The south London footballing outfit is keen to translate sporting success on the pitch into financial return off the pitch. Interim figures show that 'player and match expenses', which is basically players' wages, rose from £3.94m to £4.89m in the six months to 31 December. This 24% hike was thankfully offset by a net profit in the player transfer account, following the sale of three players. The development of the Sparrows Lane training complex is well underway, and the team is sitting pretty at the top of the First Division. Pre-tax profit dropped from £1.42m to £1.01m with earnings per share falling from 4.88p to 2.85p.