ACCRINGTON Stanley face a crisis after selling just 118 adult season tickets.

Reds chairman Eric Whalley said low season ticket sales and poor attendances so far this season had left him "devastated".

Just last year Hyndburn Council made a plea to residents to support the club.

And Mr Whalley said it needed cash coming into the club to prevent it going out of business, as it did 45 years ago.

He said: "The number of season tickets, 118, is ridiculous - it is the worst since our Uni-Bond days.

"And the worst thing is is, I know each and every one of them. I can name them!

"At this moment, if we do not get more people through the turnstiles, then the club could finish up as it did in 1962 when it couldn't afford the washing or telephone bill.

"There must be a business or businesses in Accrington or Hyndburn which want to invest in a club which has so much tradition and a rich history."

Although the club gets £260,000 from the Football League plus £90,000 filtered down from the Premiership clubs' £90million television rights, the cash is quickly swallowed up.

The club's average crowd last season was 2,200 but it needs at least 2,500 to break even this year.

At the home game against Peterborough on Saturday, attendance was just 1,484.

Mr Whalley added: "People say 'I look out for your result' or 'I saw you on television' and I just think well, why don't you come to the game?"

Earlier this year Hyndburn Council set up a cross-party group which will work with community leaders and key figures at the club to find ways of bringing in cash to the League Two side.

The Accrington Stanley Facilitation Group holds bi-monthly meetings to research sources of grants.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: "The club is very important to us.

"It is one of the key things in putting Accrington and district on the map.

"We, as a council, are doing all we can for Stanley."