ANSELMIANS will present a difficult first start to 2018 for West Park.

A January 6 trip to the third-placed club, who have lost only twice so far this season, is in store after the festive break for West Park, whose clash with Manchester Medics before Christmas was postponed.

West Park are currently 10th in South Lancashire/Cheshire One, though there current points difference is the fifth best in the competition.

The club have recently benefitted from a generous grant of £12,000 from the Tesco Bags of Help programme.

A derelict strip of land between the two senior pitches has been transformed to create a dedicated training and playing area to accommodate the needs of an ever increasing number of players.

The club have a thriving mini, junior, women’s and senior sections, and is shortly to introduce facilities and training for a specialist mixed-ability programme as part of its continuing aim for community integration through sport.

The land work has taken several months, and involved levelling the area, adding top soil, re-seeding and adding drainage.

It was supported throughout by Groundwork, a charitable trust and social enterprise working to build more sustainable communities in the north west.

The final part of the job was recently completed in freezing weather, involving 30 volunteers from the club’s senior teams as 80 metres of new hedgerows were planted, and was witnessed by Ann Francis, who is the community champion from the Tesco Extra Store in St Helens.