A RETURN to league football this Saturday hinges on a government decision today.

It will be up to the UK Government to determine which parts of the country will benefit or otherwise from the reviewed tier system.

As it stands the North West Counties Football League remains suspended but all could change this afternoon and that may well open the door for Alport to host FA Cup giant killers Skelmersdale United at the KMJ Mortgages Stadium.

The team have not played since the end of October and only held their first training session on Thursday evening but that was hardly evident in a crushing 9-0 defeat of Shropshire opponents St Martin’s at the weekend.

Almost a hundred people watched on as the Reds ran riot against a side that held out for a goalless draw in a friendly as recently as August.

Jud Ellis, Ryan Allcock and Alex Hughes all scored twice with an own goal, a Kevin Street penalty and a last-minute strike from a trialist completing the rout.

The crowd particularly enjoyed Street’s contribution as it was the former Shrewsbury Town and Crewe Alexandra star’s first in a red jersey since arriving at the club more than two years ago.

It was scored at the Aaron Millington Terrace end of Yockings which welcomed spectators for the very first time this season.

Only the finishing touches now need applying ahead of its official opening which will be determined by the planning committee.

Meanwhile, the fixtures for the NWCFL Premier Division have been completely revised with matches now released on a month-by-month basis.

Therefore, Alport will host several back-to-back matches on Saturday afternoons and Monday evenings throughout January before February’s fixtures will be released.

As always, the club urges supporters to keep in touch via their social media channels for latest developments.