A junior football team has netted its first ever victory after going five years without a win.
Belthorn United under 16s of Oswaldtwistle finished 4-3 up against the Life Academy of Colme in their league match on Saturday.
The team, who play in the Accrington and District Junior League, formed five years ago after a group of year six pupils at Belthorn Primary School wanted to stay in touch while going to different secondary schools.
The win leaves the team with an overall record of having played 74 games, with 72 losses, 52 goals scored and 660 goals conceded.
They began with a disastrous 19-0 defeat against Rishton United in September 2007 and failed to secure a single point over the next four seasons.
David Holt formed the team after being persuaded by his son Rhys who still plays for them.
He has managed them throughout their tempestuous career along with coach Sam Heap who was recently named Hyndburn Sports Coach of the Year.
David said: “We’ve come a long way in the last five years and it’s a testament to the hard work and effort the team has put in. A lot of lads would have thrown in the towel after this long without a win but they’ve got a great attitude.
“The priority is for them to develop as footballers not win medals and they’re all better players than when we started.”
The Observer reported in October that Huncoat Junior Football Team under-14s had gained their first ever point in four years after drawing with Rossendale Lads 3-3 in the same league.
Despite being bottom of the league out of six teams, Belthorn are celebrating their first milestone and are hoping for a positive finish to the season.
David is now considering the team’s future as their league only plays up to under-16. He added: “It may be that they want to find an adult league to play in, we’re not sure yet. We’ll be talking about that after Christmas and sorting things out and if they want to keep playing we’ll do it.”
