KING'S Lynn Football Club were yesterday wound-up in the High Court, after failing to meet a �65,000 tax bill.And although the club will go ahead with their fixtures this Saturday - a seven-day appeal in place from The Walks club - there is a real possibility the club could fold.

NON-LEAGUE

By Mike Bacon

KING'S Lynn Football Club were yesterday wound-up in the High Court, after failing to meet a �65,000 tax bill.

And although the club will go ahead with their fixtures this Saturday - a seven-day appeal in place from The Walks club - there is a real possibility the club could fold.

If that were to happen, the repercussions of an exit would be felt throughout the Ridgeons League, with Lynn's reserve side a participating team.

One club who would perversely benefit from such an outcome would be Woodbridge Town.

The Woodpeckers have endured a miserable week after they were thrown out of the FA Vase for playing an ineligible player. But if Lynn Reserves were no more this season, a secure Premier Division place would be on the cards for the Notcutts club.

One look at the bottom of the Premier Division table currently rather condemns Harwich & Parkeston (whose only win this season was against Lynn Reserves), and Wivenhoe to relegation.

At the top of the table, CRC would be the happier of the title-chasing clubs should Lynn's points be scrubbed. They have only lost two league games so far this season, and one of them incredibly to Lynn Reserves.

Indeed things could take a different shape altogether at the top, with both Needham and Leiston losing points, both having already seen off the Norfolk club with easy victories.

Meanwhile West Norfolk council chief executive Ray Harding insists borough officials will not let football die in King's Lynn.

Harding, however, has ruled out any financial assistance or handing over the council-owned Walks stadium to the debt-ridden football club.

“We made a major contribution to the upgrading of the stand in terms of obtaining grants a few years ago to undertake that work,” Harding said.

“We upgraded the floodlights at the start of this season and only this week we had contractors there doing some work on the electrics to comply with the ground's safety certificate. If we hadn't done that work the ground would have had to close in any case but we can do those kinds of things because, ultimately, we own the ground. We can't justify paying a tax bill.”

It's not all over for Lynn however and if the club was wound up, but re-formed as a new King's Lynn FC, then it is possible that a new Lynn first team could go straight into the Ridgeons Premier Division, as a two-step relegation is likely be put in place by the FA.

But it is not all doom and gloom for the Lynn.

Conference North club Hyde successfully overturned a similar winding up order in September after being initially wound up with debts of �120,000 to HMRC. The Greater Manchester-based club held a series of fund-raising efforts - including a bucket collection at a Manchester City Premier League match - to successfully survive.

mike.bacon@archant.co.uk

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