FANS and players at a famous football club have vowed to team up to save the club after its chairman stepped down.

Spennymoor United's chairman Benny Mottram said farewell after a 4-1 home win against Frickley Athletic in the quarter-final of the League President's Cup last week.

Talk among more than 100 supporters on the terraces was of a fight to secure the future of the club, which last year celebrated its centenary at The Brewery Field ground.

Spennymoor Town Council, players and fans have called on the town to pull together to help the crisis-stricken club.

They hope to launch a public campaign to attract financial backers and will consider forming a supporters' trust to take over and run the club.

Roy Yarrow, a supporter for 50 years, said: "I hope a trust can concentrate efforts to keep the club going. If the people of Spennymoor want a football team, they should come to home games.

"The gate money could get us to the end of the season at least."

Last Tuesday, Mr Mottram, who saved the club from extinction when he took over in 2001, said that he had had enough because he felt that there was a lack of support from people in the town.

He said: "I spoke to the players and they are happy to stick about, I don't know what will happen to the club now but hope things work out."