HARROW Borough’s new sponsorship deal will allow the club to lose the strugglers tag and dream of bigger things according to chairman Peter Rogers.
The Borough supremo would not talk the precise pounds shillings and pence of the package signed with multi-national building services contractor Axis Group last week, but he confirmed both parties were looking at a long-term project designed to take the Earlsmead club into the Conference.
Funds already secured by the deal have enabled Borough to attract a player of the calibre of ex-QPR striker Leroy Griffiths as well as a season-long loan deal for young Fulham goalkeeping star Max Oberschmidt and money has been made available to Dave Anderson to hunt out two more quality defenders.
With more cash potentially available for future campaigns, Rogers is eyeing a promotion push next term.
He said: “We are looking to be competitive on the pitch rather than looking over our shoulder all the time and longer term we are looking at play-offs or winning the league and eventual promotion to the Conference.
“Whether it all comes to fruition remains to be seen, but that is certainly the dream our sponsors have in mind, so this is a fact-finding season for us to see how we can work together as a pairing.
“If everything works the way we would like it to, we could be looking at a lot more significant injection of cash for future years because we are looking to develop the potential of the club.
“Not this season but next, I’d expect to see us vying for the play-offs.”
If that is the longer-term vision, this year’s target as far as Rogers is concerned is to avoid the perennial struggle against relegation.
And although he knows Borough have not gone from paupers to the money men of the Ryman Premier Division, he is confident the budget as it stands can achieve the safety of mid-table.
He added: “I would think this influx of money would allow us to be mid-table rather than strugglers.
“With the knowledge and expertise in the management team, it will enable us to look for a couple of key players that can make a big difference to our season, hence Leroy Griffiths.
“Without the sponsorship deal we may not have been able to have gone for Leroy, so it opened up that possibility. And it allows us to still continue to develop the side, so Dave can look in one or two other directions for players rather than shopping in the bargain basement.”
Borough, who travel to Margate on Saturday, followed their opening day draw with Billericay by losing 3-2 at Bury Town on Tuesday. Shaun Lucien grabbed both Harrow goals, one a penalty, after Griffiths had seen his
spot-kick saved in the opening minutes of the game.
