BASHLEY’S joint-manager Stewart Kearn called for a cap on “inflated” player wages as Bashley’s crunch clash at crisis club Hinckley United remains shrouded in doubt.

Tomorrow’s showdown between the Southern Premier strugglers (3pm) could be cancelled if the Leicestershire-based Knitters, who are reportedly beset by six-figure debts, are wound up at a court hearing today.

Bash, who will be looking to end a six-match losing streak against the only other winless side in the division, have suffered their own financial worries over the summer following the collapsed merger with New Milton Town.

And after joining Paul Gazzard at the helm of the cash-strapped club following the departure of predecessor Frank Gray, Kearn insisted those in charge of the game should do more to control players’ wages.

Kearn told the Daily Echo: “We have had to endure our own financial worries and I sympathise with the supporters at Hinckley who will be suffering the most.

“Sadly, it’s a common trend in the modern game. You see a lot of clubs striving for success and it can quickly go wrong when the revenue doesn’t cover the costs.

“Until leagues decide to put a cap on money paid to players then clubs at this level will always run into difficulty because someone will always go chasing the dream.

“There should be a system where players who want to earn the better money go and play in a higher league. Some of the players we spoke to over the summer were asking for very inflated wages and it is the same at every level of the game.

“When you look at the budget clubs like us and Hinckley can put together compared to the likes of Poole and Weymouth you can see there is a vast spectrum.

“The likes of Gareth Bale and Ronaldo may seem a million miles away from where we are but the increased demands filter through the levels.

"You have to ask yourself whether a football player is really worth £300,000 per week when you have more qualified and educated people who won’t earn that in a year.

“Whether such a system is manageable is open to debate but I can’t see it (a salary cap) happening because it can never be policed and there will always be back-hand deals here and there.”

Should the clash go ahead, Bash will be boosted by the arrival of midfield duo Elliot Ward, who arrives from Dorchester via Bournemouth Poppies, and ex-Cherries youngster Lewis Blackmore, who has played for New Milton Town this season.

On the prospect of playing the fixture, Kearn added: “We’re planning as if the game is going ahead and will prepare in the same way we always do.

“Their situation may create a different atmosphere but we have to go into the game with confidence and make sure we play the match rather than the occasion.”

Bash: (from) Collins, Boultwood, Flint, Richardson, Middleton, Stephenson, Casey, Roberts, Sills, Odam, Knight, Ward, Blackmore, Brookes, Porter, Morris, Kearn.

Poole Town will look to preserve their unbeaten record when they entertain Burnham at Tatnam (3pm).

Former Cherries full-back Warren Cummings could return for Dolphins but Steve Devlin and Dan Cann are suspended.

Dolphins: (from) Thomas, Clarke, Spetch, Oliver, Whisken, Pettefer, Cane, Davies, Brooks, Gillespie, Preston, Byerley, Elliott, Dibba, Cummings, Ohameje, Rowe, Hutchings.