A JUNIOR football club won a league and cup double — despite concerns over whether GCSE revision classes would scupper their chances.

Westhoughton Rangers under-16s faced the prospect of having to concede a play-off final on Friday, as several of their players had been told they needed to concentrate on their studies.

But after the Bolton Bury & District Football League (BBDFL) refused to reschedule the game, teachers relented and changed the time of the revision sessions.

Rangers, who finished joint top of the league beat rivals Boothstown FC 3-2 in the deciding match to win the title.

The team, which has players from Westhoughton High School and Chorley-based Southlands High School, then followed this up with a 2-1 win against Astley & Tyldsley in the BBDFL Players Cup final on Sunday.

The team’s manager, Mark Hester, said he was “over the moon” at the team’s achievements.

Mr Hester said: “I feel elated. It’s an absolutely brilliant achievement by my lads.

“I would like to thank The Bolton News, because if it wasn’t for the newspaper, I don’t think we would have won the league, because it was only when the schools saw how upset we were that they decided to change the classes.

“I’m disappointed by the way this was handled, but credit to my lads, they just got on with it and battled hard.”

Warren Barlow, chairman of the BBDFL, said Rangers had been offered several dates for the final and that an extension to the league season would not have been possible.

Mr Barlow said: “We were very flexible with Rangers. We offered them Monday to Friday to play their final game.

“We couldn’t have extended the game to another date as we’d have to have had to ask for permission from the Lancashire FA and we would have been refused an extension because our season is affiliated until May 18.

“However, I’m happy that the match went ahead, as it should have done, and that Rangers resolved the situation.”