PILKS went into Saturday’s game in a bouyant mood after a gutsy midweek performance at AFC Liverpool where they picked up their first point of the season.

It was Chadderton who took away the points with a narrow 2-1 win.

Sluggish Pilks were slower to the ball and in the opening minutes they were lucky not to be a few goals down.

Young keeper Patrick McLoughlin pushed a free kick onto the bar before Chadderton opened the scoring on 10 minutes.

On 12 minutes, Luke Sephton robbed the keeper and from a tight angle his shot hit the bar and then somehow rolled along the line before bouncing out against the post.

Pilks struggled to get into the game and hung on in the middle period of the first half.

They gradually got into the game and in the last 15 minutes of first half they started to create some chances. Callum Laird nearly latched onto a weak back pass as he hunted down the keeper, and Luke Sephton broke through but the keeper did well to save.

Three huge chances then fell Pilks way but again they failed to capitalise.

Phil Marsh evaded his marker and rounded the keeper but somehow scuffed his shot, Ishmael Banks had a free header in the six yard box and minutes before the break Callum Barry’s header was cleared off the line by the keeper’s feet. Pilks, 1-0 down, came out in the second half on the front foot and within a minute Sephton struck the ball under the keeper from a tight angle but it rolled along the line. Mason Ryan then cut the ball back to Jack Cunliffe but his strike was well saved.

A lapse in concentration led to Chadderton doubling their lead from a free header from yards out was converted.

Pilks introduced Matty Taylor on 60 minutes and his cross five minutes later was headed home by Luke Sephton to set up a nervy finish for Chadderton.

They fell further and further back as Pilks peppered their goal in search of the equaliser. Another great ball by Taylor found Sephton free on the back post but somehow the keeper kept it out and with minutes left Chadderton cleared another effort off the line to hold on and take all three points back to Oldham.

Meanwhile,

Billinge overcame Egerton 3-0 at home after three hours work by the board and management team to overcome the horrendous weather and get the game on.

Billinge were quick out of the blocks as Kyle Ross rattled the bar with a powerful shot just two minutes into the game.

Moments later Ross was again in the action as the winger combined brilliantly with Phil Dearden before knocking in a cross that evaded the onrushing Storks’ attackers.

The new-look Storks began to dominate possession as they looked to find an opening in their Cheshire opponents’ defence without much success.

In fact, it was Egerton who had the next real chances in the game.

On 11 minutes Tom Holehouse found himself free at a corner but he could only head well wide.

Then a minute later the normally super-reliable Chris Cottington was caught in possession 40 yards out by the excellent Darius Osei.

Fortunately for The Storks, the ex-Oldham Athletic striker fired wide of the Billinge upright.

It was the wake-up call that the villagers required and they responded superbly.

Dearden linked up well with Elliott Bradshaw who whipped in a wicked cross that was saved by the Egerton keeper Aaron Chaplin.

Bradshaw was back in the action on the 17th minute when Zak Riley and Ross combined well before the right-back’s cross evaded everybody to drift wide.

A moment later Liam Fitzgerald produced the pass of the match to Dearden but this time nobody got on the end of the striker’s cross.

On 22 minutes The Storks went ahead after left-back Ryan Platt found Dearden 23 yards out.

Last season’s top scorer turned before blasting home.

It was almost two minutes later, as Chaplin denied -firstly - Dave McGrath and then Riley by pulling off two superb saves. The remainder of the half saw The Storks pressing and they got further reward on 38 minutes when McGrath put great pressure on the keeper who could only clear the ball as far as Dearden. It was a gift and the centre-forward neatly passed it into the corner of the net.

The second-half continued in much the same vein as the first as the hosts took the game to Egerton.

On 52 minutes young prospect Harvey Lambert should have done better when he connected with a Dearden pass but shot wide from 12 yards out.

A minute later the same player tested Chaplin from 22 yards but the keeper saved well and then on 57 minutes Cottington found Ross with a wonderful pass who put in a lovely teasing cross that Lambert got on the end of but shot narrowly wide.

On the hour mark, Egerton’s substitute Joe O’Donnell shot wide from the edge of the box before Lambert again produced a decent shot - after good build-up work - that Chaplin again saved.

Lambert was proving a menace for the Egerton defence and they could only bring him down moments later.

Ross’s resultant free-kick was deflected wide for a corner from which Riley headed just over the bar.

Although Billinge were in control of the game it took two terrific blocks from Bradshaw to keep Osei out and then the dangerous forward hit the bar with an excellent effort.

The Storks composed themselves and substitute Ryan Houghton carried on the good work started by the man he replaced - Ross - on the right.

Firstly he should have done better with a shot when bearing down on goal and then headed wide when well-placed. It seemed that Billinge were just seeing the game out but in the 89th minute - another substitute - Tom Williams produced a pinpoint cross that Dearden met at the far post and knocked the ball into the net from three yards to complete his hat-trick, pick up the man-of-the-match award and secure the three points for The Storks.

It was a well-deserved victory for the club in their first home game of the season and was just reward for the hard work that was needed to get the game on.

After the game manager Wayne Wardle was happy with the result saying: “I thought we could have gone in a few more up at half-time but it is what it is and I thought we completely controlled the second-half and looked very comfortable.”

Billinge are next in league action on Tuesday 13 August when local rivals FC St Helens visit Barrows Farm for a 6.45pm kick-off.