AFC St Austell have been suspended from playing in the Western League, it was confirmed by the league this morning.

The Lillywhites were due to be at home to Bradford Town in the Premier Division this Saturday but that fixture has been removed from the FA Full Time site.

The league is not issuing an official statement on the situation at the moment but says it will ‘at the appropriate time’.

The future of the club remains in the balance after a second open meeting at Poltair Park heard that the club owes money to a number of local businesses and has debts of around £30,000.

And even if the club can find a solution to its financial issues – which are believed to include players not being paid – it is unclear which league the first team could be playing in next season.

The Western League has indicated that if St Austell are unable to fulfil home fixtures they potentially face relegation to the St Piran League, two leagues down in the football pyramid.

There is to be a get-together at the Poltair clubhouse next Wednesday, February 4, where anybody who thinks they can help the club to survive is invited to attend.

Last Wednesday night’s well-attended open meeting saw chairman Jason Powell and the club’s two other directors, Rob Newport and Bob Benneto, announce that they are stepping down.

Mr Powell is, however, still in office as this article is written.

A group, described as ‘local football people plus a businessman’, are hoping to take the Lillywhites forward from next week, after a short handover period.

Nobody has been officially named yet but the group is likely to include former managers Chris Knight and Craig Holman, and former player Ollie Brokenshire.

Of immediate concern is the ability of the club to complete the season, with Cornwall Council-owned Poltair Park likely to remain out of bounds, possibly for the rest of the campaign, because of grandstand safety concerns.

If they manage to see out this season, it is almost certain that AFC St Austell will be relegated to the South West Peninsula League. They have lost all 23 games so far and have 13 fixtures left.