Taunton Town Football Club handed winding-up petition by HMRC
The future of Taunton Town Football Club appears to be in doubt after the team was handed a winding-up petition by HMRC.
The club, which plays in the National League South league in the sixth tier, was issued the petition on Wednesday.
A club representative and member of the playing staff confirmed the reports to ITV news.
It comes just weeks after the chairman of the club Kevin Sturmey released a statement to supporters admitting that the season had been 'tough' for the team.
There had been rumours that playing staff had not been paid but he also moved to confirm that wasn't the case.
On December 7th he said: "The past couple of months have been very tough for the club and it is no secret that money has been extremely tight.
"This situation has been exacerbated by the lack of National League South home games which has seen us play just twice at the Somerset Campervan Co Stadium since the beginning of October.
"Contrary to popular belief, all playing staff have been paid up to date. Short term cashflow issues affect many clubs and we are no different so there have been instances when finances have been very stretched which may have caused a short delay to some payments, but we can assure all supporters that this has now been rectified.
"Taunton Town FC has experienced great success in the past five years, enjoying two promotions in a short space of time.
"This in itself creates new demands as we try to adapt to a higher level of football both on and off the pitch. We aren’t there yet and we fully accept there is a great deal more work that needs to be done to make us more stable, more sustainable and ready to achieve our ultimate ambitions."
The weeks that followed that statement did see a number of first team players transfer to other teams.
To try and improve the financial situation around the club Mr Sturmey did call for the surrounding area to come together and support the team.
The club said it is aware of the situation and that it has been in communication with HMRC.
In a statement, it said: "We are aware of a lot of press speculation and obviously this can cause concern, we can confirm we owe no VAT as this was totally paid last week but we do have some PAYE outstanding with HMRC.
"We have been in communication with HMRC for a while discussing the situation but have received no help or guidance from them. As a result, we are in communication with the National League to help us liaise with HMRC to find a solution to this short-term issue.
"No further statement will be made by the club."