IN A week when the Premiership has been described as a "financial monster" and ailing league clubs have been slammed for spending money they don't have, Magpies' chairman Eddie Belt reckons they could learn a thing or two from Dorchester Football Club's experiences.

Three seasons ago the Dr Martens League club were forced to bite the financial bullet, swallow the bitter pill of relegation and rebuild their side with young players they could afford just to ensure the long-term future of the Magpies.

And though Belt admits they are desperate to win back their Dr Martens Premier Division status, he says it will not be achieved by plunging into debt again after a lot of hard work to get them back on an even keel.

"You can afford what you can afford and that is it," said Belt. "It was a huge temptation to take a risk and go over-budget to bring in players towards the end of last season when were close to getting promoted.

"The way we are going it looks as though we could be in a similar position this season too and, while I'm not saying we can't afford to bring anyone in, after Christmas we will look at the situation with our manager Mark Morris and decide whether or not we can find a little bit extra for the final push.

"But I am the kind of chairman who likes to sleep at nights and as long as I am in this position I will do my best to keep us within our budget and not put the whole future of the club in jeopardy. If that means staying in the Eastern Division for another season then so be it.

"I would love to talk about us playing in the Conference in a couple of years time, but there's no way we are going into debt to achieve our dreams and that is something a lot of Football League clubs are going to have to learn.

"I am the kind of chairman who likes to sleep at nights and as long as I am in this position I will do my best to keep us within our budget and not put the whole future of the club in jeopardy"

"We are fortunate because we have a manager who fully understands the situation and advocated going for the best youngsters

locally. Along with Phil Simkin and the rest of his staff he has now built a terrific side on a tight budget and we will continue on those lines."

Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon has advocated a reduction in the number of proclubs in England from 92 to 40 but players' union chief Gordon Taylor believes the Barclaycard Premiership has created a ''financial monster'' where business sense is put aside in the pursuit of the riches on offer at the top.

Like Belt, Taylor believes such drastic restructuring should not be necessary if clubs are run and monitored properly.

"You can count the number of clubs we've lost on the fingers of one hand and we've never had a bigger pot at the apex of the game, at the top of the Premier League," said Taylor.

"We are dealing with administrations which have had bad financial propriety for years and I think only now are we really monitoring where the money is going.

"What we've created with the Premiership is a financial monster where clubs are spending money they haven't got to get there and spending money they still haven't got to stay there so that when clubs do come out of the Premiership they all go into administration."

While more of the cash generated at the top is now coming through to grass roots level, particularly through FA Cup prize money and grants for ground improvements like the Avenue Stadium state-of-the-art irrigation system, Belt believes the richer clubs could do more to help their poorer cousins.

"Instead of going off to the Far East for pre-season tours why don't they each have a week or so in a different area of the country and play games that could generate some income for clubs lower down the ladder," he said.