Accrington Stanley's chairman has issued a dire warning over the club’s future if support does not pick up.

Peter Marsden warned that ‘there won’t be an Accrington Stanley ’ if things continue as they are, due to falling attendances.

He said the club took a ‘calculated risk’ this season when it lowered ticket prices in an attempt to get more fans through the gates.

The plan has not worked, however, with average attendances now at their ‘worst ever’ levels, putting the club in a perilous position.

Speaking to the Observer Marsden issued a rallying cry for people of the town to join the loyal core of fans and get behind the team.

He said: “We have the cheapest tickets in League Two and we would have thought a lot more people would have taken advantage of that.

“We lowered prices because many people are finding themselves in difficult economic circumstances and we wanted them to be able to afford to come.

“Unfortunately ticket sales are down on last year and this season is becoming the worst ever for attendances.

“I say, do people still want there to be an Accrington Stanley? It is like a dripping tap at the moment, the longer you put it off the worse it will get. If it goes on like this for months and months there won’t be an Accrington Stanley.”

The Reds who sit bottom of the Football League with six defeats after seven games, are currently attracting an average crowd of 1,300.

Bosses claim they need to get 2,000 through the turnstiles each game just to break even.

Marsden added: “An additional 700 people per game is not a big ask. We do not want charity, we just want people to come along and enjoy themselves.

“The average price is £15 a game, we also offer flexible tickets where you can buy 10 for £100 and go to the game you choose.

“It is so soul destroying to see that after all these initiatives it still does not register with people. I would, however, like to thank our thousand regulars who come down every week.”