Haughley United celebrate after winning the Bob Coleman Cup at the end of last season

TODAY is D-day for a Suffolk village football club facing closure.

Haughley United of the Touchline Sports SIL will fold unless new committee members are forthcoming.

The club is holding an open meeting, starting at 3pm, at its ground at King George V Playing Field in a bid to find new blood or face folding.

The make-or-break meeting comes in the wake of the vice-chairman and groundsman both resigning their posts, and after a committee meeting on Wednesday it was decided to inform the SIL that the club would be withdrawing its two teams for the forthcoming season.

But current players and management who want to keep the club alive contacted the league ahead of Thursday night’s AGM asking for a stay of execution.

Haughley United’s two teams - the first team play in the Senior Division and the reserves team is due to play in Intermediate A after winning promotion last season - were subsequently included in the league’s constitution for the 2012/13 campaign at the AGM.

Club secretary Lee Forsdyke, one of only three remaining committee members, said yesterday: “One of committee members stood down at the end of last season, and the vice-chairman was concerned there were not enough committee members to help out on match-days.”

Vice-chairman Colin Drewery resigned after an EGM last week failed to bring forth any new committee members, and the groundsman Roger Allum followed suit last weekend.

Forsdyke continued: “The league have given us until after Saturday’s meeting for an answer as to whether we will be playing in the league next season.

“So far as the committee is concerned the club has folded, but the players and managers want to see if they can continue. “Myself and the chairman (Chris Faiers) will attend the meeting - the treasurer is away - to see if there is anyone willing to fill the vacant roles, but if no-one comes forward then nothing changes.

“The club would fold as there would be no point in joining another league as we would still be short of numbers and have the same problems.”

Haughley finished ninth in the Senior Division last season, but won the newly-named Bob Coleman Cup. Manager Phil Fairbrother resigned just days later due to family reasons. Steve Double was subsequently appointed as his successor with Aren Howell as his assistant and Carl Parsley as coach.

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