Non-league side Brigg Town postpone match after failing to pay electricity bill

Who turned out the lights?

For non-league side Brigg Town, the culprit was an unpaid electricity bill that spurned Lincolnshire power suppliers to pull the plug on the Northern Counties East League club's home stadium, The Hawthorns.

One of Europe's oldest clubs, formed in 1864, the Zebras were given no option but to postpone their match against South Yorkshire giants Athersley Recreation, appealing to supporters for help with an unpaid bill from 2010.

Brigg Town chairman Simon Harris has said that the club need to raise a "substantial amount," though the club's long-term future is not in doubt.

(Brigg Town chairman Simon Harris. Courtesy: Brigg Town FC)

"This is not just a recent thing but a historic thing that has been kept away from us. We have got a huge bill to pay off and we would like the supporters to help us sort it out," Harris told local paper Scunthorpe Telegraph.

Harris has set up an online donations page and has raised £150 of a £1,000 target thus far, hoping to encourage help from supporters with incentives like a six-year season ticket for a contribution of £500 and a lifetime vice-presidency for a pledge of £1,000.

"Hopefully it will be reasonably successful because the club has never done anything like this before," Harris said.

(Courtesy: @BriggFC)

"My phone has been red hot with messages of support from other clubs, the league and the Football Association all wanting to help us. We have spoken to the Northern Counties East League and they are happy to help us if we need to move games. They have been fantastic and we can't fault them."

The lack of electricity is yet another obstacle for a side that has had a horrendous 2014-15 campaign, winning only one of their opening nine matches, a 4-1 thriller over Pontefract Collieries.