Scott Taylor is praying a self-imposed year on the sidelines will be enough to keep struggling Annbank United alive.
The Ayrshire village football club, which once played before 56,000 fans, has announced it will sit out the coming season after a crisis plea for help was ignored.
A long history of drainage problems at New Pebble Park saw the team manage to play only two pre-season friendlies on home soil last season with all other games switched to Ayr.
Manager Matt Maley quit along with his coaching team despite leading the team to top of the West of Scotland League’s Conference ‘A’ in a curtailed campaign.
Left with just a handful of players along with a committee of four, Taylor says the club had no choice but to putting itself into abeyance.
However, he's hoping it isn’t the end of the road for the Bankies after they struck an agreement with officials of Annbank Amateurs in a bid to keep their name alive in the village.
The village amateurs will now play out of New Pebble Park in their place with Taylor and chairman John Cree helping them with the transition.
Taylor revealed: “We had a fantastic meeting with Annbank Amateurs and they can’t believe the opportunity they have been given.
“We will pay our fees to the West of Scotland League and still have full membership.
"We feel sleeping for a year gives us a better chance of surviving and coming back in a stronger position a year later.”
“If things work well, there will be the excitement after a year of starting again and growing the club from there.
“It would mean starting in the bottom tier of the West of Scotland League but the important thing is that the club would still be intact and with a chance of seeing its centenary.
“It is a sad blow but not unexpected. However, it is a great opportunity for the amateurs and I believe things can be upwardly mobile.”
Chairman Cree admitted it was a tough call but added: “If it wasn’t for Scott Taylor, Annbank as a club would have been away a long time ago.”
Formed in 1939, Annbank’s heyday came in season 1952-53 when they reached the final of the Scottish Junior Cup, losing 1-0 to Vale of Leven before a 55,800 crowd at Hampden. The team famously went on strike in a bonus row and were banned sine die.
Such was the enthusiasm at that time, local grocer Dan Calder chartered a plane from Prestwick to Dyce to fly 40 supporters to a cup tie against Aberdeen Sunnybank.
Annbank are believed to be Scotland’s smallest semi-professional club.
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