Club's plea for help answered

The Albany Northern League side, which won the championship two years ago, was in danger of folding after the committee decided it could not continue unless new blood was found.

The small band of officers, aged in their fifties to seventies, feared that the club would start to struggle unless younger volunteers helped shoulder the organisational burden.

But a public meeting this week attracted about 35 people - many offering to help with aspects of the club's operations - and there has been at least one offer to join the committee.

Although the club is not in financial trouble it is looking for new sponsorship.

League chairman Mike Amos welcomed the club's decision to continue. "I'm delighted because it is only two seasons ago they won the league and they didn't get as much support and sponsorship on the back of it as they thought they would and the finances appear to have drained away a bit.

"For them to have a new lease of life is great. We have a number of clubs that are living fairly close to the edge and if Brandon are going to be moving a little bit further away from the edge I'm glad.

"I hope that even more people in the Brandon area go along and give them a boost.

He said that many clubs were suffering from a lack of practical support, adding: "It is a real concern that in the so-called hotbed of football so few people are willing to become involved in their community clubs.''

Club chairman Neil Scott said: "We also need some extra sponsorship to keep us going. The social club, over 15 years has managed to plough £145,000 into the football side of things as well as pay off the mortgage, but at the moment trading conditions aren't allowing it to put money into the football."

The club has grown from a Sunday League side to winning the Northern League championship two years ago and twice battling through qualifying rounds to the First Round proper of the FA Cup where it faced Football League opposition.