Billingham Chief: Club Could Fold Over Pools Row

Billingham Town committee member Peter Martin has urged fans of local teams to support his club in their court case against Hartlepool United.

HUFC are seeking to wind up the 43-year-old club over an alleged unpaid debt of around £10,000. Martin admitted that he had hoped to resolve the situation before this point.

”We had hoped that Hartlepool United and their owners IOR may have dropped the case, but this does not seem to be the case.

”At the moment we are mustering as many grass-root supporters as we can to stand outside the court from 9.30am on the day wearing their football shirts in a stand of solidarity against one football club winding-up another.”

The Northern League side say they would probably fold if a court case went against them, Martin told the BBC.

”The consequences if we lose the case is that we cease trading, the team ceases to play football immediately and all the hard work of the volunteers, committee members and sponsors who contributed to build the ground up from nothing will be lost.”