Hythe Town are trialling earlier kick-off times in a bid to save money on energy bills as the cost-of-living crisis hits football.

The Cannons’ next two home fixtures - tomorrow’s game against Cray Valley and the November 19 meeting with Lancing - have been brought forward an hour to 2pm.

By avoiding the expense of using the Reachfields floodlights, the club hope to save £50-£100 a game.

Every saving counts as costs spiral, with Hythe taking up the Isthmian League on their invitation to move kick-off times forward, with the agreement of visiting teams, by up to two hours.

“These are difficult times for football clubs,” said Hythe secretary Martin Giles.

“The cost of fuel has gone up, not just for us, for everybody, except being a business we’re not entitled to the same discount as private houses, so we’re finding it difficult to balance the books.

“We started this season with hopes and expectations of attracting more sponsorship but, of course, in these times, it hasn’t happened like that.

“The club is taking any economy measure it possibly can, and bringing forward the kick-off time is one of them.

“We’re looking to save £50-£100 a game. It’s not a lot but it helps.

“We’re paying extra for referees this season - their fees have gone up, their mileage has gone up, it’s quite a lot more expensive.

“If we’ve been given an opportunity by the league to save a bit of money by moving the kick-off, we’ve got to take it.

“That might be the way non-league goes - 2pm - I don’t know, but we’re going to try it and see what happens.

“The world is changing and we have to change with it.

“We’ll experiment with the Cray Valley and Lancing games - they’ve both agreed to 2pm - and we’ll see how we go.

“We’re appealing to supporters to keep coming - we need people through the turnstiles.

“There’ll be one or two clubs who won’t be able to commit to 2pm, and obviously evening kick-offs will stay as they are, but we think this is worth a try.

“We have to think outside the box because things won’t be the same for a long time, unless Putin turns his forces back and everything is sweetness and light everywhere.”

Hythe are feeling the squeeze financially despite operating on a modest budget.

In Steve Watt, they have a manager who cares about the club and keeps a tight grip on the purse strings.

“Watty does well,” said Giles. “He gets people to play for him rather than for the money.

“They get paid, of course they do, but he has a loyal following and we’re paying less than most clubs, and that’s largely thanks to him.

“He’s very budget-conscious and he’s doing all he can to keep things on the straight and narrow.

“I don’t know how some of these other clubs are doing it.

“Some of them seem to be able to afford huge wages, and good luck to them.

“There was a time when we were one of the higher payers but you cut your cloth accordingly.”