Cash-strapped Haringey Borough Football Club may be forced to fold after last week's arson attack pushed the club deeper into debt.

The fire in the storage room at Coles Park, in White Hart Lane, Tottenham, caused thousands of pounds worth of damage, including the destruction of ground maintenance equipment and goods for the club's weekly fundraising market.

Assistant Secretary Cliff Rhodes said: "It is going to be touch-and-go as to whether we will have to close down or not, it all depends on how much funding we can get to rebuild the structure and replace vital equipment that was lost.

"We haven't got very far and we're laying money out hand over fist to get things right, with nothing coming in."

He said that the cost of the fire damage, the current relegation battle from Spartan South Midlands League and the club's lack of support attendances rarely reach double figures means that cut backs are inevitable.

"Unfortunately, it's looking like one of our youth teams might be cut, and that team reached the second round of the FA Youth Cup last season," said Mr Rhodes.

Club chairman Aki Achillea is trying to maintain a positive outlook and is doing all he can to keep the club running.

He said: "The fire has had a devastating effect on us.

"The very matter of our charity is to help underprivileged youths in the community and it's soul destroying when people do this, but we have to be strong and get on with it.

"Hopefully in close season, we will be able to liaise with the owners of the land Haringey Council to see if it the damage is something that we have to pay for or if it will have to be at the cost of something else.

"It's an expense that we could do without." The equipment was not insured, and Haringey Council was unavailable to comment on whether it would help with the club's funding.

The borough's football club's roots date back to 1907 when Tufnell Park FC was born in Holloway.

Since then, after various name changes and an amalgamation with Wood Green FC, the club eventuallytook on the borough's name and became Haringey Borough FC in 1976.

The club's ground, Coles Park, has been used to host football matches for more than 75 years.

u Police are investigating the arson attck, but there have been no arrests.