MILNE EXPECTS STADIUM GO-AHEAD IN NEW YEAR

ABERDEEN chairman Stewart Milne claims he is ‘quietly confident’ ambitious plans for a new £50million stadium and training facility will finally receive the green light from councillors in the New Year. An October vote on the issue was postponed at Aberdeen’s request amid fears among the Dons board that permission for the Kingsford site would be rejected. Engaged in a lengthy battle with the city fathers in a bid to persuade them their traditional Pittodrie home should be mothballed, a new public consultation is currently taking place after the club submitted new information. A pre-determination hearing is now expected to take place on January 17 before a decisive planning hearing later. Aberdeen face opposition to the plans from the No Kingsford Stadium (NKS) campaign group. Nevertheless, Milne remains optimistic councillors will approve their proposals. ‘Everyone was disappointed we asked to have the topic removed from the agenda of the October meeting,’ said the Aberdeen chairman before last night’s clash with Rangers at Ibrox. ‘But we were convinced it was the right decision and felt there was a high risk the decision might have gone against us. ‘It became very clear there were areas of the application the council had interpreted in a different way from how we believed we had presented it. ‘We agreed between us there should be further work done on these areas, which has been done in the last five to six weeks, and I would like to think we have now got to the stage where there is a clear understanding of all the main issues. ‘I think we have every right to feel quietly confident we’ll get the right decision when it comes up to the full council at the end of January.’ At a meeting in September, manager Derek McInnes described the plans as a potential ‘game changer’ for a club he claimed was ‘bottom of the league’ for training facilities. ‘Others will leave us in the distance,’ claimed McInnes. ‘Our performance and results will drop, leading to smaller crowds. How do we want Aberdeen to be regarded? ‘Modern state-of-the-art facilities or do we just stay as we are? ‘It’s the single biggest decision for this football club.’ Announcing an increase in turnover in their most recent financial results, the north-east club have raised more than 60 per cent of the funding needed for the first phase of their plans for a community sports hub, training academy and stadium. American businessman Tom Crotty last week confirmed an investment of £775,000, following an introduction by Dons goalkeeping legend Bobby Clark and US-based Pittodrie director Dave Cormack.