Potter's Wheel is no fortune

"It's difficult when you don't know the money is coming in. You've just got to try your best and cut back on things."

Under 20s coach John Potter has just guided his team through to the SFA Youth Cup semi finals but that has to be an even bigger achievement against the backdrop of them receiving just 20% of their monthly pay. Potts says that he has spoken many times to Head of Youth Development, Stephen Wright about trying to plan and they think that they've now got it just about right:-

"There are guys in the first team, the under 20s are doing well and in the cup semi-final, and the youths are pushing through. We should be sitting down planning who we can sign up, who's leaving, who's staying, which ones are coming up. But we can't do anything just now.

"It is disappointing but we played Hibs on Tuesday night and the Manager was so complimentary. The boys got paid 20 or 30% but they went out against Hibs and ran right over the top of them just by their attitude. The Hibs manager said he was so impressed with them and said that's how it should be done.

"I came back and relayed that to the first team - even though you are not getting paid, you've got to go out and do your duty. It's great for them that they can go out and keep working hard."

That certainly took the youngsters minds off the Club's financial plight. John added:-

"Sometimes you don't think about it, you just get on with it, and it's maybe moments like when Jim Leishman came down and explained the situation you think 'What's actually going to happen?' Nobody has any idea what's going to happen.

"We just hear the same as everybody else I think. Jim came round and spoke to us and it's much the same as far as we're concerned - obviously Gavin has stepped down and Jim is running around trying to raise money. He's obviously been told he needs to raise a certain amount and we'll find out in the next two or three weeks what will happen. Hopefully he can do it."

Much has been reported about the delay in salaries at Hearts and of course last season Rangers personnel had to accept pay cuts. John Potter did not think the Dunfermline squad had a lot in common with those clubs:-

"I know it's slightly different and these boys are getting a lot of money but they still obviously need to live on what they've got. Guys like that will probably have a lot of savings and will be well paid, and clubs like ours are slightly different. But if you look at the likes of Dundee, they were probably a bit similar when they went into administration.

"It must have been horrific, especially the boys who maybe had a two or three year contract and thought they were settled but then they have that taken away and might not get any money from it. A lot of us are on a year's contract but some of the guys are on two and don't know where they'll be.

Everything is just short-term so we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

In the meantime the Pars players still have all got bills to pay and they are certainly not on huge money - "probably less than the normal working guy" claimed John. "It's hard to deal with when you are not being able to pay bills and pay mortgages and pay cars. It's things like that you've got to deal with and you've got to borrow money and move money around. It's the fact that you don't know when the money is coming is the difficult thing."

Every single player has been affected, the 32 year old player / coach revealed:-

"A lot of people's money comes out at the start of the month and if you are not getting half of your money to pay that then you can't do it, simple as that.

I've got a wee bit of savings that I can move about but boys are into their overdrafts and getting loans. You've got to do it with the hope that we come out the other side and money comes through."

These days, life is not easy when you are employed by Dunfermline Athletic especially when they realise that they can't pay this and can't pay that:-

"It's hard because you don't really think about that until it happens. Everybody still thinks it will be fine and businessmen can come in and save the day a wee bit, so fingers crossed that will happen. You've got to be positive, Jim said that to us the other day and the Manager said that as well. 'Do your job and play, and keep the fans happy as best you can - let other people worry about other things'."

Back at home, John and his wife have concerns over providing house and home for their two sons Kieran and Robbie. Potts said that his wife has increased her working hours since Dunfermline's pay day problems have started:-

"The missus works and when this all started she went back another day as well to keep things ticking over. It's just a case of waiting to see what happens but it's difficult when you don't know the money is coming in. You've just got to try your best and cut back on things."

With Jim Leishman in talks with the Steering group and potential investors the threat not to play has been forgotten for the time being. Potts related how that had been averted ahead of the home game last week against Partick Thistle:-

"It wasn't really about getting 20% or having no money, it was more that we had to do something. It was more to make a point than about the money.

It had gone too far and we had been promised so many things and it never happened. It was about us taking a stand and saying we want to do something. It was a kind of heated morning last Thursday and Friday, everything was split, we didn't know what to do and we decided to go for it and play. We spoke to the Manager who said to go out and play and we were just disappointed in the game.

"Everyone respects the Manager, he's great with me and he's great with a lot of the players. We just had an open chat about it and he just said 'It's not about the money, you've got to think of everything else that goes along with it'. There are people coming along to pay and they are probably struggling as well so you've got to go and try put a show on for these people. It might make a stand but at the end of the day it might not. We thought we might have done something but would it have had any worth in it? I don't know."

John Potter is one of the few at Dunfermline who grew up locally so he has seen first hand how the Club's difficulties have affected his Dunfermline supporting friends and family:-

"My dad, my big brother, they've been going since they were really young and you just hope the Club pulls through. It's hard and I've been thinking 'Everything will be OK' but when they had their meeting the other day, I think we realise that it is major now. We've got to find a lot of money in the next two or three weeks, hopefully we can do that."

There is a lot of sympathy around the Club and in particular for the younger players. Some of them travel from the Borders, others from Cumbernauld, Perth, and Stirling; it can be quite expensive to get to and fro. John has been receiving donations to directly assist his U20s squad:-

"I like to try and get them all to come to the home games on Saturdays but if they are in all week training I can't ask them to come in on a Saturday again because it's a lot more money. Things like that you can't do because of the money they are on.

"I had two people in two days coming in and handing me £100 for the under 20s to see them alright. Although they've maybe not got mortgages, they are on very little money. I've had to give them days off because they actually can't afford to come in and train. It's difficult but fans have come in and we've got a wee fund that can help with petrol and trains and things like that. They are OK at the start of the month but when the month drags on a wee bit it can be difficult. Fans coming in and offering a couple of hundred pounds is incredible when you think about it."