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| Nuneaton’s Liberty Way Stadium - but the sun could set on the club by next month |
The next ten days is the most critical time ever for Nuneaton Borough, and without a new board in place by November 1 they could go bust.
Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite, who owns the club's Liberty Way Stadium, has called for the 'immediate assistance' of the local community if Boro have any chance of surviving.
A National League Board Meeting will take place in less than three weeks, but manager Nicky Eaden has very little confidence in a buyer being found in time to meet the League's requirements.
Previous chairman Lee Thorn resigned as chairman and put the club up for sale at the end of last season, with their ground being sold to Smurthwaite.
The club currently is without a chairman or board of directors and they're living hand to mouth - the players are unlikely to be paid at the end of the month.
Speaking to the Non-League Paper, Eaden said: "It's week to week, and hand to mouth. There is no direction at the football club.
"When Norman took over he didn't have a plan, it needed a local businessman to come in and get involved and that should've happened long ago.
"But there are now too many grey areas for prospective buyers. I have little confidence of anyone coming in now."
In a lengthy statement released by Smurthwaite on Friday, he confirmed that due to rules by the Football League, National League and Football Association, he cannot own to football clubs at once.
Last week, the chances of a new board and the necessary financial budgets being in place before the League's meeting have dropped after the 'appetite for this has become splintered amongst several of the people who were to become involved'.
But Smurthwaite has called on the wider community to save the club from a 'sad closure', with a supporters Co-operative bid to 'save the Boro' looking for interested parties for help.
"I now turn to the fans and the wider Nuneaton community," Smurthwaite added.
"The next week to ten days is the most critical time I believe this club has ever faced. I feel that the club needs to engage you all in trying to avert the sad closure of the football clubs doors.
"As I now do not believe that the parties who originally expressed an interest in wishing to create a new board and take the club forward on their own, there are both the operational issues of still creating a new vehicle and trying to find funding to meet the club's financial obligations.
"If the town wishes to keep the heritage and the football club alive it now needs your immediate assistance.
"I will endeavour to help within the constraints the regulatory bodies have imposed upon me and hope that a solution can be found to what are some serious challenges in front of the club and the town as a whole."
Previous chairman Lee Thorn resigned as chairman and put the club up for sale at the end of last season, with their ground being sold to Smurthwaite.
The club currently is without a chairman or board of directors and they're living hand to mouth - the players are unlikely to be paid at the end of the month.
Speaking to the Non-League Paper, Eaden said: "It's week to week, and hand to mouth. There is no direction at the football club.
"When Norman took over he didn't have a plan, it needed a local businessman to come in and get involved and that should've happened long ago.
"But there are now too many grey areas for prospective buyers. I have little confidence of anyone coming in now."
In a lengthy statement released by Smurthwaite on Friday, he confirmed that due to rules by the Football League, National League and Football Association, he cannot own to football clubs at once.
Last week, the chances of a new board and the necessary financial budgets being in place before the League's meeting have dropped after the 'appetite for this has become splintered amongst several of the people who were to become involved'.
But Smurthwaite has called on the wider community to save the club from a 'sad closure', with a supporters Co-operative bid to 'save the Boro' looking for interested parties for help.
"I now turn to the fans and the wider Nuneaton community," Smurthwaite added.
"The next week to ten days is the most critical time I believe this club has ever faced. I feel that the club needs to engage you all in trying to avert the sad closure of the football clubs doors.
"As I now do not believe that the parties who originally expressed an interest in wishing to create a new board and take the club forward on their own, there are both the operational issues of still creating a new vehicle and trying to find funding to meet the club's financial obligations.
"If the town wishes to keep the heritage and the football club alive it now needs your immediate assistance.
"I will endeavour to help within the constraints the regulatory bodies have imposed upon me and hope that a solution can be found to what are some serious challenges in front of the club and the town as a whole."