Stanley heroes will be feted by council

Hyndburn Council has arranged a civic reception for the players and management at the town hall next month .

The club's entry to the Conference League after beating Altrincham on Saturday turned the town into one huge party when jubilant fans poured onto the streets to celebrate their team's victory.

One of the founder members of the Football League, the club and the league parted company in 1962 when the team was demoted into the lower echelons of the game.

But now they are just one promotion away from making a historic return to the Football League and fans will have the chance to congratulate the players at the reception at 1.30pm on Saturday, May 24.

A stage will be set up outside the town hall with members of the council and club making speeches and presentations. The reception will be followed by a buffet for players, officials and the new Mayor of Hyndburn.

Mike Chambers, chief executive of Hyndburn Council, said: "The reception is in recognition of the club's fantastic achievements in winning promotion to the Conference, and to celebrate with them and the fans its positive impact on Hyndburn."

The team's achievements have brought messages of congratulations from all over the world and more than doubled the daily hits to the club's website.

Rob Hayes, who runs the website, said: "It's gone through the roof. We have had literally hundreds of emails from people saying well done.

Chairman Eric Whalley said: "It's good for the fans because obviously it's in recognition of putting Accrington back on the map and it must be good for the town.

"The thing that strikes me about it is how many people have been in touch since we got there. I didn't realise how much people cared." When an 83-year-old man comes and tells us he hasn't slept for a fortnight because he's so excited it tells you something."

Council leader Ian Ormerod said: "It's richly deserved and Accrington Stanley have done the town proud."