# 1987–88 North West Counties Football League

The 1987–88 North West Counties Football League was the sixth in the history of the North West Counties Football League, a football competition in England. Teams were divided into two divisions.

## Division One

Division One featured 10 new teams, all promoted from last season's Division Two:
* Warrington Town
* Colwyn Bay
* Darwen
* Colne Dynamoes
* Skelmersdale United
* Ellesmere Port & Neston
* Formby
* Prescot Cables
* Atherton Laburnum Rovers
* Salford

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Colne Dynamoes (C, P) | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 71 | 14 | +57 | 55 | Promotion to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 2 | Rossendale United | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 68 | 23 | +45 | 55 | |
| 3 | Clitheroe | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 51 | 20 | +31 | 46 | |
| 4 | Colwyn Bay | 34 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 45 | |
| 5 | St Helens Town | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 61 | 36 | +25 | 42 | |
| 6 | Ellesmere Port & Neston | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 55 | 48 | +7 | 39 | |
| 7 | Darwen | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 45 | +10 | 38 | |
| 8 | Warrington Town | 34 | 16 | 5 | 13 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 37 | |
| 9 | Kirkby Town | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 57 | 54 | +3 | 35 | |
| 10 | Burscough | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 35 | |
| 11 | Leyland Motors | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 31 | |
| 12 | Prescot Cables | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 29 | |
| 13 | Bootle | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 43 | 61 | −18 | 29 | |
| 14 | Formby | 34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 32 | 63 | −31 | 22 | |
| 15 | Salford | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 33 | 66 | −33 | 22 | |
| 16 | Skelmersdale United | 34 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 34 | 64 | −30 | 19 | |
| 17 | Atherton Laburnum Rovers | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 31 | 78 | −47 | 15 | |
| 18 | Glossop (R) | 34 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 30 | 71 | −41 | 14 | Relegation to Division Two |
* 1 2 Colwyn Bay and Prescot Cables had 2 points deducted.

## Division Two

Division Two featured 16 new teams:
* 13 teams promoted from last season's Division Three:
** Atherton Collieries
** Flixton
** Maghull
** Nelson
** Newton
** Ford Motors
** Bacup Borough
** Cheadle Town
** Daisy Hill
** Padiham
** Nantwich Town
** Ashton Town
** Whitworth Valley
* Plus:
** Newcastle Town, joined from the Mid-Cheshire League
** Maine Road, joined from the Manchester League
** Vauxhall Motors, joined from the West Cheshire League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Ashton United (C, P) | 42 | 32 | 6 | 4 | 107 | 30 | +77 | 70 | Promotion to Division One |
| 2 | Flixton (P) | 42 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 94 | 38 | +56 | 64 | Promotion to Division One |
| 3 | Wren Rovers | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 92 | 51 | +41 | 61 | |
| 4 | Newcastle Town | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 81 | 39 | +42 | 59 | |
| 5 | Maine Road | 42 | 23 | 4 | 15 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 50 | |
| 6 | Maghull | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 73 | 66 | +7 | 47 | |
| 7 | Vauxhall Motors | 42 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 46 | |
| 8 | Atherton Collieries | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 46 | |
| 9 | Whitworth Valley | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 42 | Resigned |
| 10 | Ashton Town | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 64 | 70 | −6 | 40 | |
| 11 | Oldham Town | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 37 | |
| 12 | Cheadle Town | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 47 | 62 | −15 | 35 | |
| 13 | Chadderton | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 55 | 71 | −16 | 35 | |
| 14 | Great Harwood Town | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 52 | 66 | −14 | 34 | |
| 15 | Blackpool Mechanics | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 57 | 77 | −20 | 34 | |
| 16 | Nelson | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 49 | 76 | −27 | 34 | Resigned |
| 17 | Ford Motors | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 59 | 70 | −11 | 33 | Resigned |
| 18 | Daisy Hill | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 55 | 66 | −11 | 32 | |
| 19 | Padiham | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 76 | −23 | 32 | |
| 20 | Newton | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 47 | 84 | −37 | 30 | |
| 21 | Nantwich Town | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 41 | 68 | −27 | 29 | |
| 22 | Bacup Borough | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 38 | 71 | −33 | 24 | |
* 1 2 3 4 5 Ashton Town, Cheadle Town, Great Harwood Town, Padiham and Newton had 2 points deducted.

## Promotion and relegation
### Division One

Colne Dynamoes were promoted to the Northern Premier League while Glossop were relegated to Division Two. Kirkby Town changed their name to Knowsley United.

### Division two

Ashton United and Flixton were promoted to Division One while Whitworth Valley, Nelson and Ford Motors left the League at the end of the season.