Brilliant Birkby sets new club goalscoring record

The Hesketh Bank skipper notched his 200th first team goal for the West Lancashire side during Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Stoneclough.

He became the club’s record goalscorer when he grabbed his 100th back in 2012 - surpassing Gary Keenan’s club record of 99 goals from 284 games.

Nine years later he doubled his own record for the Division One side – but he didn’t know much about it.

“A cross came in and I was following in and it came off the centre half, hit me seven or eight yards out and went in,” he laughed.

“It was funny as Tom Smyth scored two crackers for us in the game too and mine wasn’t the easiest on the eye.

"But Josh Norgate said 100 of my 200 goals had been like that!”

Birkby, 37, scored his first for the club’s first team aged 16 against Crooklands Casuals back in 2000 and went on to score a record 35 goals in the 2012/13 season.

He also enjoyed two seasons at Fleetwood Hesketh and a year at Euxton Villa where he memorably scored a last-minute equaliser against arch rivals Charnock Richard.

Asked about his favourite goals for Bank, he said: “I scored one against Turton at home, the ball got rolled across and I hit it one touch and it pinged straight in.

“Then I think it was Coppull away in the Lancashire FA Shield – they were a league above us at the time and I scored four that day.

“It got laid in to me with my back to goal and I turned and volleyed it past the keeper. That was a good one.”

Birkby’s joy at grabbing his 200th goal for the club was tempered by the result at Stoneclough – a 3-3 draw ending their 100 per cent start to the season.

“It was disappointing not to get the win but their lad, Mark Truffas, scored a brilliant goal in the last minute to equalise.

“I have no set targets now, I’m playing more in midfield these days but I’m enjoying my football and we’ve got a good set of lads here, there’s no idiots, and we’ve had a great start to the season.”

Hesketh Bank trail Milnthorpe Corinthians by two points but have a game in hand ahead of today’s home league fixture with Ulverston Rangers.