North West Counties League FA Vase Round-Up

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, October 11, 2026

FC St Helens achieved a commanding 6-0 win over Darlington Town to move into the second round of the FA Vase. This decisive victory highlights their strong form early in the competition, while other local teams like Prestwich Heys and Atherton LR also advanced through tight matches or shootouts.

FC St Helens secured a dominant 6-0 victory over Darlington Town to advance to the second round of the FA Vase. The match, played in the North West Counties League, saw Tom McNamara give St Helens an early lead within four minutes. Joe Barker, Dom Hoppe, and an own goal extended the advantage to 4-0 by halftime, with Luke Byron adding two more goals in the second half to complete the comprehensive win.

Prestwich Heys also progressed after a closely contested match against Charnock Richard, their league rivals. Despite falling behind to Nathan Nickeas’s goal ten minutes into the second half, Prestwich rallied with late strikes from Bryson Appleton and Dre Taylor to secure a 2-1 victory.

Atherton LR advanced after a penalty shootout win, following a 2-2 draw away to Field Olympic, a high-ranking team from the Northern Counties East League Division One. Declan McLoughlin and Harvey Brookes scored for Atherton, while Kieron Batey and Omar Habeeb responded for Field Olympic. The home side triumphed 5-4 in penalties to move on.

In the North West Counties League Premier Division, Droylsden moved to the top of the table with an emphatic 6-1 win over Longridge Town. Meanwhile, former leaders Nelson dropped points, losing 2-1 at home to Irlam. Barnoldswick Town were propelled by a four-goal performance from Kuda Chingwaro in their 5-2 win against Abbey Hey.

AFC Liverpool, sitting at the bottom of the table, secured a last-minute equalizer through Christopher Happi-Fankam to salvage a 3-3 home draw against Trafford. Glossop North End recorded a narrow 4-3 victory at Euxton Villa, while Chadderton defeated Litherland Remyca 3-1.

These results reflect early season movement in both the FA Vase and league standings across the North West Counties League.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.