THE FAMILIAR football chant of "who ate all the pies" could soon be ringing out around Accrington Stanley' s ground again after an absence of two years.

Crusty fans have besieged the club's website with complaints after the favourite half-time nosh was struck from the menu.

Stanley's Crown ground used to serve up the town's famous Holland's Pies until new franchisees took over the refreshment facility and replaced the pies with burgers and hot dogs.

Now Haslingden-based Cissy Greens, which has been in the town for 200 years, has stepped in to sooth the fans' hunger pangs with their equally-famous home-made pies.

Eric Whalley, chairman of Accrington Stanley, said: "We have had that much stick over the last two years from fans asking why they haven't sold pies that I got in touch with them and they are going to put them back on for the forseeable future.

"I can't believe the pies have caused such a problem. We have had messages on the website. We have had so many complaints about it that we decided to get them to put them back on the menu."

Stephen Hale, whose wife Julie runs Pennine Caterers, said the meat and potato and meat pies would be ordered in time for Saturday's home friendly against Blackburn Rovers, and would be served piping hot courtesy of a pie warmer supplied by Cissy Greens.

"When we started we said we didn't have the facilities for pies," he said.

"Our trailer doesn't have a pie warmer. The first season we probably had 15 people saying 'why are you not doing pies?' Then it dropped off and we thought it had all blown over but obviously not.

"We will be looking for feedback from the customers to see what's what, and hopefully it will be positive."

Barry Haworth, owner of Cissy Greens, said: "We wanted to help Accrington Stanley out because I live in Accrington and it's good to know your local football club sells the best pies in the country."