Peter Hood has issued a rallying call to Bradford’s business community and members who have yet to pledge after it was revealed that the Bulls are yet to pass the £250,000 mark.

The cash-stricken club believed they had hit that figure over the weekend but after working through a backlog of pledges yesterday they discovered the ‘Quest for Survival’ campaign is currently short of that amount.

Hood, desperate to raise the £500,000 that is needed by Friday to keep the club in business, said that approximately 1,660 individual pledges have been made so far.

The Bulls chairman called on the thousands of members who have yet to pledge and the city’s corporate sector to support the club in its hour of need.

Hood said: “We haven’t had as much support from local companies as I would have anticipated.

“The small and medium enterprises and larger businesses could very easily and potentially match the pledge figure.

“There is no groundswell of support from the Bradford business community, except for the odd pledge. The man in the street might pledge £100, which is tremendous. I’d like to think that small and medium-sized businesses in Bradford could at least match that or perhaps do more than that, given that we are like them and employ 150 people in the city.

“That would be something that they could do for the city as a whole and it could make all the difference.”

Hood confirmed he would be willing to step aside as chairman if a suitable investor came in to save the club and take control.

Although discussions have taken place behind the scenes with a number of parties, Hood said: “There is nobody in sight at the moment.

“Let me be absolutely crystal clear. This club is, and has always been, prepared to talk to any credible group of people who think that they might want to take the business forward.

“But that person or persons hasn’t revealed themselves as yet.”

Hood urged fans and members who have not yet pledged to do so by saying: “It’s clear that the majority of members have not yet pledged.

“They need to do that if we’re to get to the required total and keep the club alive.”

A bumper crowd for Friday’s visit of Leeds could take the club close to the £500,000 mark but another £500,000 needs to be found soon after.

The Bulls have tax and VAT bills, plus the wages of players and staff, all looming ever closer.

George Galloway, the newly-elected Respect MP for Bradford West, has pledged to the campaign and is expected to attend Friday’s game at Odsal.