BIRMINGHAM-SOLIHULL head coach Russell Earnshaw has lavished praise on the Cornish Pirates and their supporters for the wonderful response they gave his side at Camborne at the weekend.

The Bees are in deep financial trouble, and last Sunday's Championship game in west Cornwall might have been their last before going out of business.

The visiting players received a rapturous ovation from Pirates' fans both before and after the game, which the hosts won 62-10.

A group of Pirates' supporters also carried out a collection for the Midlands club's players, who have not been paid for several weeks, and raised a superb £1,657, which was presented to a taken-aback Bees' captain Matt Long by Pirates' mascot Captain Benbow in a packed clubhouse after the game.

"The collection is fantastic," said the hugely likeable Earnshaw, who even managed a joke in the sombre situation by adding: "That should cover [Bees lock] Alex Davidson's drinks on the coach on the way home!"

He continued: "I told the boys that they would get a tremendous reception from the Pirates because they appreciate rugby here. They have come back from the bottom of the leagues, and understand what rugby is all about."

Asked whether he thought it really would be the Bees' last ever game, Earnshaw said: "It is pretty surreal. We have had what could have been our last game for the past two months, so who knows what will happen?"

He was holding talks with the new owners of Birmingham City yesterday to try and put together a last-ditch rescue package for the Bees, who face a court winding-up order tomorrow unless they can find £93,000 to settle an outstanding tax bill from the Inland Revenue.

Earnshaw added: "I said to the boys that it has been a couple of months of really finding out a lot about themselves, and I have found out a lot about myself. The boys have all been superb, to be fair.

'I don't really know what I feel. I keep thinking I am going to get closure at some point on this, one way or another, and it just never happens."

It was a fine effort for the Bees to even turn up for the game, bearing in mind all of their problems, and the departure of so many players in recent weeks, and it saved the Pirates from suffering a potential £20,000 shortfall if the game had been cancelled.

The Midlanders also managed to put out a 22-man squad, which included Earnshaw himself, and put up a battling performance, despite the one-sided scoreline.

"I am still four weeks away from returning after injury, and Eugene Martin is in his 40s, and, even on the way to the ground, we had a blow-out on one of the boy's cars," explained Earnshaw.

"But it has actually been quite nice coming down here. We stayed in Newquay and had a bit of touch rugby on the beach on Saturday."

He added: "I was pretty excited at the start of the season, thinking we were going to be very competitive after our promotion, but, due to so many things happening that are out of our control, we haven't been.

"I thought the Pirates looked pretty good. They probably played as well as I have seen them play. They looked pretty fluid and have got some quality players.

"Our defence has been leaky recently, to say the least, and I think that has just been a mental thing, and I just wanted us to go out today and play like what I call 'pikies'.

"For 15 minutes we were fighting for our lives and it was great, and then what I thought was a poor scrummage decision went against us, they were in under the posts, and we capitulated for a little bit.

"Then they scored four tries when we had a player in the sin-bin in the second half.

"At the moment, little things occur that seem to have a snowball effect on us, and it is very frustrating."

If the Bees do go out of business this week, it will render the end-of-season relegation play-offs in the Championship meaningless, and will have some serious financial implications for those clubs – which could include Plymouth Albion – involved.

It will also leave a hole in the pockets of the Exeter Chiefs, who are the only one of the three Devon and Cornwall sides in the Championship not to have played the Bees at home yet.

South West rugby fans will all be hoping a last-minute rescue package can be found.