SCARBOROUGH have come through the most difficult contest in the club's history - surviving today's insolvency ballot by the skin of their teeth.

Creditors meeting at the McCain Stadium voted in favour of measures set out to save the cash-stricken club from going under - but only just.

To continue operating, the Nationwide Conference outfit needed to win 75 per cent of the votes, and took 79 per cent, with key support coming from Division Three club Halifax Town and local businessman Ken Ferrie.

Halifax were still owed money for Boro's purchase of striker Chris Tate while Ferrie, a local builder, was also owed cash, in club debts believed to be around £2million.

Peter O'Hara, of O'Hara and Co Insolvency Practitioners, had been charged with guiding the club's bid for survival and his work - as well as that of new chairman Trevor Milton and proposed new owner Brooks Mileson - has paid dividends.

Had the vote gone the other way, the club would have been closed down with immediate effect.

Caretaker manager Neil Thompson had said his squad were preparing for this weekend's double-header as normal in the hope that the Seadogs would be able to continue their Conference campaign.

And they will now entertain Kingstonian tomorrow and visit Leigh RMI on Monday perhaps with renewed vigour.

Striker Tate - the subject of a £200,000 bid by Rushden and Diamonds towards the end of last season - is expected to be named as substitute, having recovered from a knee cyst quicker than expected.

Thompson, who has a full squad to choose from, said: "Tate got half a game for the reserves against Pickering on Wednesday and he didn't have any reaction overnight. He's missed a lot of fitness work but if he's okay he will be in line for a place on the bench."