In a statement on the official site, chairman Andy Lonsdale has confirmed that rumours of players wages being delayed are accurate - and that the situation will be rectified this week.
Lonsdale says he has personally paid the money to seal a deal with Martin Foyle, and that the amount has been 'settled', suggesting that the impending investment has not arrived, also confirming that no new Directors have been appointed.
He also admits that the club are finding it difficult to find a sponsor with the winding-up petition ongoing, and admits that the club has 'made a poor start and frustrated fans' with their actions.
The statement in full:
The original winding up order was bought forward by ex-manager Martin Foyle; the amount owed to him has now been settled. However the amount has changed once again.
So what’s the plan now?
The plan for the club is to continue playing football and rebuild the business that is Hereford United (1939) Ltd. To do this the business side needs to make money, one to sustain and two to be attractive to outside interest like sponsorship. No matter how much money you plough into a business or club if it is poorly ran or operating at a loss it will never get anywhere.
So how is this going to be achieved?
With the debts to one side, working with the current situation, we are reducing our overheads at the club, the level they were at last season could not be sustained. This will help reduce any further debts being accrued by the club.
Our intentions are to bring in new talent to the club, whether that is local talent or talent from elsewhere. The aim will be to attract bigger clubs to either loan or buy them; this is one of the most important factors to the survival of Hereford United. Some of the players we have here are already getting interest from other clubs.
Sponsorship for the club is huge no matter how big or small, board advertising, kit sponsor or club sponsor. It is an on-going battle we are facing; at present we are finding it difficult to get sponsorship with a winding-up petition hanging over the club and people being unsure of the future of the club. So my response to that is this, we face an on-going issue with the winding up order, in that the amount needing to be paid can change; this is exactly what has happened. So we clear one amount and another came along, yes it is a setback but the time allows us to adjust our finances then settle what is owed. We will keep ploughing forward, the club will continue and we are here to stay.
At present the ground is not being fully utilised there are some excellent facilities here, we want this place to be full of activity, day and night seven days a week. We are also looking into developing the on-going sale of merchandise and kits.
Of course the other vital elements are the fans and the community; we need and want you to continue supporting Hereford United. A question was asked on Twitter the other day:
“Why are we neglecting local football?”
This is not something that has happened intentionally and we are looking to rectify it, we want to be involved with local teams and we definitely want their support.
We not only want to do what Hereford United have done in previous years we want to do it better. We may have made a poor start and frustrated fans, we are asking for you to give us a chance and we will improve.
I have taken the time to answer some questions put forward by fans:
Where did the money come from the pay Martin Foyle?
The money to pay Martin Foyle and Andy Porter was paid by me as I truly believe in the future of the club.
Have we got any sponsors, if not why not?
We have no sponsors at the moment until the petitions are completely settled as it is difficult to get potential sponsors with the petition hanging over us.
What job role does Andy Lonsdale have in the club?
I am chairman of the club and take this role very seriously it is my job to try and keep the club alive in assisting the directors with potential investors and dealing with the day to day problems.
Who are the new directors?
No new directors at the moment
Who owns the club?
The club is owned by Alpha Financial Services
Is there a future for the club?
The club has a massive future as I have said many times we are only the current custodians and it is our aim to protect the history of Hereford United for years to come.
What is the problem with paying the current players, have they been paid?
There is no problem with paying the current players and this should be done this week.
Who has attached themselves to the winding up petition?
At this time I have not been told who has attached to the petition.
Do you think we are still on track for the original plan of promotion into the Conference?
Absolutely, we have avoided the 10 point deduction, we will win games and I do believe that we will get back into the Conference in the next 3 years.
Andy Lonsdale
Chairman