Bumper crowd expected as Windsor & Eton title hopes hinge on showdown

A potential title showdown awaits Windsor and Eton Football Club on Saturday as they welcome league leaders Westwood Wanderers to Stag Meadow.

A bumper crowd is expected for the game as Matt Angell’s side look to cut Westwood’s 10-point lead at the top of the Thames Valley Premier League.

Defeat would end Windsor and Eton’s title hopes but a victory would put their destiny in their own hands due to their three games in hand on Saturday’s opposition.

Angell said it was a privilege to be fighting for the league title at this stage of the season.

“It’s a huge game for the club because we still want to be in that title race,” Angell said.

“If you’re at that end of the table and you’re fighting for a championship, it’s a privilege to be there.

“In a nine-month period, assembling the squad and still being in it with five games to go is brilliant.”

Its been a whirlwind first season since owner Mark Cooper launched the club alongside Windsor Youth FC last summer.

Promotion to the Combined Counties has been the target throughout the season.

With the club having the necessary ground grading in place to progress up the non-league pyramid, a top five finish is required to achieve their aims.

Angell said: “The onus is on us to finish in the top five but that’s not our target, we want to win the league.

“There’s no doubt about it, the league has been tough and we’ve come up against sides treating us like their cup final.

“We’ve played against sides that have very different line-ups against us compared to against others.

“Our players have been very loyal and that’s why we repaid that and said ‘you go and win it’ rather than bringing players in from levels above.”

The Windsor and Eton boss is unsure about how the league leaders will line up on Saturday but he urged his players to embrace the challenge that lies in store.

“At the end of the day, we chose to keep faith in our squad. It is quite young but it’s a really good learning experience for them,” he added.

■ Windsor and Eton Football Club is holding an event on May 31 with former player Simon Garner who remains Blackburn Rovers’ all-time leading goalscorer.

Garner spent a season at Windsor and Eton at the end of a career which saw him represent the Lancashire club for 14 years.

Visit eventbrite.com/e/an-eveningwith-simon-garner-tickets-873284797337 for tickets.