Port Vale into Administration

The Taxman has had enough, finally worn impatient at the wait for the money that he is owed from Port Vale, he grabbed his briefcase and marched straight down to Burslem to demand the £9,000 they owe him back.

Of course, this is on top of the £2.25 million they owe to Stoke on Trent city council and the £125,000 they have seen trouble in re-paying the shirt sponsor, Harlequin Property as the Valiants have been a bit naughty with their finances and the authoritative leniency will be no more.

The Staffordshire Sentinel have broken the story that the club has gone cap in hand back to the city council to ask for £300,000 in order to stave off the threat of administration, and with pay day being today, it is believed by the newspaper that manager Micky Adams informed the players that had been cancelled after the 1-1 draw with Crewe. Another few days on the breadline, then.

Rumours are also storming through the ether that the bailiffs had been to Vale Park to collect a lorry full of merchandise as the club see their assets stripped to the tune of the 9K they owe to the HRMC, which was borrowed in 2006.

This comes after a white-knuckled few days in which the Sentinel broke the story that board member Peter Miller had stepped down amongst fans fury for breaching the terms of the council loan, and the transfer embargo that was placed on the club by the football league on Saturday to plunge the club into new depths of crisis.

As the Valiants eek towards a ten point deduction like a car sliding towards a cliff after some over-enthusiastic driving on the mountainside, cabinet member for finance told the BBC on Monday  "While we have a responsibility to the public purse we also have no desire to place undue pressure on the club at this stage."

Whilst the a spokesman for the HRMC has been quick to denounce any sympathy for the club, warning "any business that regards paying tax as an optional extra, or that uses tax collected from employees or customers as working capital, is heading for trouble.”

It looks indeed, that trouble may well come in form of Administration, as early as today, if the club can’t fondle around like a teenager in the search for some much needed funds to see them through. Time is running out.

@AdamGray1250