THE chairman of Vauxhall Motors has spoken of the cost to the club caused by the last-minute cancellation of their biggest friendly of the summer.
Alan Bartlam says Motors have been hit in the pocket at the worst possible time after cash-strapped Wrexham were forced to pull the plug on their trip to Rivacre Park on Saturday.
The Blue Square Premier outfit were left with no alternative after their players refused to play as a result of not being paid.
Bartlam said: “We were not able to find an alternative and from our perspective it’s really quite devastating.
“There are several things we still need to get organised for the new season, but you need income in order to make this happen.”
Dean Saunders’ Wrexham were not prepared to risk injury in the match in case they are required to seek alternative employment, should the club fold.
But Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST), who are close to buying the Dragons from Geoff Moss and Ian Roberts, has assured Saunders and his players it will be the last time wages are paid late.
The immediate future of Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground and Colliers Park were secured yesterday when the club’s stadium and training complex were sold to Glyndwr University for a reported £1.8 million.
Vauxhall, meanwhile, continued their preparations for their Blue Square North campaign with a 2-1 loss at Prescot Cables on Monday.
Leighton McGivern was on target for Motors, who head to Burscough on Saturday (3pm) before completing their pre-season programme at home to Northwich Victoria on Tuesday (7.45pm).
The latter clash has been hastily-arranged in order to boost the Rivacre Park coffers following the loss of revenue the visit of Wrexham would have generated.
The biggest game of Airbus UK Broughton’s pre-season ended in defeat on Monday as they were beaten 3-0 at home by a Wolverhampton Wanderers XI.
Airbus, who won 4-1 at home to Ellesmere Rangers last Wednesday thanks to a hat-trick from youngster Mark Jones, head to Porthmadog on Saturday for their finals friendly (2.30pm) before the Welsh Premier League kicks-off.
