A FOOTBALL boss from East Lancashire is celebrating his ‘hatch of the day’ - with the arrival of his baby daughter as part of a goal-den hat-trick.

Little Maizie Jane Cunningham even made her debut before the final whistle, in the car park of the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Medics helped mum Caroline with the delivery on the front seat of her car, as Colne FC manager Steven looked on.

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Steven, the Holt House side’s player-manager, had been assured that his heavily pregnant wife was not due to give birth for ‘another couple of days’ when he travelled with his side to Runcorn for a North West Counties League clash.

But when he returned to their home off Rossendale Road, Burnley, after a 3-1 win Caroline was having contractions, prompting him to ring the hospital.

While he was told she was ‘not quite ready’, her waters broke and Steven packed her off in a car and sped to the maternity ward, arriving at around 3.45am.

Steven, 35, said: “We parked outside the front door and I was banging on the doors because it was out of hours. The baby’s head came out and I was shouting through the intercom in panic, before three medics came out to help.”

One final push saw Maizie Jane arrive before mother and baby were whisked away to the wards.

Steven, a business account manager for Western Union, is doubly proud of his little girl, a sister for four-year-old Zak.

He said: “She timed it well. She came after the Runcorn game and in plenty of time for me to go to West Didsbury on Saturday!”

Now there is only the question of football allegiances for Maizie Jane - her dad is a Red Devil and Caroline, 34, who works for Lancashire Police, is a Burnley FC season ticket holder.