Portsmouth receive Football League handout

Portsmouth are set to receive around 800,000 pounds from the Football League to help them finish the season in the Championship.

The money will come from a monthly ‘basic award’ payment which is given to every Football League club.

This is usually suspended when a club goes into administration, but Football League bosses have agreed to release these funds for Portsmouth due to the severity of their situation.

The precarious financial position of Portsmouth has meant that the club have had to make sacrifices in recent weeks, including loaning Norwegian striker Erik Huseklepp to Birmingham City in order to drive down the wage bill.

Portsmouth’s administrator Trevor Birch was pleased with the Football League’s decision but stressed the 200,000-pound-per-month payment was only a small step away from Portsmouth’s overall problems.

“This money will go a long way towards plugging the club’s financial gap and allowing us to complete the season,” Birch told The Telegraph.

“This is clearly a very positive step but I wish to emphasise that we are not out of the woods yet.”

“The additional money buys us more time but it does not solve the club’s problems and it does not guarantee the club’s survival.”

The Fratton Park outfit went into administration in early February for the second time in as many years and were deducted 10 points, which could rise to as many as 20.