Capture of young Terrier shows new Padiham bosses are on the right track

Capture of young Huddersfield Town forward Ben Mills shows new Padiham FC bosses are on the right track
Michael Morrison joins the huddle with the rest of the Storks squadMichael Morrison joins the huddle with the rest of the Storks squad
Michael Morrison joins the huddle with the rest of the Storks squad

The teenage Terrier, who turns 18 the day before the Storks entertain Irlam at the Ruby Civil Arena, had the option to join a number of clubs in the Hallmark Security Premier Division but, in the end, returned to Well Street.

Morrison and Adam Morning had one training session to impress in a bid to beat off competition from their rivals and, in turn, bolster their squad.

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And whatever they did seemed to do the trick. “We’ve got a young forward in from Huddersfield Town called Ben Mills,” said Morrison.

“We received a phone call asking if he could come down to a session. It gave him a chance to see what we were about but we could also have a look at him.

“He’s had a few trials with clubs around the Hallmark Security League but he loved the session we put on and wanted to come back. He’s joined us until the end of the season.

“It’s very good for us. It’s very reassuring and it was a proud moment with us just getting in to management. He loved everything about it and that’s great for us.

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“It shows that we are doing something right. He’s got pace, he’s very direct, the total opposite to what we’ve got. A lot of our wingers like to come inside but he likes to get on the outside and get the ball in to the box.”

Padiham have also recruited left back Kirtis Monson from Northwich Victoria. The defender was expected to make his debut in the derby against Barnoldswick Town, only for the game to be postponed.

But that’s not where the recruitment drive ends for Morrison. “We’ve signed Kirtis Monson, a left back from Northwich Victoria,” he said.

“He gets up and down the pitch well and he’s very good on the ball. There isn’t much that gets past him either.

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“The back four has been a bit weak recently so if there’s an option to bring in somebody that’s better than what we’ve got then we’ll take it.

“We’re looking at bringing more in. We are always looking to strengthen. We want to put our own stamp on things now.

“We were lacking in numbers when we arrived at the club but that’s starting to change. There’s good competition now, everybody is starting to push each other and that’s the first time we’ve had that.” The Storks are embroiled in a battle for survival at present but, due to the unfavourable weather conditions, they’ve not had the chance to ease their situation.

The club’s last game was a goalless draw against Whitchurch Alport at Yockings Park in mid-January and they’re without a fixture this weekend.

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Morrison said: “Training has been going really well. We’re starting to get good numbers turning up. All the lads that we’ve got at the club are starting to buy in to what we’re doing now. Everyone wants to get fitter and do well.

“We want to try and get a bit of a run going. It’s been a bit stop-start since we took the job which has made it quite hard work for us. There’s only so much running you can do in training. The players need game time.

“We’ve been putting sessions on on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It’s not ideal but we’ve had to do something to keep them fresh so they’re ready to hit the ground running. Nothing replicates game time though.

“We are confident we will survive, we always have been. We still want to finish as high as we can in the division.”