CHIEF executive Rob Heys insists it is essential that Accrington Stanley survive relegation from the Football League.

With a third of the League Two campaign remaining, the Reds are involved in a scrap with almost a dozen other sides to avoid sinking to the Conference.

There is an air of optimism rippling through the Fraser Eagle Stadium that they will survive in their first season back in the Football League after a 44-year absence.

Heys admits nobody wants to see Stanley slipping back into non-league, especially just one year after finally wedging their foot in the door.

Although relegation would not prove too financially damaging for debt-free Stanley, it would represent a backward step in the club's development.

"From a personal point of view, it's essential that we stay up," said Heys.

"It would be a step backwards for the club if we slipped back into the Conference - although not the end of the world.

"We'd cope financially but it would be very disappointing to go back down after all the years of hard work of getting into the Football League.

"We like being in the Football League, it's been a fantastic experience so far. It's not been as successful as we had hoped, but we see opportunities to develop the club if we stay up.

"We've worked so much this year. For John Coleman, it's the first time he's ever managed in the Football League and quite a lot of the players haven't played in the Football League. It's the same for the backroom staff too. We've all learned an awful lot this year and we want to use that to take us forward next year."

While staying financially secure, the Reds are a world away from competing with some of League Two's bigger spenders.

Hong Kong based investment banker Ilyas Khan, who was born in Accrington, has pumped money into the club in the past, and may do so again in the future.

Heys said: "Ilyas Khan is still an active supporter of the club. We have not taken anything from him for 18 months or more. But he's still there if we ever ask him for a contribution.

"He's a shareholder in the club and somebody we always keep in contact with."

On the issue of player budgets, it is difficult for Stanley to match the likes of Walsall, Swindon and MK Dons as Heys admits the club remain cautious with their cash.

Heys explained: "I'm guessing that we have the lowest player budget in the division. The average in the league is £53,000 a year for a player's wages.

"You are talking £1,000 a week on average and our average is half of that.

"It means we've got to look for our players, either home-grown talent or non-league players."

Heys added: "We've had to be cautious. The big thing here at Stanley is that we don't spend a lot of money.

"Some people think we are tight and say they've seen the chairman (Eric Whalley) turning the lights off and saving the pennies.

"But that's what it boils down to - saving the pennies and having some pounds to spend on players later in the day."