The Latics failure in the three cup competitions this season are giving chief executive Alan Hardy much cause for concern as the financial implications to the club are very dire. Athletic missed out on the £18,000 prize money which was awarded to Saturday’s winners as well as further revenue from future glamour ties and income from television coverage.
Hardy explained, "The embarrassing defeat at Accrington can only be described as a financial disaster. We were hoping for a cup run at least up to the third round which would have brought in valuable revenue in what is proving a financially challenging season. I will leave any comments about the team or individual performances for the manager. I am more concerned about the consequences of going out of all the cup competitions at such an early stage, and the financial implications that will burden the club with."
Hardy also felt that the club had let down their supporters. He continued, "On Saturday we had 60-per-cent of the attendance, with more than 1,300 Latics fans inside the stadium along with 3,200 at Rochdale. They have had a frustrating week after the abandonment of the game at Rochdale followed by the embarrassing defeat at Accrington. We certainly let the fans down on Saturday.”
“The FA Cup exit has a major bearing on what we do for the remainder of the season. While I can’t go into the specifics of our financial planning, everything will have to be reassessed. Paul Dickov has spoken openly about his disappointment. He said it is unacceptable and I can only endorse those comments.”