KIDDERMINSTER Harriers chairman Barry Norgrove has urged any potential new investors to come forward after warning that the club is set to suffer more tough economic times.

The Aggborough outfit have felt the pinch this season because of a drop in attendances and the collapse of Setanta Sports.

But Norgrove predicts an even tougher period financially in the 2010-11 campaign as the economic downturn continues.

The club are also still searching for new shirt sponsors for the next two years, but have yet to line anyone up with the deadline to finalise next year’s new home shirt design with Nike looming.

Harriers need to replace Tim Rose Electricals and Law Plant Hire and Norgrove believes a failure to find a sponsor would leave the club with a huge black hole to fill for next season.

The chairman admitted he is also finding it increasingly difficult to fund the club as his own house building business, Norgrove Homes, struggles in a flat market.

As a result the chairman and the board have stepped up the search for new directors prepared to put money into the club.

If their quest is fruitless, then Norgrove warned that one option could be finding new owners who can fund Harriers’ aspirations.

Norgrove said: “We’re crying out for help. The board have put an awful lot of money into the club this season but I won’t be able to do it next year.

“Businesses are struggling and I haven’t sold a house in god knows when.

“We need help, be it new directors who can come on board or putting the club up for sale to someone who can keep it running.

“I don’t want to see Harriers struggle and the board have done their best to maintain it this season, but there’s so little money about and it's going to be even harder next year.”

Harriers received a small boost when the Football Conference signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with current backers Blue Square for a seven-figure sum.

The agreement will see the division renamed the Blue Square Bet Premier.

However, the chairman believes Harriers will get less than the £15,000 they received from the Conference for this campaign.

“We’ll get less money from the Conference because the sponsorship deal with Blue Square is a little less than before,” he commented.

“At the moment we don’t have any shirt sponsors, which means we’ll be £30,000 to £40,000 worse off next season unless we find someone.

“We’re still looking and talking to people but I’ve never seen it this bad. At the moment we need £250,000 to run the club.

“It all comes from gate receipts, sponsorship and prize money and the board put the rest in.

“If we were running on a budget of £100,000 next season we wouldn’t be able to build a team capable of competing in the top half.”

The board are set to meet in the next fortnight to discuss the situation and what success they have had attracting new shirt sponsors.

n Meanwhile, manager Steve Burr is set to assess fringe players as he continues to map out his summer rebuilding plans with two Blue Square Premier games in three days.

Harriers take on Barrow away tonight in the League (7.45pm kick-off), before a lengthy trip to Gateshead on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

They then go to Hayes and Yeading next Thursday (7.45pm kick-off).