Relegation would be disastrous for Storks

Relegation from the Hallmark Security League Premier Division would spell disaster for Padiham, says joint boss Adam Morning.

The Storks face a final day shoot-out with West Didsbury and Chorlton in their battle to beat the drop and the 32-year-old former Salford City midfielder confessed that a failure to succeed would be his worst nightmare.

Padiham’s fate remains in their own hands ahead of Saturday’s game against Winsford United at the Ruby Civil Arena.

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Though they’ll go in to the weekend level on points with David Powell’s men, the club’s slightly better goal difference is currently keeping their heads above water.

West, who have won three games on the bounce to keep their hopes of survival alive, host Ashton Athletic - who beat the Storks on Easter Monday - at the Recreation Ground.

“You’ve got to give West Didsbury credit,” said Morning. “We’ve not been good enough and they’ve won three on the bounce so you’ve got to respect them for that.

“That’s a tough thing to do at any level, particularly in this situation. If they survive and we go down then we’ve only got ourselves to blame. It would be deserved, because the table doesn’t lie.

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“It’s still in our hands so we’ve just got to match West Didsbury’s result. It’s one game. I spoke to Ashton’s management team [Dougie Pitts and Jay Foulds] after the game and they assured me that they’re going there to win. Hopefully they can help us out.”

While West Didsbury gave their own dreams of staying up a shot in the arm with a 4-2 win over Abbey Hey, Adam Gilchrist’s double piled the pressure on Padiham.

Morning has drafted in Danny Wilkins on duel registration for the final game of the season while striker James Dean has returned to the club to join the fight.

With Gaz Burnett expected to miss out through injury, Morning said: “At the end of the day it’s down to us and I hope the lads are ready to show up.

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“They’ve been giving their all, they work hard for each other, we wouldn’t accept anything less, but they’ve been lacking that bit of quality.

“It’s one game of football, 90 minutes, so we’ve got to stay focussed. I’m feeling fine, it’s on my mind a lot because I’m the manager but I’m just making sure that the players are fully prepared.

“I’m confident that we’ll do it, I expect us to survive, even though the momentum is with West Didsbury.

“It would be a disaster if the worst was to happen. It would be an absolute nightmare. This is the biggest game in the club’s recent history.

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“The success they had under Steve Wilkes was a great achievement but this is certainly the biggest moment since then.

“There have been a lot of twists and turns this season and we’ve got to make sure that we’re on the better end of it.”

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