A team of junior footballers are celebrating after gaining their first point in FOUR YEARS.
Huncoat United under 14s won the point after 74 games together when they drew against Rossendale Lads 3-3.
Manager Paul Chadwick said the draw has spurred his team on after years of disappointment.
Paul, 43, said: "It’s always a battle for us and the lads played absolutely fantastic on the day."
The team, which was formed initially as a seven-a-side-squad in 2007, suffered a 25-0 defeat last season, and has seen other teams score 20 and 22 goals on two separate occasions.
On each of these occasions the team has fielded less than 11 men.
Paul said: "This team has never been about results. I put this team together so my son Joshua could play.
"Football at this level shouldn’t be about winning. It should be about the kids playing."
And play they did on Saturday, October 8 at their home grounds of Bolton Avenue.
When Rossy took the lead during the first half, Paul said he feared the team would lose confidence.
He said: "Before the match we talked about teams we felt we could get points from during the season so we went on the pitch believing we could do something.
"Normally when we go a goal down, there is this glum feeling but this time something changed in them. I don't know if it was my talk or something else but it didn’t happen."
Huncoat equalized when Nathan Sandford crossed the ball in for Owen Smith to score from close range.
Later in the half as the ball came back out from his own corner Charlie Walsh scored. But Rossy got the equaliser just before the break. Paul, of Hargreaves Road, Oswaldtwistle, said: "This season has really been a second-half season for us so we came on fighting."
Rossy scored first but Huncoat kept the pressure on. Charlie Walsh scored the equaliser and the team almost scored again with five minutes remaining.
Paul said: "The lads all swear blindly the last attempt was over the line but the ref didn’t agree."
