TRANMERE fans are being urged to get along to Prenton Park tonight in a bid to help Les Parry bolster his squad.
’Les Aid’ is the brainchild of the Tranmere and Wirral Supporters Trust that is aiming to raise £10,000 to hand to the club in order to bring in a new player before the transfer window closes later this month.
Rovers manager Parry operates on one of the tightest budgets in League One and has been very welcoming of the groundbreaking initiative from the fans.
Parry will be joined by coach, Shaun Garnett, at Prenton Park tonight to offer their support to the campaign which is well on its way to hitting the £10,000 target.
Almost £5,000 has been raised through the donation and sale of 1500 shares in the club.
Further donations and fund-rasing initiatives mean the group is now nearing the £7,000 mark and counting.
It has been an incredible effort in little over three weeks since Trust chairman, Ben Harrison, first floated the idea to Rovers owner Peter Johnson.
“We just need that final push now,” said Harrison.
“We’re about 95%t certain that we’ll get to the £10,000 target.
“The club have been very receptive to the idea, which gave us all the encouragement we needed.
“I’ve met with Peter Johnson, who ran me through some of the details of players we might be able to attract and how long we can get them for.
“He was quite hopeful that with £10,000 we might be able to get a Championship level player in.
“We need to get the final few thousand pounds together as soon as possible.
“The transfer deadline to bring a player in is at the end of March and we’re looking towards next week’s game against Leeds or possibly the game after that to present the club with a cheque.”
A trip was made to Companies House to pick up the shareholders register, while website appeals and even cold calling in some cases have tracked down as many shareholders as possible.
Supporters can donate and buy more shares at £3 each tonight, plus there will be an array of Tranmere memorabilia on offer, including old programmes and other collectable items.
Yesterday, Parry took time out to sign 100 limited edition ‘Les Aid’ t-shirts that will also be available to buy tonight.
“We need as many people to come down and help us raise that last bit of money,” adds Harrison.
“As for what kind of player the club will bring in, that’s up to Les Parry.
“We’ve got to trust the manager’s intuition. He knows what suspensions and injuries the club has.
“Ideally it would be a dream move to bring a striker in who goes on to score 10 goals between now and the end of the season.
“But it’s up to the manager where he feels the squad needs strengthening. This is our way of saying we believe in the fella.
“He’s doing a great job and we just want to help by putting some money in his hand.”
Tonight’s event starts at 7:30pm.
