Chairman Len Smith says Eastbourne Borough are likely to follow the example of Blue Square premier leaders Burton Albion next season.

Borough are currently one of the few completely part-time clubs in non-league’s top flight, having ruled out the possibility of turning full-time following their promotion last season.

Smith insists the club is still not in a position to become fully professional next season despite a promising start to life in Blue Square premier with crowds up by 58% at Priory Lane and the team sitting comfortably just above mid-table.

However, he has hinted the club are considering copying the model followed by the likes of Burton, Histon and Salisbury by having a combination of full-time and part-time players on their books.

Burton are well clear at the top while Salisbury have slipped worryingly towards the relegation zone in the last few months due to financial problems.

Smith said: “I can’t see us going full-time next season but we could certainly have a mixture of full-time and part-time players.

“It is not ideal as the perfect situation would be to have everybody full-time but teams like Burton and Histon seem to be able to make it work.

“We are not in a position financially to go full-time at the moment and with the current financial situation I expect there will be a lot of clubs going the other way.

“The other consideration is that some players have good jobs that they don’t want to give up so having a mixture means we can keep hold of them and add some full-time players if the right ones become available.”

Part-time clubs have historically struggled in Blue Square premier but Borough, together with Altrincham, appear to be bucking the trend this season.

Borough have done remarkably well so far but boss Garry Wilson and Nick Greenwood realise that staying part-time is not a realistic option if they are to achieve their long-term goal of consolidating the club’s position in non-league’s top flight.

The pair had a number of talks with Salisbury counterparts Tommy Widdrington and Nick Holmes in the summer where the logistics of having a mixed squad were discussed.

Although Borough would hate to lose the likes of Darren Baker, Marc Pullan and Ben Austin, who would be unlikely to want to give up their jobs, the importance of full-time players has been highlighted by the impact made by Danny Brown, Ashley Barnes and Dan Smith in recent months.

Smith added: “Our main concern at the moment is making sure we stay up this year and only once we have achieved that can we plan properly for next year.

“We are looking comfortable at the moment but we won’t take anything for granted as there is still a long way to go and a lot can happen.

“I think everybody connected with Eastbourne Borough has thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing at this level.

“What is pleasing is that we have adapted very quickly to the step up and the fans have come out to support us in good numbers.

“We can never match the money that is involved at some of the big teams in this division who have massive support but we seem to be holding our own quite nicely.”