Worksop Town life president Keith Ilett has revealed his new hope for the long-term future of the Tigers after an “unbelievable” response to the club's appeal for emergency cash to stave off a debts crisis.
The BetVictor Northern Premier League club released a statement last week asking for urgent donations as they looked to raise £30,000 to pay off debts or face closure.
Since then, the club's appeal has gathered pace, with Sky Sports frontman Jeff Stelling, Peter Crouch and Alan McInally all sharing their plight on social media – something that Ilett says has provided the club with a huge boost.
“It's only been four days since the announcement and we're well on the way already,” Ilett told The Non-League Paper's readers in this week's paper.
“We're getting donations from everywhere, it's not just our fans. We've had fans and clubs from across the country getting on board and helping us.
“This morning, somebody posted an envelope through the door with £500 in it – the reaction has been unbelievable.
Football family
“I think we will get to our target – we've got so much more than we thought we would have at this moment in time. It's only been four days since the announcement and we're well on the way already.
“We're all a big football family in this country,” he added. “You always find that no matter what rivalries we have on the field, we all pull together away from it and it's typical of the game in this country.”
The lease to the club's Sandy Lane home is owned by Pete Whitehead who has announced he will take over as the club's chairman should the fundraising be successful.
And Ilett is confident that in Whitehead NPL South-East Division Worksop Town have the right man at the helm to steer the club from danger.
“Pete has paid a substantial amount of money to get rid of a lot of the debt and he asked us to raise £30,000 before the beginning of March and he will come in and take over the running of the club,” Ilett said.
“He is a good businessman, but he's also played the game and been a manager. You don't often get someone running a club who is business and football orientated in equal measure – so he's the ideal fit for this club, you couldn't hand pick anyone better.
“We're fully confident we can stay out of trouble on the field this season and if we can get rid of the debt we've got and build some solid foundations, hopefully we can push for promotion next year.”
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