Gone........got to feel sorry for their fans.


Truro City have been expelled from the Football Conference after failing to pay a £50,000 bond to the league by a deadline of 12:00 BST on Friday.

The money was to cover costs of other clubs going to Truro, who are in administration, if they were expelled.

"The decision was made last week that if the club was not compliant it would be expelled," Conference general manager Dennis Strudwick said.

Truro's game away at Eastleigh on Saturday has been called off.

A deal with a prospective new owner for the Blue Square Bet South club had been agreed on Thursday.

But the bidder walked away from the deal on Friday morning.

Truro City financial timeline
•September 2011 - Truro face winding-up order for unpaid taxes
•June 2012 - High Court told debts total more than £700,000
•August 2012 - Truro players threaten to quit after not getting wages
•August 2012 - Owner Kevin Heaney declared bankrupt
•August 2012 - Truro enter administration
•September 2012 - Players set 2 October deadline and Football Conference sets one for nine days later for takeover
•September 2012 - Football Conference set 11 October deadline for takeover
•3 October 2012 - Players agree to stay on until 11 October
•11 October 2012 - Deadline to save the club passes with no deal
•12 October 2012 - City given extension until 18 October
•18 October 2012 - Deal for £50,000 bond is agreed with Football Conference
•19 October 2012 - Deal collapses and Truro are expelled from the Football Conference

"Since it joined our competition it's faced three winding-up petitions," Strudwick added to BBC Radio Cornwall.

"Football creditor debt has been building ever since the start of the season. The situation isn't getting any better, it's getting worse by the day.

"I'm very sorry, I believe the Conference is also sorry, but we have to look after our other member clubs.

"There are now a number of clubs who won't have a home game against Truro so they too will suffer a loss of income."

Truro entered administration after owner Kevin Heaney went bankrupt in August and left the club to fight a debt claim of £700,000.

They were asked for a £50,000 bond to cover the cost of clubs coming to Truro should they be expelled from the league and their results expunged.

Administrators have refused to name who was involved in the bid, but Strudwick told BBC South West Sport on Thursday that Truro-based businessman Anthony Murtagh was involved with the bid.

Murtagh, who owns the Truro-based Money Group, is a director of a company which changed its name to Truro City Football Club 2012 Limited on Thursday, according to Companies House.

"We were under the impression that the funds would be lodged with the Conference by noon today," administrator Kate Breese told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"But our solicitor James Moore got a text message from the purchaser saying they couldn't agree the terms and asked us notify the Conference this morning."

It comes after terms on a lease for the club's Treyew Road ground and paying of creditors had been agreed.

But Breese said she had been unable to get in contact with the bidders to find out more about their decision.

Continue reading the main story
“The boys should be fine, they're good enough to go and find other clubs, but it's the fans that I do feel very sorry for†

Lee Hodges

Truro City manager

"We've tried to get hold of the purchaser since he sent that text this morning and he's not returning our calls and messages," she said.

"What is very frustrating is that they're not returning our calls, so we can't enter into any discussions."

Administrators say there is no money left in the club, meaning neither they nor any creditors will be paid.

But they say they will pursue anyone owing the club money in order to try and recover as much as possible.

Truro manager Lee Hodges said he was "devastated" by the news.

"I'm feeling numb at the moment. It's hard to put into words how I'm feeling," he said.

"I'm devastated for all the fans, players and staff who've put in so much effort into it over the years.

"The boys should be fine, they're good enough to go and find other clubs, but it's the fans that I do feel very sorry for."

Under the ownership of Heaney, Truro gained five promotions in six years to go from local league football to two divisions off the Football League.

During that time they won the 2007 FA Vase, but Hodges says the costs were unsustainable for just one person to bear.

"They did very well to get where they were at but needed other people to come on board and help," he added.

"With one person in charge it does make it even more difficult."

Captain Jake Ash had been with Truro for seven seasons and was part of each of their five promotions.

He said the problems affecting Truro run throughout football.

"People in football are allowed to spend way beyond their means," he said. "If any other business was run like a football club you'd end up in prison.

"People will say it's the players' fault for demanding the money, but you sit down and are told what you're offered and you don't say 'can you afford it?'"