Opening Division One fixtures revealed for Central

Manchester Central will kick off their 2023/24 Division One campaign on the road to familiar opposition Avenue MFL at Heywood Sports Village on August 12th.

In what has felt like a long time coming, Chris Tomkinson’s Manchester Central now know their opening six challenges of the upcoming Division One season after they were announced on Friday morning.

It was revealed that Central will open their season with a trip to strong outfit Avenue MFL who Central will be familiar with, but with a fresh table for the upcoming campaign, Tomkinson’s side will be met with a mixture of old and fresh faces in their first six fixtures.

Central will be aiming to enjoy a more successful campaign than the last which saw them finish in a disappointing 8th place in Division One following a turbulent year, and whilst they have been impressive so far in pre-season, there is frankly little that can prepare a side for competitive football.

Following the announcement of the opening fixtures of the new season, let's take a brief dive into what to expect from Central’s opponents in August and September.

Avenue MFL (A) - 12/8

As mentioned, Central will begin their season away from home to a tricky Avenue side who were stern opponents for all teams in Division One last season, and Central should expect no different for their opening fixture.

A solid fifth placed finish last time out in Division One saw Avenue agonisingly miss out on promotion in a tight battle that separated third placed Avro Reserves and sixth placed Bolton Lads & Girls Club by just two points.

Central and Avenue have locked horns on a consistent basis over the years with it always being a tight battle. Last season saw Avenue beat Central on both occasions in league action, first edging a tough scrap by 2-1 at Seashell Trust before dispatching Central 3-0 in more comfortable fashion.

Central will certainly be in for a challenging start to their season but will have to show improvement and development from last season if they wish to kick off their season with a win against one of the more consistent sides of Division One last year.

The fixture will kick off at 15:00pm at Heywood Sports Village.

Tintwistle Athletic (H) - 19/8

Tomkinson’s side will follow the opener against a second side continuing from Division One last season, Tintwistle Athletic, but will host their first fixture of the season at Seashell Trust after being on the road against Avenue.

Tintwistle like Central struggled to gather any kind of consistency last season in Division One, finishing just below Central in 9th place, albeit 11 points behind.

The identical fixture from last season ended 1-1. Callum Scott gave the visitors a half-time lead before Claudio Costa equalised for the hosts with a goal that meant both sides shared the spoils with a point a piece in a tight exchange. Both sets of players will be looking for more however this time around.

Tomkinson may be comforted with the fact the opening two fixtures will be played against familiar foe before his side share the pitch with new opposition, but the renewed intensity and quality that has been showed in pre-season must be carried into the first fixtures, to set the standard for the rest of the campaign.

Tintwistle will visit Central at Seashell Trust with kick off at 14:00pm.

Old Altrinchamians (A) - 26/8

Old Altrinchamians will represent the first side that Central didn’t come up against last season, with the former playing their football in the Premier Division.

Central’s third opponents endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign, suffering relegation down to Division One of the Manchester Football League following a disappointing 15th placed finish, six points off safety.

The last meeting between the two sides came in the 2018/19 season, with both sides in the Premier Division. Central were a rather formidable force in that season, securing the runners up spot by just four points, whilst they won both fixtures against Old Altrinchamians by a combined scoreline of 4-0.

Now with a lot having changed since then, it is fair to say both teams may not know what to expect in their first meeting this season, whilst both will certainly be looking for a positive outcome that will see them get more points on the board.

Central’s second trip of the season will kick off at 15:00pm and is to be played at Crossford Bridge Sports Ground.

Bolton Lads & Girls Club (H) - 02/9

The following week Central will return to Seashell Trust to welcome another close rival from the previous season, Bolton Lads & Girls Club, who were just one of the sides who were involved in a competitive midfield in Division One in the 2022/23 campaign.

The side from Bolton endured a solid season last time around, and perhaps were not a part of the chasing pack that included Central where they held a healthy eight-point gap to seventh placed Altrincham Hale, whilst being just two points adrift of the final promotion spot.

They were also successful against Central last season, winning both meetings scoring three times and keeping clean sheets in both, something that Tomkinson will be hoping to rectify when they face each other at the start of September.

This fixture will likely be a closely fought battle once again, with both sides looking to be a part of the group chasing promotion and can hope to be a competitive and intense contest between two teams that are separated by little.

Kick-off is scheduled at 15:00pm and will be played at Seashell Trust.

Stockport Georgians (A) - 09/9

Central can expect to face a strong Stockport Georgians side following their impressive 2022/23 season in Division Two. One of the newest additions to Division One look to be a quality outfit who were particularly formidable at home last campaign, remaining unbeaten throughout the season at Cromley Road.

Despite their impressive Division Two run, Georgians would have been disappointed to miss out so narrowly on the title, pipped just by a point by Chadderton Cott. And whilst their goalscoring record was inferior to the other sides, it will be their terrific defensive prowess that could provide difficulty for Division One teams this season.

Central will be facing a side who defends their home turf impressively, conceding just eight times in their 11 fixtures at home last season, Central will have to return to their best in front of goal to earn a positive outcome in their favour.

It certainly promises to be an exciting matchup between these two teams who haven’t met since the 2018/19 season where both were victorious away from home. A good omen for Central this time around? We will have to wait and see.

The game will be played at Cromley Road, and the ball will get rolling at 15:00pm.

Bolton United (H) - 16/9

The final of Central’s six announced fixtures so far concludes when they will welcome frequent opponents Bolton United to Seashell Trust midway through September.

United struggled uncharacteristically last campaign in Division One, finishing behind Central in 10th place, though they were 13 points adrift of Tomkinson’s men. They will certainly be looking for a drastic improvement this campaign if they are to return to the quality they brought in the 2021/22 season.

Central lost out both times that year to the eventual champions, albeit in two thrilling contests, but United were a shadow of their former selves in Division One last season.

Central had a more successful run against their familiar opponents, winning the only completed fixture 2-1 thanks to a double from Fuad Kasali, whilst the return match was abandoned due to an altercation, before which Central were cruising by three goals to nil.

United always prove to be a tricky fixture on the calendar for Central, and it will be one Tomkinson and his players certainly look forward to in the new season, with both sides searching for improvement and to be in the hunt for promotion.

Seashell Trust will host the fixture and will kick-off at 15:00pm.