Whitehaven directors expect to be in a position to make a statement on the current financial difficulties by next week.

The board met on Wednesday night and had, what was described as, a constructive discussion.

Chairman Tommy Todd said: “We should be ready to issue a press release next week on what we have planned and what assistance we are looking for.

“Much of the problem has been caused by the attendances falling short of what we expected them to be.

“It is pretty disappointing when you consider the quality of games and the success of the side on the pitch over the last 18 months.”

Whitehaven have had to contend with a drop in payments after losing their Championship place by falling into League One. They also lost substantial sponsorship from the nuclear industry which would have solved this current problem.

The club needs gate figures to be much nearer the thousand mark than they are at the moment, hovering around 500.

“We had 100 extra fans for the York City Knights game last Sunday which was encouraging but we need more. We are looking for the stay away fans to return. I am sure they will enjoy the rugby,” added Todd.

“Our next home game is against Bradford Bulls on June 17 and, apart from a derby game, you can’t have more attractive game than that.

"They will probably bring a good number but we want Whitehaven fans to turn out in force.

“It will be a good litmus test after going public on our problems which centre around rising bills and falling revenue."