbach United, Cheadle Town will be a tough opposition to face due to their eye for goal. They hold the record for the highest victory in the NWC last season with a 12-0 victory over Foley Meir. Cheadle have a very unique history as they can be can be traced back to 1961 when a 14-year-old boy called Barrie Dean asked his neighbour, Chris Davies (15), to help his friends form a football team. They were named Grasmere Rovers until 1983 when they changed their named to Cheadle Town. Paul Marshall's men play at Park Road Stadium which holds a capacity crowd of 2,000.

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED

As the first relegated side into out league Ramsbottom will be looking for a instant bounce back to the Northern Premier League West Division where they finished in last place following a tough season where they garnered just 27 points from 38 games in a hugely disappointing campaign. With the size of the club and a new manager in place they will be heavily fancied to be at the top end of the table come May. The Rams currently play at the Harry Williams Riverside, a ground that has a 2,000 capacity crowd.

COLNE

The Reds made their way out of the Premier Division as champions in the 2015/16 season but will journey back down after suffering relegation on the final day from the Northern Premier League West Division alongside Ramsbottom and Glossop North End. Colne reside just north of Burnley where they play their home matches at Holt House which can accommodate 1,800 supporters. Yet to appoint a full time manager, The Reds will be looking to mount a charge back to step four but it will certainly be a challenge.

GLOSSOP NORTH END

As previously mentioned Glossop are the final side to be relegated into the North West Counties after finishing in the relegation spots. After starting the 22/23 season off well they unfortunately slipped into a deep descent causing them to ultimately finish 18th and forced to play in a 4/5 inter step playoff game to save their season. However they slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Ashington who were promoted. As a result The Ridge will travel to Surrey Street, which has a capacity of 1,301. Recently appointed Michael Worthington will be looking to lead The Hillmen back into the Northern Premier League West.

SKELMERSDALE UNITED

Last but not least The Blueboys will join the NWC Premier Division as a bit of a wildcard inclusion. In late April Skem were demoted from the Northern Premier League West due to failing to meet ground grading. Founded in 1882, making them the oldest club in the Premier Division, Skelmersdale finished in a respectable 11th place, not drawing a single match in 38 games. Skem recently appoint Matt Potter as manager after Richard Brodie had resigned as manager to take helm at relegation reprieved Burscough.