D-Day approaches for Annan bid
Last updated 05:34, Friday, 27 June 2008
AMBITIOUS Annan Athletic are confident they can afford to step up into the Scottish Football League – and avoid going bust like neighbours Gretna.
Annan will discover next Thursday if their application to replace their Border rivals in senior football has been successful.
The East of Scotland League club will have to prove they have the financial clout to sustain the step up to the Scottish Third Division.
Annan are expecting a grilling over their finances from SFL chiefs in the wake of Gretna’s shocking demise.
Gretna went to the wall with debts of nearly £4 million when owner Brooks Mileson pulled the plug on the club he financed to three successive championships and the 2006 Scottish Cup Final following an illness.
The club that was playing the likes of Rangers and Celtic in the Scottish Premier League last season is now hoping to join the South of Scotland League, where they will play against the likes of Annan’s reserves.
But Annan chairman Henry McLelland insists financial prudence has put his club on a firm footing, and he is confident they can sustain SFL football without ever having to rely on a rich benefactor.
He said: “Joining the Scottish League would not be a financial gamble because we have always operated to a budget.
“I would be very surprised if other applicants could put forward a set of accounts as good as ours.
“We have a thriving social club at the ground and every penny made there is for Annan Athletic. That is the foundation of the club and it provides us with a steady revenue.
“Every week of the year we know we have a good income, plus we also have sponsorship, advertising and gate money which supplements the club.
“The budget we set at the start of every season is tight but we only spend what we can afford. We are sitting comfortably in the black and joining the Scottish League would not take us into the red.
“The bottom club in Division Three last year got £55,000 from the SFL so there is funding available. We would also expect an increase in sponsorship, advertising and gate money because of the prestige of being in the SFL.”
Annan face competition from Cove Rangers, Spartans, Edinburgh City and Preston Athletic for the vacant place.
The Galabank side is hopeful of having new £85,000 floodlights erected for the start of the season but neighbours Queen of the South have offered them use of Palmerston Park as a contingency measure.
Since missing out on an SFL place in 1999, Annan have spent £255,000 to create a 500-seater stand and all-weather floodlit training pitch. They have also added terracing right around the ground, created perimeter walls and improved the pitch.
The ground was inspected on Friday by SFL chiefs, including president Brown McMaster, operations director David Thomson and treasurer Donnie MacIntyre.
If Annan are successful, they will kick off the new season on Saturday, July 26 with a Challenge Cup tie against Clyde.
