THIEVING vandals who have been branded cowards have almost called time at a proud old soccer club.

For the third time in a fortnight thieves this week broke in to Atherton Collieries' club.

After the latest attack on the Alder Fold clubhouse, when beer and lager bottles and cans were taken, Collieries' secretary Frank Anderson blasted the thieves for ruining one of the oldest clubs in the district.

"There's nothing left for them to take, they've cleared us out. They've even stolen three satellite dishes. They are all cowards, sneaking in when nobody is here," said Mr Anderson.

Valuables

"Because of the number of break-ins we've had we do not leave any valuables or cash in the club. We dare not have one-armed bandits and we have to take everything out when we lock-up after games."

In the latest raid the robbers took out a complete window frame to get in and once inside stole cans of lager and other drinks.

Ex-player Steve Payne, chairman of the Colls' football club which was founded in 1916 and nowadays fields six teams including four junior sides and competes in the North West Counties first division, said: "It is now getting to the stage where we are having to cancel functions. It is just breaking us down, we should be redecorating but we spend all our time repairing damage.

"When thieves are caught and go to court they should receive a penalty which is a strong deterrent -- it might put them off repeat offending." It was the only one of the three windows at the front of the club which was intact, the other two have been boarded-up because the vandals had previously smashed them with beer barrels.