The situation at Bray Wanderers has been bleak for a while.
With crowd numbers barely pushing over 500 at the Carlisle Grounds all season, chairman Denis O'Connor released a bizarre statement on Friday evening. In the said statement, he claimed that the lack of local business support for the club was worrying. Indeed, they sold under 100 season tickets for this year and OConnor didn't hold back:
It is just not viable to continue to run a club at the level expected by fans without the proper support.
A huge effort has been put into the club by many volunteers in the past few years, Harry has done a great job with the senior squad, and substantial funds have been put in to support th'is effort for which we are grateful.
But what is the point if we cannot get the minimum financial and supporter base which a great club like this deserves?
It came off the wake of star man Dylan Connolly moving to Dundalk in a deal supposedly worth between €30,000-40,000.
But this morning, the situation has escalated drastically. The PFA, which is the players' union, tweeted out that the players were told to look for new clubs, and that the club is running out of money to pay wages.
This morning the players at @BrayWanderers have been advised money only to cover next week & they can all speak to new clubs about leaving.
— PFA Ireland (@PFAIOfficial) July 2, 2017
Given that Bray's crowds haven't been above the 600-700 mark for a few years, this has been coming. O'Connor did indeed pour money into the club this season - and it's slightly paying off on the pitch. Bray currently sit third in the table. That would be enough for a Europa League place at the end of the year. That in itself would bring in more money to the club than winning the title.
If the PFA statement is in any way accurate, then Bray might not make it to October. At least the players are taking it in their stride:
Love this from Gary McCabe #GreatestLeagueInTheWorld https://t.co/MQ0jP90ntD
— Dodge (@seidodge) July 2, 2017
