By Chris Dunlavy
BISHOP'S Stortford boss Rod Stringer has warned that the Blues will have the lowest budget in Skrill South next season.
Despite last year's lucrative FA Cup run, the club's board have announced their intention to spend only what they earn from gate receipts and sponsorship, resulting in a 20 per cent reduction compared with 2013-14.
Stringer – who admitted in November that the “right job” would tempt him away – had been widely tipped to leave but says he owed it to the fans to stick around.
“I've not made the decision lightly,” he said. “Twenty per cent is a big drop and when you consider we were already in the bottom half-dozen or so, I'd imagine we'll be operating on the lowest budget in the entire league next season.
“When you look at what the likes of Whitehawk, Bromley and some others are spending, it's going to be very tough – just staying up will be a tremendous achievement. But I just felt I owed it to the supporters to stay and try to make a fight of it.”
The cuts are already taking effect, with skipper Reece Prestedge rejecting a new deal to sign for Bromley this week. Stringer, though, can understand the club's prudent stance.
“I suppose I've been a victim of my own success,” said the former Braintree boss, who led the Blues to televised first round FA Cup tie with Northampton last term.
“We got that money in and the club have used it to balance the books. Now they don't want to spend more than they earn, which is fair enough. We've seen plenty of clubs at this level get into trouble and not come back from it.
“It'll be hard but we'll just have to work with what we've got and see it as a good challenge.”
