Athletic chairman Simon Corney has made it clear that financier Mike Newton, who recently joined the board, has not invested finances into the club. Football mad Newton tried take overs at Port Vale and cash strapped Stockport County but was met with opposition and the deals did not materialise.
He said, “We are a small board and Mike is a well-travelled guy with a lot of experience. He put his head above the parapet and wanted to help us — but it is not a financial thing. Mike will not be investing in the club. But we will hopefully get the benefit of his business knowledge. He has a great enthusiasm for football, too, and is in a position where he can get involved with a club in order to feed that passion.”
“You will not find a football club in the country where there are not disagreements. It happens everywhere. We had a difference of opinion on certain things, but it didn’t end in blows or anything silly. There were one or two disagreements, but no malice or antagonism. It is no secret that Mike looked at other opportunities and found difficulties with other clubs. And there is no doubt we are one of the better-run clubs going. We are pleased to have him back.”
One of Newton’s roles will be to gather sufficient funding to help develop the new Broadway Stand. Corney went on, “There is a lot of due diligence to get through. We are starting to draw up plans with architects, but there are still a lot of environmental and planning issues. But we have kicked on. It hasn’t stopped, it is an ongoing process.”