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Punching above their weight

There is no doubt that Accrington Stanley are punching above their weight. The pundits were convinced they would straight back down to League Two in the last place in Leage One, but they are showing a capacity for survival. Kieran Maguire takes an in depth look at their finances: The milkman of human kindness

Accrington is a small town with Premier League Burnley up the road (a Burnley fan tells me that some treat Accrington as their second team).

Maguire notes, 'Total wage bill for all 84 employees of ASFC was £2.1 million. Club dependent on owner support, sale of players and an occasional good cup draw to be able to pay the bills. Wages worked out as £83 for every £100 of income last season due to so many win bonuses.'

Maguire concludes, 'Stanley’s wage budget will be the lowest in League One this season, Good management and a close-knit dressing room can overcome that financial deficit on the park. It’s unlikely that the club will stand in the way of any player who receives a more generous offer from another club too, so everyone stands to win in the present position.'

'It’s also good to see a local business seeing the impact that a club has on the local community. About 15,000 people are directly or indirectly impacted by Stanley being part of the EFL, be they fans, suppliers, sponsors or people involved in schemes run by the club'

'A football club is the heartbeat of many towns and cities up and down the country, and it’s great to see this ownership model do so well, especially given the number of scamps and scumbags who are owners who just see a football club as a vanity exercise or a means of extending a brand.' Fans of Blackpool, Charlton and a number of other clubs would agree with that.

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