Fans weigh in to boost fighting fund

EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Marine chairman Paul Leary and manager Carl Macauley have thanked supporters for boosting their playing budget by more than a third.

Ahead of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Rushall Olympic, delighted officials at the Arriva Stadium announced that their weekly playing budget had been increased by a total of 35 per cent in two stages since the beginning of the year.

To help the club fight off relegation, the payment of additional wage costs has been funded privately by a group of lifelong fans who have given the green light to Macauley to further strengthen his squad.

More signings took place on Saturday morning with striker Tom Peers joining the Mariners on loan from Chester and defender James Short returning after a short spell at Premier Division rivals Skelmersdale United. Peers made an immediate impact at Olympic, putting his side ahead before Olympic's last minute equaliser.

The signings follow the recent recruitment of Liam Blake and Jamie Menagh on loan from Chester, midfielder Carl Peers from AFC Liverpool and Jay Colbeck from Warrington Town.

Marine chairman Leary said: "We are very fortunate to have a group of diehard fans that have provided the funds to significantly increase the playing budget for our manager.

"This additional funding tops up the original weekly playing budget that has been maintained through the season by the club. I thank the individuals concerned for their absolute commitment to the cause and I sincerely hope that their valuable input will be rewarded come the end of the season."

Leary added: "This funding enables Carl to improve the squad in numbers and quality and will enable our manager to sign players that the original budget would have prevented him from doing and I am sure that more signings will be made in the next couple of weeks."

Manager Macauley said: "I would like to thank the club and the fans concerned for providing extra funds that enables me to secure additional and better players.

"Every effort will be made by me and my staff to secure the short term aims of this club as we sign players that will make the difference and improve our results."

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