Accrington Stanley FC

• Nickname:
• Founded:1968
• Manager:John Coleman

• Ground:
• Capacity:NaN

Reds face winding-up order

29 May 2009 - 15:25:37

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Accrington Stanley have been handed a winding-up order by HM Revenue and Customs.

The Reds owe around £300,000 to the taxman, but are confident that they will be able to repay their debts.

A club statement read: "Although we do not look to make excuses the arrears have occurred due to a number of factors, most notably because of the club's contractual obligations with regards to players' wages despite the fact that levels of income have dropped significantly.

"While we have been back in the Football League, our average attendance has dropped from 2,260 in our first season three years ago to 1,415 for the season just gone.

"Despite the falling attendances and general economic downturn, our request for dispensation from the Football League to postpone having to install an additional thousand seats was turned down requiring us to carry out over £60,000 of work on the ground.

"All this said, the club fully accepts the liability, we believe that it is morally right that the money should be paid and are not seeking to avoid paying the any part of the debt.

"With the end of the current season we now have the opportunity to restructure the finances of the club, particularly in terms of revising our playing budget, and we are confident that working with our professional advisers we will find a solution to clear the outstanding balance in full."