CHAIRPERSON Paula Henley says Wimborne Town are back on a firm financial footing, although the upwardly-mobile Cuthbury club are continually striving to boost their income.

To that end, the £2,500 reward on offer for victory over AFC Totton in Saturday's FA Trophy preliminary round tie would represent something of a boon for the Magpies.

Henley admits a cup run would be most welcome but given the cash crisis that enveloped the club when she returned for a second stint at the helm in January, the businesswoman is thrilled with Wimborne’s current predicament – on and off the field.

“We’re on a much firmer footing now,” Henley told the Daily Echo. "We were fortunate in a way, because a lot was owed to people who were friends of the club. But nevertheless, it was money owed to them and we paid that back.

“We unfortunately had to make some redundancies and I had to remove the playing budget until we got back on an even keel, which we managed to do within about four months.

“The position we’re in now is typical of a non-league football club. We don’t have any debt but there’s a way to go. We still need to generate more income to support the club.”

Henley invests huge credit for her side's upturn in fortunes in manager Matty Holmes, who succeeded Simon Browne in the job during the summer.

Under Holmes's charge, Wimborne sit seventh in Southern South & West, while the boss's contribution extends beyond game day, with the former Cherries midfielder taking the lead in the soccer schools run by the club.

“I think the way we’ve settled in so quickly with a new management regime has surprised a lot of people,” said Henley. “But it hasn’t really surprised me, because I know what Matty’s style is.

"A lot of players have joined us because they know they’ll be developed by Matty and the backroom staff. We have some real quality in the squad and they’ve bonded extremely well. That’s made a huge difference on the pitch.

"As well as being the manager, Matty brings a commercial element to the club. That allows us to generate income in ways we previously haven't been able to."

When Wimborne host Totton at the weekend they will encounter a team they beat 6-1 in a league fixture less than a fortnight ago – on a night when Henley says her team was “absolutely fantastic”.

Now she is hoping for a repeat when the sides renew hostilities in the Trophy.

“You don’t want to put too much emphasis on it, because as soon as you think you’ve got an opportunity to win some prize money it all goes wrong – which it did in the FA Cup (when Wimborne lost to Wessex League team Alresford),” said Henley.

“But, historically, we’ve had issues in the cup. With the Trophy we’ve done reasonably well so it would be great to have a run in it this year.”