Wigan Robins v Padiham Storks. It's a birds and booze fest... well we'll be having a couple before the game

Padiham centre - looks a decent gaff



And if it thaws Padiham FC cometh to the Stadio de Robin Park this Saturday. And they come riding high in second place five points and two places above the Robins.

And they haven't lost since 13th September 2008 and have got summat like 41 goals. Paul Fildes has ten of them and won the Vodkat League Division One Player of the Month Award last month. Padiham's boss Graham Haworth lavished praise on prolific striker Paul Fildes – whose November goalscoring exploits - in the Lancashire Telegraph

Fildes hit the scoresheet in seven of Padiham’s last eight games last month, scoring 12 in total, including a superb hat-trick at AFC Liverpool.

“Paul’s made a difference to us,” said Haworth, “He’s a real goal threat and he stretches teams a lot with his pace.

Hmmm the bit about the pace is a bit worrying but... we'll worry about that on the day. And may the best team win - as long as they play in red and white!

If Padiham are on a good run at the moment they've had a good run as a football club. Last month they celebrated their 130th birthday.

Here's the Wiganpedia blurb

When the club was formed in 1878 it was among the first football clubs in Lancashire and was well supported, attracting an attendance of 9000 for a match against neighbours Burnley in 1884.[1] At this time Padiham's ground was on the banks of the River Calder, hence the nickname, The Caldersiders.

Padiham was one of the first clubs to support the legalisation of professional football. However, this backfired as they were unable to compete with clubs in larger towns such as Blackburn, and the club folded in 1916. The club lost their ground during World War I and lay dormant until after the end of the Second World War.

Then in 1949 the club was resurrected with the opening of the Arbories Memorial Sports Ground. A crowd of 1,777 turned up to see their opening fixture of the season in the Lancashire Combination Football League.

They became founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982 but left the league in 1990. They returned in 2001 after spending £300,000 on upgrading the Arbories Memorial Sports Ground and finished in the top four of the second division in 2003 and 2005.

So all told a pretty good old club. As for the town well it sits on the River Calder and is three miles from Burnley and sits in the shadows of Pendle Hill.



There will be witches in them there hills

photo nicked from Cheadle Town lads (I'll get you a beer next week....)

Padiham (H) League, th'athletics stadium Sat 3 Jan 2009 3.00pm - £3.50 to geet in.