STONECLOUGH secretary Peter Conroy believes three Bolton clubs will be among six who will remain in the mix for promotion to the West Lancashire League Premier Division.

His side are currently fourth, four points off top spot with a home game against rock bottom Wyre Villa on Saturday.

It is congested in the division with only nine points separating all nine teams above the bottom three.

Fellow Bolton club CMB are second, two points better off than Stoneclough having played two games more, while Eagley are four points behind the latter having played a game less.

It is building into an compelling battle to go up, but Conroy suspects it will come down to six, including all three Bolton sides.

"The First Division will be interesting this season," he said.

"I think Eagley, CMB, ourselves, Hawcoat Park and Leyland United will stay up there and Lytham Town will be the dark horses."

Stoneclough continued their good start to the season at the weekend when they comfortably dispatched Ince Central of the Wigan League 3-0 in the Lancashire Amateur Cup second round with goals from Adam Bullock, Mark Truffas and Alan Hargreaves.

The club has been through some difficult spells in the past but Conroy says things are going well for them at the moment.

"We are doing very well," he said. "We have a new management team, we picked up two lads from Ladybridge when they folded, and we have restarted the second team who are doing all right.

"The pitch looks great and results are good so we're quite happy.

"We have struggled in the past and we have kept it going, but football goes in cycles and we are on an up."

Eagley came back from two goals down at half time at home to Cumbrian side Milnthorpe Corinthians on Saturday with two goals by Zac Clarke to earn a point.