ACCRINGTON Stanley chief executive Rob Heys hopes a trip to Scotland will solve the hunt for the Reds extra seats.

Stanley have to add another 1200 seats to the Fraser Eagle Stadium by May 1 this year to comply with Football League regulations.

Work is due to begin on the seats which will be put half-way down the Clayton Terrace and on the Whinney Hill Stand.

"I am going to St Mirren next week as they have moved and have some seats," said the chief executive. "New seats are expensive so we are trying to get second hand ones and this is one option.

"We are ready to start work now and it will be ready in time. If we didn’t think it would be then we might as well just pack up now.

"We have done all the consultations with the council and other bodies, the drawings are now done and there should be formal approval this week.

"We have had to go with the lowest cost option with no major structural alterations and it should cost us around £50,000 - which is still a lot out of our budget and we are likely to have to pay for it all.

"So we have to do it as cost effectively as possible."

He admits that finding the money for the new stand does affect the playing budget.

"It is something which has to be done - and we have known this for three years since we came into the league - but £50,000 is a lot for a club like us. It means we won’t be signing Kaka anyway!

"It will affect our playing budget. We are obviously not at the high end of wage payers in the league but I don’t think we are the lowest either. However paying for a stand could restrict us but hopefully not too much."

He admits that recent comments, such as those by Notts County boss Ian McParland, which have been less than complimentary about Stanley and their ground are not really listened to by officials at the club.

"We have always had people saying things since we were back in the Football League. We have had a number of people having digs at us," continued the chief executive.

"A lot of clubs have been able to improve their facilities when the Football Foundation were giving money out and some others have improved their grounds but have gone into administration - they have not paid the bills but still get the benefits of a nice stadium.

"We just don’t work that way - we work within our budgets. We are limited as to what we can spend on a competitive playing side and improved facilities and the big thing is we want to stay in the league and stay financially sound."

Some fans have asked what happened to the money the Reds got from selling Ian Craney twice - for £150,000 to Swansea and then to Huddersfield for a fee which could rise to £200,000 last August.

"When we sold him to Swansea, Altrincham, his old club, took a large chunk of it. Then we bought him back for £85,000 and Swansea let us pay it off in installments.

"Before we had paid it off, Huddersfield came in for him so some of it paid for the outstanding money to Swansea and some of it will go to help with the seating. Some of it also makes up a shortfall in the budget with our lower than expected crowds."

He doesn’t want Stanley to be a selling club but admits that they will always be a club open to offers.

"Every player at every club in the country has his price and we are no different.

"But saying that, a lot of our contracts are up at the end of the season and we are close to agreeing new deals with some of our players.

"A big thing for us here is the team spirit. Our facilities may not be the best, we may not have the highest-paid players but we hope we can attract and keep players with the good atmosphere at the club and they will want to play for us."

He admits this season has been disappointing as Stanley, without teams having points deducted, would have been third from bottom.

"This season has been hard as it has been so injury-hit. Its sounds like excuses but we have had so many injured players.

"We have had players sat in the stands for lengthy periods and we are paying them.

"It means we have had to use loans but sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.

"I think everyone looked at Hereford’s success in the loan market last season and went out trying to find four or five loan players. That meant the market was significantly reduced for clubs like us.

"We have done well with some like Kieran Charnock and Terry Gornell. It is all about attitude and some players on loan have come here with a point to prove.

"Other don’t like the drop down the league.

"We have good relations with clubs like Blackburn, Tranmere, Burnley, Liverpool and Everton and hope to get more loan players in.

"Also we want to bring players through. Bevan Burey has been getting rave reviews and we have a few that should come through the ranks."