A FOOTBALL club facing closure over a £9,000 debt has been inundated with donations.

Bicester Town FC recently launched a Famous 50 campaign, asking 50 people to donate £10 a month for the next six months.

The club, which has been part of the community for 130 years, is urging people to keep the cash rolling in.

Last month the Oxford Mail revealed Bicester Sports Association (BSA) had issued a legal notice asking the club to pay its debt within 60 days.

Club secretary Nick Haverson said he was still waiting to hear if the club's offer of £150 a month and pledge of extra cash through the appeal had been accepted.

Since the campaign was launched £3,100 has been raised, and one former Bicester town player who emigrated to Australia has even joined the 50 people who are regularly donating.

Mr Haverson said: “We have received no formal response to the letter I wrote in October.

“The 60 days have long elapsed.

“Whilst no news could be interpreted as good news, it is wholly unsatisfactory as far as I am concerned — we have no idea if we are going to turn up one day to find ourselves padlocked out or know if all the hard fundraising efforts we are making are in vain.

“Given the fact that we have received support from football lovers outside the town, it is again an embarrassing position that I cannot give the community an update.

“Until such time as we receive a proper response from the BSA we will not hand over any of the appeal monies.”

However, Mr Haverson urged more people to sign up if they wanted to save the club.

He said: “A specific account for the appeal has been set up — given the size of the liability to the BSA, we hope that more will come forward.

“The Famous 50 will hopefully soon become a Famous 60.”

When the new committee took over the club in 2006 they were saddled with about £34,000 in debts, including money owed to an electricity company, the BSA for pitch hire, and a brewery.

So far, the management committee has paid off about £10,000 of that total.

Adam Wade, chairman of BSA, said: “We have a committee meeting on Monday, November 23, and the committee will make a decision as to whether we’ll be doing anything with regard to payment of the debt or status of Bicester Town Football Club.”

To support the campaign go to bicestertownfc.com