As with the vinyl LP, Shane MacGowan and Heinz Salad Cream, reports of the demise of DIY stalwarts Accrington Stanley have been somewhat premature.

Recently David Stubbs provided us with an excellent review of the first 100 discs of John Peel's record collection to go online, prompting Dan O'Farrell from the band to get in touch with us.

Stubbs, who had been reviewing 7"s by Estonian comedy punk bands for the previous 18 hours and deprived of his usual supper of a litre of Disaronno and tray of Pedigree Chum biscuits, had been rendered into a temporary state of frothing psychic confusion.

But Mr O'Farrell has not only provided us with evidence of his band's rude health and a YouTube of 'The Stanleys playing to 12,000 people in Japan, 1992, but heartening news that they may ride again.

He says: "I'm in Accrington Stanley and we are chuffed to bits to be getting mentioned in a few places in connection with having two albums in the first tranche of John Peel archival material (glad that we didn't call the band Zeppo's Xylophone now), so I'd like to thank David for his pithy and quite accurate summation of us in his article.

"If David ever has the time/inclination to revisit his article and fill in the gaps, we'd be grateful if he could include one of our clips. You never know, it might awaken Stanley-fever across the nation and the albums and albums worth of material we've been stock-piling could find it's way to the public's hearts. You've got to have a dream, eh?"

Unfortunately Stubbs is no longer returning our calls and was spotted recently near Pimlico tube station speaking to strangers in a manner not dissimilar to Terry Thomas and The Stanleys will have to accept our humble apologies and this news story.

Anyone wanting to speak to the band or release an album by them, can do so by visiting their web resource Accrington-Stanley.com.