Workington Reds are in danger of going out of business as it struggles with cash problems, claims the club’s former commercial officer.

Darrell Thomas, who says he resigned because he wasn’t paid by the club and had no confidence in the board of directors, has called on directors to examine how the club is run, possibly appointing a commercial director.

“I fell in love with the club after doing so much for them, and I’ve been supporting them home and away since I resigned,” said Thomas.

“It was myself that tempted Danny Grainger to come and manage the club, so I also feel a strong loyalty to him, but I’m really worried about the future.

“The fact that the club hasn’t been able to pay me that so little has been spent on getting the ground prepared for this season, all points to the fact that the club is in severe financial difficulty.

“We had to beg supporters to fix collapsed ceilings, install and donate boilers. If the fans had not arrived for the big clean-up operations that took place, there would be no football at Borough Park this season.”

Mr Thomas, former managing director at CFM radio, joined Reds before the start of last season.

He defends his own achievements as commercial officer. “I said I’d bring in £20,000 last season and brought in £25,000 of new money. It would have been more had I not spent half my time having to convince companies who had bad commercial experiences at the club, that things would change.

“This season I’d already brought in more than double that figure and was targeting twice that amount, with several negotiations going on.”

Thomas claimed he offered to take on a general manager role with the aim of running the club more professionally, but was ignored.

“I’m not saying the people running the club don’t have its best interests at heart, but it’s being run like it’s a hobby for them all,” he added.

“It needs to be run more professionally on a business level, and I think the board have held their hands up and admitted this by appealing for potential new board members.

“But action has to be taken quickly. I saw the potential in Reds from day one. I think it can be far bigger again, a great club.”

In a statement responding to Mr Thomas’ claims, Reds’ board of directors said they were working to “improve and professionalise” while operating in “challenging circumstances”.

It added: “We cannot comment on the inaccuracies in Mr Thomas’ allegations on how the club is being run, other than to say his settlement has been agreed between both parties.

“As a semi-professional organisation, the club values the contribution made by the volunteers who give their time to support us. The recent efforts to get Borough Park ready for the new season, following the change of circumstances on the proposed new stadium were fantastic and, consequently, the ground is looking better than it has for years.

“We are comfortable with the current financial position of the club, given the essential work carried out on the ground in the summer. Of course, we are constantly reviewing the situation and always looking for potential revenue streams and investment and, along with the support of the major shareholders, remain optimistic.

“The Club has a vibrant youth section involving hundreds of boys and girls, the Ladies team lifted the Cumberland Cup last season and the first team is currently top of the league.

“There are discussions ongoing with Allerdale regarding the club’s accommodation and progress on this matter will be reported at the appropriate time.”