Witton Albion chairman Mark Harris happy at prospect of life in new division (From Northwich Guardian)

Witton Albion chairman Mark Harris happy at prospect of life in new division

10:00am Monday 5th July 2010

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MARK Harris predicts the atmosphere at Wincham Park on match days this season will be boosted by rival fans travelling to watch their team play.

The Albion chairman told the Guardian that crowds at home games, which dropped on average by more than 30 per cent last term, should rise too following the club’s switch to Division One North of the Evo-Stick League.

“I’m sure we’ll see more visiting fans here,” he said.

“But more importantly it will be much better for our supporters when they plan trips to away matches.

“There was so much travelling last year and it was tough.”

Witton’s players – and followers – will go more than 1,000 less miles this season.

That’s a 33 per cent cut.

Harris said that the 3,170 miles covered travelling to and from 21 away games in Division One South had cost the club £8,000.

In contrast, Albion’s rivals last term covered an average of 2,644. The figure in the other division was 1,873.

“When we looked at how much we could spend last year there were a lot of unknowns because we were playing in Division One South for the first time,” he said.

“What we didn’t anticipate is how much it would cost to travel to matches, which was substantial.

“Inevitably the impact in terms of our weekly playing budget was huge.”

Even with an extra trip to newcomers Chester FC in Division One North, which will run with 23 teams to accommodate the Deva Stadium outfit, Albion will still only go 2,131 miles.

“The news of our move from the southern to the northern section could not have come at a better time,” admitted secretary Graham Shuttleworth.

“With the financial constraints that all clubs have to deal with in the short term future, it is certainly a help not to be travelling so far.

“The cost of hiring a coach to travel to the vast majority of away games last season put a strain on the purse strings.”

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