Club does not generate enough money to pay players, reveals Angels chief

TONBRIDGE ANGELS vice-chairman Garry Pass says the club cannot afford to pay their players in full - as he and chairman Nick Sullivan have to regularly put their hands in their pockets to make up the shortfall, writes Stephen McCartney.

Despite the club sitting in third place in the Ryman Premier League table, the credit crunch has affected attendances at Longmead Stadium this season.

A crowd of 948, the club’s largest of the season, watched yesterday’s pulsating 2-2 home draw against local rivals Maidstone United.

Their second largest was also a Kent derby, at home to Dartford on a midweek date in November, which attracted 703 fans.

The west Kent club average gates of 480, the fifth best supported club in the Ryman Premier League, but gates are down by 7.3%, and Mr Pass revealed the club are losing around £1,000 in gate revenue per game.

With automatic promotion destined to go to Dover Athletic, who are a WHOPPING 25 POINTS clear at the top of the table after 26 games, and as a result gates at Crabble are UP 42.2%.

The Angels, meanwhile, are desperate to finish as runners-up, to earn the right to stage play-off games on home soil.

“The idea was that we would get out of this league,” Mr Pass told www.kentishfootball.co.uk. “We knew Dover were in the division and ready to spend money. That was going to be difficult. We were always looking at second place to give us the advantage in the play-off’s.”

Speaking about the backing that Dover Athletic chairman, Mr Jim Parmenter gives his club, Mr Pass added, “We’ve not got that sort of backing here and it’s going to get worse because people that had sponsored us will not sponsor us and therefore it basically down to Nick Sullivan and I to put all the money in.

“The crowds we get here will certainly not even cover half the wages so we’ve got a shortfall.

“But going back on to Dover, I mean, you look at their stadium, it’s Conference standard, so they’re a Conference side.”

On the current crunch, the Celtic mad Scot, added, “It’s starting to kick in now, our gates are down by about 100 plus, that’s £1,000 per home game. Obviously programme sales, it effects bar takings and I think it’s going to get worse.”

Visit Tonbridge Angels websites: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk & www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk

Carshalton Athletic v Tonbridge Angels
Ryman League Cup Third Round
Tuesday 20^th January 2009
Kick Off 7:45pm
At War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2PN