IF you ask Graham Howarth whether he thought his Padiham side would make a good start to the season he says: "No, definitely not!"

But a good start they have made. The Storks are the only side in the North West Counties or UniBond Leagues to still have an unbeaten record and you could say it has come as a bit of a surprise to their gaffer.

The unassuming 41-year-old refuses to mouth off about his side, who have won ten and drawn two of their 12 league games this season - but had one win and one draw chalked off when Stand resigned from the league.

He prefers to just stay in the background and accepted the Manager of the Month award for September on Saturday with his usual modesty.

"When you get a run going it just gets harder and harder because everyone wants to beat you," said the former Colne, Burnley Bank Hall and Padiham player.

"Every game gets tougher."

This is the Storks' third season back in the North West Counties League and after a promising first year, they faltered slightly last season.

When asked whether he thought they would do so well this year, Howarth said: "No, definitely not!

"Our pre-season games didn't go well because we had a few called off.

"But a lot of our success is down to the players' attitude at the start of the season.

"The attitude wasn't that good last year, and that is why they didn't do too well but they have really buckled down.

"We had a good talk before the first game and I told them if everyone behind the scenes could work so hard to keep the club afloat it wasn't too much to ask of them to work hard for 90 minutes.

"So we thrashed one or two things out and since then they have given 100 per cent."

What makes the Storks' run even more impressive is that they have done it without their two top strikers. Lee Chambers and Dean Stowe have missed the majority of the season through injury but Ian Pilkington and Martyn Thompson have more than filled their boots, scoring nine and seven goals respectively.

And the defence has done a fine job as well, letting in only eight league goals - keeper Kirk Marsden was rewarded with the 'Safe Hands ' award for September on the strength of it.

And Howarth has also thanked reserve team boss Mick Cowan for helping the first team.

"The reserves are doing really well and there are a few who could step up to the first team. Martyn Thompson is a prime example and another young lad, Craig Williamson, got thrown in at the start of the season and has played so well I can't leave him out!"

The top two in the second division go up - if their grounds qualify - and whether the Arbories makes the grade for the first division depends mostly on them getting floodlights.

"Hopefully we will have the money raised and have them in place in time," said Howarth. "But we'll have to finish in the top two first."

With 11 local non-League sides, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph probably speaks to more semi-pro bosses than any other paper.

It is impossible to shut some of them up but sometimes it is more difficult to get two words out of Howarth!

"I don't see the point in making it harder for the players, spouting off that we are going to do this and that, that we are the best team in the league and we are going to beat this team and that team," he said. "I don't lose my temper with the players, we talk things through.

"I have played under a few different managers, some that have thrown mugs of tea and some that didn't.

"One of the best was Leighton James, who used to play for Burnley.

"He was my manager at Burnley Bank Hall and he always had a few things to say. But he was very knowledgable about the game and that's important.

"Ian Britton was another great manager I played for. He never lost his temper.

"But I manager the way I do because that's just the way I am."

And it seems to be working just fine for Padiham!

PADIHAM travel to Nelson tonight (kick off 7.45pm).