One of the men that helped build Croydon Athletic from the ground up saw 28 years of his hard work wiped out this week.

The club has officially gone bust after appearing in the London Gazette last Monday and telling the Ryman League they wish to resign as members – something the league’s board will ratify at a meeting today.

Ken Fisher formed the Rams with Keith Tuckey in 1986 when they merged Wandsworth and Norwood football clubs after two years of discussions and was their first manager before stepping down in 1992.

He has been involved with them ever since and currently runs the academy, which will continue under the Croydon Athletic name until the end of the season and play their home games at Whyteleafe’s Church Road ground.

The Rams have been in turmoil since owner Mazhar Majeed had his assets frozen in August 2010 after being arrested for spot-fixing cricket matches, a charge he was subsequently found guilty of and jailed for last year.

He had been in charge for two years but left the club with huge debts that eventually proved too much for them.

“I can only say it is bitterly disappointing,” said Fisher.

“It took 28 years to build that club and only a couple of years to destroy it.

“When Mazhar Majeed came in he came in with a lot of credibility from people that spoke well of him.

“He did certain things for the club that were an advantage but, the finances he portrayed he had were not there and what he wanted to do he wasn’t able to.

“When he arrived he came singing and dancing with all guns blazing and a lot of people spoke well of him and that he could do x, y and z.

“You can talk the talk but you have to be able to back it up and for whatever reason he couldn’t do that. It gradually fell apart and now the club is finished after 28 years.”

Paul Smith, the chairman of supporters’ trust The Rams’ Army, has organised a meeting about forming a new club to be held at Selhurst Evangelical Church in Prince Road on February 6 – with the hope it will be ready for the new season in August.

“We would like to have a members club as at least then we will be masters of our own destiny,” he said.

“Then, hopefully, there will be people interested in sponsorship or being a benefactor to help us achieve our goal and being able to play again in August.”

Fisher backed Smith’s efforts but did have a word of the warning for him.

“I would like nothing better than for Croydon Athletic to start again and build,” he added.

“I will always try and help but people can go into these things with their heart and not their head.

“It is like owning a house, unless you can finance the rates you can have as much good heart as you like but somewhere along the line you have to have finance.

“But it is good Paul is trying to do this and, hopefully, he can get it off the ground.”

For details of the meeting, email paulsmith-cafc@live. co.uk.