A ROSSENDALE football club have been given extra time after sponsor Brian Boys kicked a new funding scheme into place.

Bacup Borough Football Club are set to open a new club shop in a bid to help them cover their £2,000-a-week costs.

Brian Boys, owner of Rossendale-based developers B&E Boys, sponsor of the West View club, has handed over keys to the shop in Todmorden Road -- rent free.

The kind-hearted gesture will mean club bosses can transform the former newsagents into a haven for Bacup Borough memorabilia, and other sale items.

The club, currently second in the North West Counties League Division One, were desperate to find a solution to their funding shortage.

For the past couple of years, Bacup's manager Brent Peters has been pumping in the wages he earns working nights as an HGV driver to help cover players' wages, travelling costs, and running the club.

But commercial manager Debra O'Connor said the situation was 'ridiculous' and aimed to find alternative funding.

She said: "We approached Brian and asked if we could rent a shop without it costing us too much. He came back and said 'don't worry about the rent -- it's yours until January 2005 and if there hasn't been any interest in it up until then you can continue running the shop'.

"We are overwhelmed by this gesture. Brian has been absolutely fantastic in supporting us throughout the years in everything we do.

"We just hope that people in the Valley will support the shop as we have to generate around £2,000 each week to keep the club running."

Brent said: "We are looking for volunteers to help run the shop on a daily basis, and also looking for people to make donations for us to sell in the shop."

The shop is set to undergo a re-fit, and it is hoped it will be ready for a grand opening before Christmas.

Anybody wanting to help should call Debra, or Brent, on 01706 878655.