WHEN the fate of Accrington Stanley is decided, the people who tried to help them in these past eight weeks should feel like heroes.

They have given their time, determined not to give up on an historic little club whose name alone has been a symbol for lower league football for years.

The heroes were not just among Stanley’s astonishingly loyal fanbase or from the town itself, but from Blackburn and Burnley, Bury and Rochdale, Birmingham and London.

The money that was raised was incredible.

Yet, sadly, each person who has tried to help Stanley has been badly let down.

For too long, they were left in the dark. Blind faith was required too often.

When Stanley held a press conference in the summer to announce Dave O’Neill as the new man running day-to-day affairs at the club, he declared: “There are no secrets at the club.

“We’re an open book.”

Yet, not long afterwards, fans were not told when the club had to attend the High Court on September 2 over an unpaid tax bill.

Far worse scenarios were available that day than the eight-week deadline they received.

Weeks and thousands of pounds of donations later, on too many occasions the club were reluctant to give updates about their attempts to pay off the bill.

This newspaper has asked for that information on many occasions over the past few weeks.

Too many times phones were not answered, messages not returned and promises of interviews not fulfilled. On some occasions, there was simply a refusal to answer questions.

Now the club have finally confirmed why, and most suspected as much.

They didn’t have the money.

It would have been better for them to say so, though.

There were people out there who could have helped them.

One of them, lifelong Stanley fan and wealthy businessman Ilyas Khan, offered to pay off the club’s entire debt only for it to be made clear to him that his money wasn’t needed.

Fans travelled to Rochdale on Saturday – some on foot through wind and rain to raise funds for the club – still not knowing for sure whether it could be Stanley’s last game.

It seemed like any other Saturday, but was this the end?

People from far and wide gave their money, time and effort in an attempt to save Stanley.

They did not deserve what has happened since.