A FOOTBALL club fears it will not be able to fulfil fixtures after thieves ransacked the ground causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Committee members at Abbey Hulton United FC were dismayed to discover metal had been stripped from the changing rooms late on Tuesday night.

Police were called to the scene just after midnight following reports of suspicious activity near the Birches Head Road ground.

Raiders had smashed through doors before systematically stripping shower fittings, copper pipes, tanks and wiring.

Club bosses now fear that unless money can be found to repair the uninsured building quickly, they may have to withdraw from the league.

Club secretary John Wightman said: "We are about two inches deep in water because they have taken one of the tanks and all the shower heads have gone.

"The doors have got big chunks taken out of them where they have used a crowbar or something to get through and all the locks have been smashed."

The 58-year-old added he could not say when the facility would be repaired but warned: "If we can't fulfil fixtures we will have to resign from the league, but the league could say that we might be able to play a few away matches until we get it all sorted out.

"We don't want it to beat us, but it is a big knock-back and there is a lot of work which needs to be done now."

Abbey Hulton United was formed in 1947 and was one of the founder members of the Staffordshire County Senior League. It has more than 100 players and eight teams.

Committee member Dave Sayer, below, said the club was already strapped for cash and appealed for other clubs and businesses to lend a hand to get them back on their feet.

He said: "It is going to be thousands and that is thousands the club has not got.

"Anybody involved with football knows us and we are now looking for someone to help us out with some kind of interest-free loan or grant.

"But it has got to be done quickly otherwise we might be kicked out of the league."

The 42-year-old said he would be going round local scrapyards to try to discover what happened to the metal.

League secretary Mike Stokes said officials would be getting in touch with the club to try to work round the problem.

Potential solutions included using an alternative ground or shifting home fixtures, although it was too early to give a definite plan.

Mr Stokes added: "We will do everything we can to ensure that Abbey Hulton stay in existence and stay in the league.

"It is absolutely devastating. The club has gone from strength to strength of late and has a strong management team which has worked so hard. They must be devastated."

Police officers were investigating the scene yesterday but no arrests have yet been made.

A spokesman urged any witnesses, or any scrap metal dealers offered suspicious items, to call 08453 302010.

In April, Staffordshire Police launched Operation Amalgam from Kidsgrove police station in a bid to combat rising metal thefts across the north of the county.

It was later rolled out across the force and more than 70 people have been arrested to date, with property worth more than £500,000 seized.