Aldershot enter administration days after dropping out of the football league

After successive non-league promotions Town returned to the Football League in 2008 but their five-year stay came to an end last weekend

Drew Williams
Thursday 02 May 2013 09:46 EDT
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Lee Frecklington of Rotherham United scores a goal during the npower League Two match against Aldershot Town
Lee Frecklington of Rotherham United scores a goal during the npower League Two match against Aldershot Town (GETTY IMAGES)

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Crisis club Aldershot have been placed in administration just five days after being relegated from the Football League.

The Hampshire outfit were founded as Aldershot Town as recently as 1992 after Aldershot Football Club, which had been in existence since 1926, went out of business.

After successive non-league promotions Town returned to the Football League in 2008 but their five-year stay came to an end last weekend as they finished bottom of the npower League Two table.

And with the club's perilous financial state causing growing concern and with players still not paid their April wages, it has this afternoon been announced that Aldershot have entered administration - bringing back dark memories of their past.

Quantuma Restructuring have been appointed as joint administrators and they released a short statement.

"At 10.05am today Carl Stuart Jackson and Paul Anthony Goddard of Quantuma Restructuring were formally appointed as joint administrators of Aldershot Town F.C. (1992) Limited in the High Court," it read.

"Quantuma are currently reviewing the club's financial affairs and will release further details shortly."

Aldershot are yet to release an official statement of their own.

The news comes just a day after Aldershot chief executive Andrew Mills resigned merely three months into his post due to the actions of owner Kris Machala, whom he accused of blocking all solutions to secure the long-term future of the financially-stricken club.

Machala used his majority shareholding to vote against a resolution to restructure capital funding at the club's AGM two weeks ago, instead revealing he had secured a new investor who would pump much-needed funds into the EBB Stadium.

That deal subsequently fell through last week, with Machala then revealing he was holding discussions with Shahid Azeem, his replacement as chairman in February, to transfer the majority of his shareholding provided Azeem could satisfy an immediate cash requirement and guarantee the club's future.

But that deal also failed to materialise due to Machala's requirements for proof of funds, with Aldershot on Tuesday night confirming they were seeking restructuring advice after an urgent board meeting.

After today's announcement, Shots striker Michael Rankine took to Twitter to reveal his feelings at a lack of communication, writing: "It's a disgrace that we find out we're in administration by the Internet the way this is being handled is not good enough!! I am RAGING!!

"People have children to feed and bills to pay! Words can not describe how angry I am!!"

PA

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