Ravens boss looking for 'positive' start to new season

FC Isle of Man take on FC St Helens in 26/27 NWCFL Premier Division opener 

FC Isle of Man's manager hopes their opening fixture of the new season will be the start of 'something positive'.

It'll be the first game for Lee Dixon in his new role, as the Ravens take on FC ST Helen's in the NWCFL Premier Division at home tomorrow (Saturday 1 August).

He's hoping his side can improve on last season where the team finished 20th in the league table. 

However, Lee says progress will take time: 

Lee Dixon also confirmed a number of new faces have been added to the team for the new season. 

Among those are Peel forward Thomas Brown and ex-Carlisle United youngster Freddie O'Donoghue. 

However, Dixon admitted O'Donoghue's presence in the squad could be short lived as the player, who spent time on loan with Scottish side Queen of the South last season, is still looking for a full-time club. 

He was released by Carlisle in June. 

Looking at this weekend's opponents, FC St Helens will also be hoping for better fortunes in the upcoming season. 

Led by Mike Smith, the Merseyside club finished nine points outside of the play-off positions in the 2025/26 campaign. 

FC Isle of Man and FC St Helens have met four times; Smith's team have two wins to their name, while the Ravens won in the 2024 home fixture. 

The other fixture ended in a 2-2 draw. 

Twenty goals have been scored by both sides combined in the previous two seasons. 

FC Isle of Man vs FC St Helens takes place at The Bowl in Douglas this Saturday (1 August), with kick-off scheduled for 6pm.

Manx Radio will be providing full live match commentary on our DAB and AM1368 channels

You can listen to Lee Dixon's pre-match interview in full below.