Douglas Rae: We May Have To Go Part-Time

Morton chairman Douglas Rae (pictured) has stated that the club cannot continue to function as a full-time outfit on the attendances we are getting at the moment.

The Ton have suffered from crippling drops in revenue in recent months with a number of home matches postponed and worryingly decreasing gates for the fixtures that have gone ahead. There were only 1,266 at their match with Airdrie United last Wednesday - a figure that we were regularly topping in the Third Division seven years ago.

"We had our lowest attendance on Wednesday night that we have had for many a day," Rae wrote in his column for the Partick Thistle / Raith Rovers programme. "Only 1,300 or so supporters in the ground. How can we maintain a full-time team based on attendances of less than 1,500? We require 3,500 fans through the turnstiles to be able to operate without incurring losses."



However, it's not just income from gates that is down, there are a whole host of areas in which revenue has dropped. "I know it has been a roller coaster season and that a lot of people have not been happy. Think of how I feel. Reduced attendances, lower sales of programmes, poorer levels of sponsorship, all on top of the worry about confirming our First Division status for next season," he added.

And greenockmortonfc.blogspot.com understands that the club has, like other local businesses encountering financial hardship, applied for financial assistance from Inverclyde Council.

He finished by thanking the fans who continue to come to games, "I would like to thank the hard core of Morton fans who have stuck with us this season despite our indifferent form. Had they responded as some supporters have by staying away, then the club's future would have been put in jeopardy once again."