Phil back in with bid to take control of Yellows

PHIL Hodgkinson has made a second official offer to take over Southport Football Club.

The businessman failed in a first offer to buy a majority shareholding in the club before the current directors, James Treadwell and Adrian Shandley, took over earlier this month.

Hodgkinson said at the time of his first offer that he had received no official response from the then Southport board, but maintained an interest in buying a majority shareholding.

He has since met with the board of the official supporters trust, in a meeting arranged before the announcement of the new owners, to outline the plans he had for the club, including recruitment strategy, potential relocation to a new stadium, and links with new investors and other clubs.

Trust in Yellow has since also met with Treadwell and Shandley to discuss their plans for the club and subsequently released all the documents and minutes from those meetings onto the club’s official website.

An open fans meeting was held by the Trust on Tuesday night, in which Hodgkinson appeared to answer questions and where he revealed his latest offer, which had been made just hours earlier.

He announced at the meeting that earlier that day, he had formally offered to buy £250,000 of shares, enough for a majority shareholding in the club.

The offer, he said, is limited to seven days and is subject to no more appointments being made by the board.

The club has confirmed to the Visiter that it has received the offer and says it will respond in due course.