THE Quakers will head to their away match with Barrow this weekend on a coach courtesy of The Northern Echo.

The club’s finances were so dire it could not pay for a coach to drive the team to Cumbria.

Instead, players faced driving themselves or caretaker manager Craig Liddle driving the club minibus. As a result, The Northern Echo has stepped in to pay for a coach.

Editor Peter Barron said: “These are clearly very difficult times for Craig Liddle and the players who are stuck in the middle of this mess. We wanted to demonstrate our support by making sure they travel to Barrow in reasonable comfort.”

Mr Liddle said: “We are extremely grateful to The Northern Echo. Without joking, it was looking like I was going to have to drive the club’s minibus to Barrow on Saturday as that was the cheapest form of transport.

“This is a fantastic gesture by the Echo and I know I am speaking on behalf of all the players when I say thank you sincerely. It will certainly make for a more comfortable journey.

“This is just the kind of togetherness and community spirit we need right now – and it would be nice to repay the Echo with three points.”

Meanwhile, a whip-round, held by fans on the social media site Twitter, raised nearly £250 last night towards food and drink for the team.