Exeter City's director of football has said he hopes to have the club's debt sorted by August with plans to get their transfer embargo lifted sooner rather than later.
Steve Perryman has said he hopes to give manager Paul Tisdale every chance of putting together a competitive squad for the new League Two season.
The Grecians were forced to take out a £100,000 loan from the Professional Footballers' Association recently and were placed under a transfer embargo as a result, which will remain in place until the loan is repaid in full.
Club officials are hopeful of having the debt settled by August and, after the release of the League Two fixtures on Wednesday, which gave Exeter a mouth-watering home clash with Portsmouth, followed by a Devon derby at Plymouth Argyle, the Grecians have ample opportunity to raise some much-needed funds.
With a Capital One Cup encounter at home to AFC Bournemouth sandwiching those two games, it makes for an exciting but hugely challenging start for Tisdale's side. Perryman, City's director of football, hopes Exeter can add to their playing ranks in time for the big kick-off on Saturday, August 9.
"We are realistic to know it can only come off when we have the money for it to come off," Perryman said of the embargo. "Money is only available when it's available.
"In previous years, the purpose has been to save the club and we seem to have lost that purpose a bit recently. But we have a greater purpose to get that [PFA loan] paid off now, when you look at these opening fixtures.
"To me, it's an ultra-competitive start and we need that embargo off to be competitive. We need to be competitive and be able to get those players that come within our remit."
The whole fixture list has been financially friendly to the Grecians, who have home games on all of the key dates of the season. Cheltenham Town are in town on Boxing Day and Newport County visit Exeter on Easter Monday (April 6).
The Grecians are also at home on the last day of the season with a clash against Dagenham and Redbridge, while the home derby with Plymouth is on Saturday, February 21.
"Hopefully, this will bring it all back into perspective for the fans and gets them excited again," Perryman added. "They might be looking to pick and choose their games and I would imagine Portsmouth and Plymouth – and even Bournemouth – are such games."
