Storks suffer heaviest defeat of season at leaders

Padiham.................................1

Padiham came out second best in their must-win game against North West Counties League Premier Division leaders Bootle on Saturday, going down to their heaviest defeat of the season.

The Storks did their best to keep an in-form Bootle side out in the first half, and took a 13th minute lead when Joel Melia angled in a shot past Bootle keeper Charlie Taylor to put them a goal up.

But that was as good as it got for the visitors, with Michael Ordish equalising for Bootle on 39 minutes, and Anthony Rendell putting the home side ahead a minute before half-time.

Carl Peers knocked the stuffing out of Padiham with a goal two minutes after the break, and ended any hopes of a Storks revival with a shot in off the crossbar on 70 minutes.

Bootle scored a fifth goal on 75 minutes from Steven Jones, and added to Padiham’s misery with another goal two minutes from time via substitute Michael Carberry.

Padiham are at Cammell Laird 1907 on Saturday.