WHOEVER invented the term self-made man must have been a pal of Eric Whalley.

The Accrington Stanley chairman has never shirked a hard day's work. Now he, and the club itself, are reaping the rewards.

Last Thursday, Stanley moved up a rung on the ladder which they hope will lead them back to the Football League as they regained full-time status for the first time in a little over 42 years.

And they have years of graft on the part of their ambitious, self-assured chairman to thank for that.

"It's always been in our minds to go full time, it was just making sure that the time was right to do it," said Whalley.

"The big thing we really wanted was to make sure the financial structure was right to go full-time.

"A lot of clubs in the old Third Division North and South decided to go part-time, which I think was a big mistake because I don't think anybody could ever be successful being part-timers at a certain level.

"After speaking to the financial people they thought we would never have a better time to become professional than now.

"So hopefully we're going to make a push for the Football League."

Clearly, the Stanley board's decision to go full-time wasn't made overnight.

They know success might not be achieved in the same amount of time either. But Whalley is hell bent on giving it their best shot. And he admits that reaching the third round of the FA Cup, following successes over Leigh in the fourth qualifying round, Huddersfield Town in the first round, Bournemouth in the second (after a penalty shoot-out) before missing out on further progress in another replay at Second Division Colchester United, has given them even more ammunition to finance a challenge for the top spots.

"I'd be silly to say the cup run hadn't given us a bit more to play with, and as well as the extra money, it got us well known in other circles," he said.

"Some people didn't know that Accrington Stanley was still alive.

"The cup was tremendous for us really, but I still think it did affect our league position.

"That's not to say I wouldn't welcome another run in it if we had the chance this season though!"

But Stanley's ability to make the step up to full-time football isn't just the result of the fruits of recent years' labour.

Had Whalley not developed a ruthless business brain, or even had the foresight to establish his own company in the first place, the Reds might be a million miles away from a return to the Football League.

The Stanley chairman confesses he wasn't the most academic as a pupil at 'Accy Tech' - he'd much rather have been on the football pitch or cricket field than in the classroom. But what he did develop, on leaving school, was a shrewd eye for money-making.

And that's how he was in a position to help Stanley out financially, as well as physically.

"I used to work for Clarks inside the factory, making components for shoes," explained Whalley, who has long-standing ties with the Reds after playing for them in late fifties.

"After falling out with the factory manager I decided to leave. But then he offered me another job as a driver, which I took and did for about 18 months before the company moved to Somerset.

"I used to go to the factories and deliver boxes, pick up the empties then flog them! And that's how EW Cartons was formed, from the shoe industry in the Rossendale Valley, in 1974.

"Now we sell thousands and thousands of new and second hand cartons, dealing in the waste paper business. Any packaging material that anybody wants, from bubble wrap to pallets - anything at all, we supply it.

"We manufacture it as well, as well as horse bedding for racehorse trainers, stables and a lot of courses now."

Who would have thought that a few shoe boxes would lead to a family empire? It shows that from little acorns, oak trees really do grow. And father-of-four Whalley has been lucky enough to see that happen with his Rishton-based business and at his ever-expanding Nationwide Conference club just a few miles up the road.

"I've always had a soft spot for Accrington Stanley, going back to 1957 when I was playing for the club right through to the present day," he said.

"EW Cartons put me in a position to buy shares from John Alty (ex-chairman) to make me the major shareholder.

"I wouldn't have been able to do that without the company, or my family, because they are all running the business now and luckily they are all football fans so they all come to the games."

Over the years, Whalley's business - which operates from York Mill - has expanded to employ around 40 local people, as well as involving all of his children.

Accrington Stanley is now mirroring that progress, with Whalley putting in arguably more hours now than he did when his company first got off the ground.

"I'm at the club from 9am to 5pm every day - all unpaid of course. And before I come to the ground I've done an hour at EW Cartons. But I enjoy what I do and it's part of your life," he said.

Now his plans to extend the club are ready to be put into action.

"As soon as we get the new cover on the Clayton End the club will be extended and we've got a new lounge for sponsors, so hopefully this will bring us in more revenue on top of the budget we've already set for this year," he explained.

"We're spending money to make money, and that's what I've always done with my business and with Stanley.

"If you spend a shilling and you've only got sixpence, you're skint before you know where you are. That's not the way I've ever done anything."