SINGLE minded soccer men held a crisis meeting to determine the future of their fire-ravaged club.

On Wednesday, heartbroken officials of Howe Bridge-based Pennington Football Club considered rebuilding their blitzed clubhouse or flattening it and starting afresh.

A faulty TV set, which had been switched off for three days, started the blaze which swept through the bar, beer store and social room.

Dying embers started a further blaze which caused more damage the following morning.

Then at the weekend further damage was caused when vandals entered the club and started another fire.

"We're determined to continue, we could just do with these sort of people leaving us alone," said club trustee and committee member Ernie Ackers before the Wednesday gathering.

The away team changing rooms were damaged in the latest fire and the kitchen area was also badly damaged.

Now the club is trying to solve changing problems caused by lack of lighting and hot water because the electricity supply has had to be cut.

"We're hoping to rearrange this weekend's fixtures so we can play away, or failing that use a spare field or alternative changing facilities.

"We have had problems with vandal damage in the past but we got over those. Ironically this has happened at a time when club functions were going better than ever.

"The problem is insurance won't cover everything, and we still have to pay our bills, yet nothing is coming in. We shall have to think hard about how best to raise funds to pay for the rebuild," explained Mr Ackers.

Already local soccer clubs Atherton Collieries, Atherton Town and Atherton LR plus Atherton Cricket Club have offered to help raise funds to finance the rebuild.

Founded in 1984 the club situated behind Howe Bridge bus depot fields two teams in the Manchester League first and second divisions, plus under 15s and under 16s sides and has just begun a Rangers under eights team.

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