28thjune04

Monday 28th June 2004

Tonbridge coming out of their financial difficulties

Paul Dainty, chairman of troubled Isthmian League Premier Division club Tonbridge Angels, has told supporters that there is light and the end of the tunnel and the club are slowly but surely getting their finances in order.

Dainty said: “We have either reached agreements with creditors or have paid fully up to date our outstanding debts. We anticipate with pledges of cash, and we predict that by early August all of last year’s debts will have been cleared.

“We will still not be totally clear as we will have a bank overdraft but we will have to accept this as we have traded with such a facility last season .

”The real problem is finding further funds for manager Tony Dolby to entice additional players to the club over and above the existing contracted players and this can only be achieved through sponsorship. We need a £25,000 deal on shirts and this is proving to be difficult to find.

”However, we can be reasonably certain that we will have survived our immediate financial problems and we will be competing in the Isthmian Premier next season - the more help we can receive with regard to sponsorship and fundraising will go in to the playing budget. But the club will be run on stricter financial basis so as not to get ourselves into this situation again.

”This may mean some changes which will not be that popular but myself and the board have budgeted for 'worse case' scenarios next season and will not over commit the club financially and will only spend if we have cash in the bank.”

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