SPORTS MAD Eric Whalley was enjoying a quiet day at the cricket recently when a cheeky young scamp threw a loaded question at the Accrington Stanley chairman.

"Hey mister, are those new Nike shirts fakes?" he piped up, questioning the validity of the Reds' illustrious new sponsor and receiving a flea in his ear for the slur.

Thankfully, such ridicule is now rare following Stanley's rise to the cream of the non-league crop.

The Nike sponsorship is a new testament that the Stanley 'trademark' travels far and wide.

A chance call made to their UK headquarters reaped dividends when the retail giant jumped at the chance of sponsoring the Reds' snazzy new kit.

Stanley's dramatic transformation from milk advert chumps to Conference champs is gathering momentum.

But Whalley is warning the final step may well be the biggest the club has had to face since resurfacing in 1968.

He said: "The further you go up the pyramid, the more money there is available. But it also costs you more money and whoever we sign still has to be within the limits of our budget.

"You hear all sorts of rumours, but I can assure fans that we are not the moneybags of the Conference.

"A ruling has just been implemented that no Conference club can spend over 65 per cent of turnover on wages, so you only need to look at our turnover to realise we won't be paying a lot."

Like many Conference clubs, Stanley are, however, grateful beneficiaries of the ever-escalating cash crisis engulfing many Football League sides.

With so many players being forced out of work, much of the quality on offer has cascaded down to the part-time scene.

Whalley added: "What has happened has been a good thing for teams like us.

"I know of some third division players who are earning less than ours and they are full time.

"But the successful clubs will all have the basis of the same squads as last year. We've only lost three players in Mike Marsh, Mark Brennan and Russell Payne and we have replaced them with three quality players,

"Now I am looking to the likes of Gordon Armstrong and Paul Cook to harness a fairly young side and set a standard for the rest.

"Apart from the two strikers, it is a very young team, but hopefully we will do more than hold our own.

"It might well be a tough learning curve, but it might just be that we click and have a very good side."

Certainly the calibre of player Stanley are attracting is now in line with their lofty status.

CV's litter the desk of chairman and manager, accompanied by humbling letters pleading for a trial.

Watford youngster Matt Langston, who has made four first team appearances and served under Graham Taylor and Gianluca Vialli, is up for scrutiny.

Also, Partick Thistle's Scottish U21 defender Jamie Buchan and former Blackburn duo Michael Bingham and Darren Hockenhull.

Yet for all the meticulous planning, this season still represents a giant step into the unknown for Stanley.

And Whalley hopes the fervour gripping the town at present will manifest itself in the side and inspire the Reds' onto their ultimate goal.

"How good are our players? We just don't know," he admitted candidly. "Certainly it will be interesting at the beginning to play Aldershot, who are a new side; Leigh, who really struggled; and Shrewsbury who were relegated out of the league.

"That's all three different levels. Like us, Aldershot are going into the unknown, Leigh have had financial problems over the past few years and Shrewsbury are still full time and will be looking to bounce back. Those games will give us an idea where we are heading.

"Certainly in my time, this is the biggest thing that has happened to the club. I was unfortunate to remember dropping out of the league in 1962, but I don't think people realise that with a lot of planning and a little bit of luck, we have a realistic chance of being promoted back into the Football League quicker than I ever imagined.

"Now that would give us the last laugh!"