ACCRINGTON Stanley chairman Eric Whalley admits it is a "battle" to keep the club going in the current economic climate - but it is a fight he is determined to win.

The Reds chief, who has been at the helm for 14 years, has guided the club from non league obscurity back into the Football League and they won’t give up, despite the current troubled times.

Several sides have gone into administration this season with Darlington being the latest and it does frustrate Whalley who runs a tight ship at Accrington to make sure it doesn’t happen to them.

"I think it is 56 clubs who have gone into administration and it is the same ones every time - Darlington are in adminstration for the third time.

"I have the statistics - 1997, 2003 and now 2009. I can’t say I am surprised - they have a 27,500 all-seater stadium with crowds of around 2,500 and 24 hour security, it is obvious a club couldn’t run like that.

"It does get me mad as we trying to do everything right here. I accept everyone can be hard up once but three times is not on. I mean our budget is miles off this season. When we first went into the league we had crowds of 2,200 on average and last year we averaged 1,800.

"So this year we budgeted for that and we are well off as we are just getting 1,000. The 1,000 who come are fantastic - they are the hard core and all credit to them.

"Sometimes I wonder what I am doing there but they pay their money and are superb!

"But unfortunately there aren’t enough of them and that affects our budget. We have reduced crowds and, no matter what anyone says, a lot of our money is invested in wages and in the team.

"We are trying to keep afloat and not go into debt or administration as that can be the easy way out for the club but it is difficult times."

The chairman admitted he has thought of giving up. "I think my biggest disappointment in the league was when we let people in for free against Torquay,

"We won 1-0 with a last minute goal, it was an exciting game, and then, the following home game against Hereford we had 1,400 and 400 of them were from Hereford. That really hurt me and I did wonder what I was doing."

And, to go with the low crowds, in the past year the Reds have lost two sponsors which has led to further problems.

The chairman continued: "Take Fraser Eagle, it is hard times for them, but they were our Academy sponsors and pulled out and then were our shirt sponsors and the deal ended suddenly just six weeks before the start of this season.

"We were lucky that Combined Stabilisation came in at short notice to sponsor the shirts as I don’t know what would have happened.

"Now Fraser Eagle are ending their ground sponsorship early. Obviously we feel sorry for the company and its financial difficulties but that also leaves us with problems.

"And Hollands Pies were a regular supporter of us but now they are more involved with Burnley Football Club. Luckily Clayton Park Bakeries have stepped in but it is deals from local companies who we rely on for support which we couldn’t afford to lose.

"So sponsorship is a problem as is hospitality. Except for people coming through turnstiles we are dependent on that for our finances.

"But for our home match against Port Vale on Tuesday, we didn’t have a match sponsor. That is crazy - we always had one of them even throughout the non league days. I don’t know if it because of the economic climate or because it is Accrington Stanley or what.

"It is really hard at the moment but everyone likes a challenge and this is what this is. It is a challenge for me, for Dave O’Neill the commercial manager and Rob Heys, the chief executive,

"We brought League football to Accrington and it should be the flagship of the town and we want to keep it here."

He admitted that it’s likely there would be further cuts despite already losing goalkeeping coach Jamie Speare and cutting physio Joe Hinnigan’s hours.

"It was a hard decision to make but we looked at the staff and unfortunately Jamie and Joe were two positions we could work without or on a lesser basis, for the time being.

"We had to do this to safeguard other jobs and we had to make the cuts.

"And in the summer, there is likely to be further cuts. First and foremost, we have to make sure the club survives in the Football League this season but then we will have to cut costs unless we can get an investor."

The club is still looking for a "Jack Walker" type businessman who can come in and reverse their current financial difficulties.

"We need an investor, that is obvious. When I was at Aldershot, I noticed they had some new directors and their chairman said they had put about £300,000 in each.

"That’s what we need. We need someone to help us out but we have made these pleas before and it has fallen on deaf ears."

Whalley would do anything to stop the club going the way of 1962 - when they had to resign from the Football League due to their financial state.

"It could happen again but that is why we have made the cuts we have. We have got to make sure we keep our league status but, if we don’t get an investor, then there will be more cuts.

"It is hard but the manager will probably have a lower budget next season.

"I don’t expect to cut the numbers of playing staff but it will probably mean lower wages. It is a vicious circle at the moment as we want to do well but will have to do it on a lower budget but I still believe it can be done.

"Everyone’s, except Paul Mullin and Sean McConville, have their contracts up - except a couple of options - so we do have a clean slate."

Accrington are facing a battle against the drop for the third season running but the chairman is relatively happy with what he sees on the pitch.

"We are playing good football at the moment but we aren’t getting the results - we just can’t score goals.

"I know goalscorers are said to cost money but I think if we had got Terry Gornell on loan until the end of the season, as we wanted - and he didn’t cost a lot - then we would be in a lot higher position but that was taken out of our hands by Tranmere. We have got to find players like him.

"And don’t forget Brentford are top of the league and they needed a late goal to beat us, as did Wycombe.

"I still have high ambitions - I would still love to take Accrington Stanley into League One.

"You have got to be in it to win it and I am proud that we are in it. But we do just need a little help from people, especially in current times."