IF it is a mark of the club's aspirations, then non-league Accrington Stanley's acquisition of its own-label wines shows that it puts itself on a par -- plonk-wise, at least -- with the big-time clubs.

And why not?

But how well does The Reds' red (and white) travel, I wonder -- seeing as how following the launch of £5-a-bottle "Chateau Stanley" last week, the Accrington side could only manage a 0-0 draw in the FA Trophy at Radcliffe Borough despite their opponents being a whole division lower in the Unibond League and despite having stuffed them 3-0 in the same round of the contest last year.

I hope that it is not a case of Stanley ignoring the one of the basic rules of oenology (wine science, mate) -- that of letting a good one mature... at least until after the match!