EVENTS have moved on like an express train at Atherton Colls over the last week.

After fifteen games in charge which brought just two NWCL Division One points, club and manager Chris O'Brien decided to part by mutual consent after Saturday's 5-1 defeat at Rossendale United.

Alder House club chairman Steve Payne explained: "It's all been very amicable. Chris and I had a chat after we lost on Saturday and we decided that the way results have been going and everything else taken into consideration it was best for all concerned to call it a day."

Club press secretary Frank Anderson added: "It really was by mutual consent. Chris is one of the nicest blokes I've ever come across in football. A real gentleman. He was asked to step in at the deep end, he took it on but everything seemed to go against him.

"It was coming up to Christmas which is bad enough but the weather was seeing games called off so we couldn't get any sort of consistency going. It was so bad they couldn't even train at times. In total eight of our players moved on to LR and living in Stockport, Chris just didn't have the contacts over here.

"He and his assistant Paul Kirkham certainly haven't left on bad terms, far from it. We appreciate all they tried to do for us. They worked ever so hard."

News of the Colls' vacancy had the local grapevine cackling over the weekend and by Sunday night potential names were in frame.

On Monday evening talks were held at the clubhouse and by Tuesday morning an announcement was made that Dennis Haslam and Tommy Foster would become joint managers.

While the facts say this was a rush appointment, nothing from the club's point of view in making the decision has been lost to haste. The Haslam/Foster partnership was the unanimous selection of the Alder House committee with everyone convinced the platform is now in place to not only stave off the lingering relegation clouds but that Division One mid-table respectability is not only possible but probable.

The two had just hours to put together a side before their first game in charge at home to Fleetwood Freeport on Tuesday night. It was inevitably very much a scratch team that went down 6-0 but there were several encouraging signs.

Four news signings, Chris Pollitt, Paul Goulding, Scott Dowds and Carlos Meakin, made their debuts and all did well with the latter winning the man of the match vote. Anderson explained: "It was the best we've played for some time. People will look at the scoreline and think that's daft but everything Fleetwood hit went in. It was just one of those games where you can't do anything about it. There were many things in the performance that were good and we can certainly build from there."

Haslam, once a top non-league player himself with Horwich (as it was then) RMI, has had a previous spell as team boss at Colls and has recently been helping out old boss Ken Wright at Chorley.

Foster earned great respect as a manager locally when in charge of LR's Reserves before adding to that reputation at Daisy Hill and on into the Division One ranks with Salford City. He was sensationally dismissed at the latter post earlier this season when former Manchester United player Billy Garton was appointed.

The two will have had more time to prepare for their next big test away to Skelmersdale United tomorrow. One person looking out for their result before any other will be O'Brien. "I wish the club and everyone there all the best for the future," he says. "I really enjoyed my time here. They are such a smashing bunch of people."

With all the fuss, messing about and controversy of the game no one wanted out of the way last Saturday (the Division Two Cup exit on away goals after a 1-1 extra time draw at Daisy Hill) Atherton LR turned in a top drawer performance on Tuesday night to win 2-0 at home to one of the Division Two title chasers Stone Dynamoes.

Colin Lomas paved the way with a first half goal and substitute Barry Massay set up Gavin Salmon midway through the second half to kill the game off. Tomorrow LR have Bacup Boro as visitors to Crilly Park.