KIDDERMINSTER Harriers' chairman Lionel Newton has warned his players he cannot afford to pay them if their threatened strike action goes ahead.

The Professional Footballers Association is poised to create chaos on Saturday, December 1, by calling for its members to boycott matches with television cameras at grounds.

Kidderminster's crucial clash with Joe Kinnear's high-flying Lu-ton Town would be the first match to be affected should the strike go ahead.

Newton said if action dragged on the consequences would be crippling for the club and also for the long-term future of the game.

"I feel the same as all chairmen that a strike will be crippling and for benefactors at clubs with losses it only enhances the pressure on the board," he said.

"It is bad for the game and the situation will be simply that we will not be able to pay the players.

"We pay the players on a monthly contract and my attitude is if we get to the end of the month and there have been no matches then I can't pay the wages."

Harriers have a monthly wage bill of around £60,000 and the Aggborough club derives around 40 per cent of its income from gate receipts.

"The worst case scenario is that players won't get paid and it is not just Harriers. Many clubs are cash-strapped and get around 40 percent of their income from gates so the effect of losing games will be massive.

"If it goes to a strike I will take legal advice about whether we have to pay the wages.

"I sympathise with the PFA who do a lot of good but I do believe they are creating problems not only for themselves but for the game itself.

"I hope common sense prevails because it is not good for football. There are no winners in this and though I have the greatest sympathy for players that are injured and looked after, at the end of the day a lot of players earn huge amounts of money.

"And it will be the PFA that have a problem because up until now they have always stepped in at financially troubled clubs to pay the players' wages.

"The strike comes at a crucial time but we need the money. I can put my hand in my pocket for a month and pay the staff wages but I won't be able to pay the players' wages."