LOYAL Basingstoke Town fans are digging into their own pockets to help pay the players' wages.

Calling themselves "Friends of Basingstoke Town Football Club", a group of fans are canvassing for money in a bid to help pay the players from now until the end of the season and so ease the cash-flow problems currently faced by the club.

The supporters have taken the unusual action because the soon-to-be finalised winding-up of the Basingstoke Town Football and Social Club Limited company, and subsequent launch of Basingstoke Town Limited, will initially leave finances stretched at The Camrose.

With the new set-up acquiring the assets and liabilities from the old company and with debts to clear before completion of the transfer, the tight budget available to Basingstoke Town Limited will require monitoring in the early stages of existence, placing pressure on paying Town's wage bill.

Long-standing Town fan and co-instigator of the "Friends" group, Jim Gould, told The Gazette: "After the club's share scheme was initially put forward, myself and John Turner asked supporters if there were enough people interested to set up a syndicate with a view to buying a share.

"This would have cost £5,000. We had an encouraging response but the delay in the transfer of control to the new company, for whatever reasons, caused us to have a re-think.

"We decided to shelve the share purchase idea and use any collective finances to help strengthen the depth of the playing squad by helping to pay players' wages."

The response from fans to the idea has been positive. Jim said: "We have managed to raise around £300 since we put the word about and started collecting donations a week ago, which is very encouraging because we want to help improve the squad."

He added: "We are looking to get 100 people contributing £5 a month for seven-and-a-half months, or if that cannot be attained, 50 supporters who can afford £10 each month, although no pledge will be refused."

Welcoming the fans' initiative, Basingstoke Town chairman Dave Knight said: "Anything that is going to be a big help to the club moving forward has got to be encouraged.

"It is good to see fans getting involved in this way and we hope more people show similar initiatives to help the club now this step has been taken.

"Finances are tight, of that there is no secret. The situation with the players wages last season and low gate receipts are familiar to us all, but we are not the only football club who have had to make cuts.

"So far this season we have had better than budgeted-for attendances, and manager Ernie Howe has also kept the wage bill below the level we set him, all of which is enabling us to get into a positive position before the launch of the new company.

"We have budgeted accordingly for that, and BT Limited is very close to becoming finalised. There are still legal issues to deal with, but we hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the very near future.

"We welcome with gratitude any money on top of our planned budget. I think the fans have seen that the changes we are making to the structure of the club are those that will help us move forward and they want to help us do that."

Town boss Ernie Howe said: "Fans pay good money to watch us and have a right to hold us to account, but they haven't been involved with things as they would like.

"I am on a very tight budget, so if we can find ways of making and getting extra money in that has to be applauded. It is very positive that they want to help us like this. I know the new company wants to form an executive committee and get like-minded people, who want to help the club, involved."

A meeting to encourage supporters to take positions on that executive committee is scheduled for 7.30pm next Thursday evening at the Camrose.