Vice chairman Paul Smith has told Croydon Athletic supporters not to raise their hopes of a miraculous recovery and that they should consider their club extinct.

The Rams were given a stay of execution on Thursday by the Ryman League board, who, after talking to owner Jenna Manji, decided they should be given one last chance to find a way out of their debt-ridden mire before they are thrown out.

But the club has not played a game since running out of money on December 3 and has no players or home, with the KT stadium locked up.

And Smith believes fans should now be turning their attentions to the creation of a phoenix club, which would have to start two divisions lower in the non-league pyramid.

“The league’s decision would have been great news if there was a realistic chance of anything coming from it,” he said.

“The team is gone, the ground is effectively shut, the equipment has been removed and the clubhouse has been stripped.

“It sends an unrealistic message in my view and people’s focus should now be on what happens next rather than be distracted by that kind of talk.

“People want to form a new club, it is not simple or straight forward but the discussions are at an early stage.

“There is a desire and a will to do it and the hope is we can over the next couple of months and have something up and running for next season.”

The league made their decision to delay a decision on the Rams’ future following an email conversation with Manji.

“We have asked them to come up with a decision themselves within a certain period,” said the league’s secretary Nick Robinson.

“Rather than us saying this is it, we want to give them time as they are still talking to possible investors.

“We do not want to take any action that will stop that process and maybe stop the club surviving.”