Rangers ready for TV outing

The Setanta TV roadcrew moved into Stafford Rangers headquarters to set up for next Thursday's live Blue Square Premier clash with Halifax.

It will be only the third time that Marston Road has hosted a live game - Rangers' last appearance was last season against Dagenham for Sky TV.

The exposure is part of a global sponsorship deal negotiated by BSP chiefs with the Irish-based cable and digital company.

Rangers will not get a penny directly as a result of being on the box - the cash will be shared out equally among the 24 Premier clubs.

And Rangers, like many in the division, are eagerly awaiting their first payout from the sponsorship pool.

"We haven't heard officially yet how much we are going to get," said secretary and financial director Mike Hughes.

"We have heard figures like £85,000 per club being banded around, however, we are still waiting to hear.

"We are due to get a first payment on account around late August or early September, so hopefully it is going to be soon."

Rangers, without a win going into this Saturday's tough game against league leaders Torquay, are already feeling the pinch at the turnstiles, with crowds already down by 200 on last season's average of 1,170.

And Hughes fears the luck of the draw in the fixture list could hit them even harder.

"Amazingly, we have only five Saturday home league games between now and Christmas," said Hughes.

"One of them, against Cambridge United on October 13, is the same afternoon that England play Estonia in a European qualifier and past experience indicates we never get good attendances on those days.

"Another, against Northwich on December 1, is FA Cup second round day, so that could be affected.

"We seem to have as many midweek home games this season when attendances are lower.

"It's abysmal, the trend at the moment is we are going to be struggling to match last season's gates."

Four Saturday dates have been left blank to accommodate the final qualifying round of the FA Cup, on October 27, the first round proper, on November 10, the first round of the FA Trophy, on December 15 and the fourth round of the Setanta Shield, on December 22.

"Let's hope we get at least a couple of home draws in those competitions," said Hughes.

Rangers are not the only BSP club feeling the pinch at the moment, and in an ironic twist, Thursday's televised game will only go ahead if Halifax manage to stave off a winding up petition brought by the Inland Revenue, who claim they are owed £100,000.

The petition is due to be heard on Wednesday, the day before the match, but a statement posted on the Shaymen's official website says a takeover of the club will be completed before the court date.

"The club is fully aware of the winding up petition and has the matter in hand," said the statement.