Consortium hold talks with Trust

The consortium looking to invest in Stirling Albion held a meeting with supporters this week.

A Q&A session between members of the supporters’trust, who own 83 per cent of the club, and the group behind the offer took place at the Golden Lion Hotel on Wednesday.

The investors include former professional footballer John Neill and Dron and Dickson director Colin Rowley.

The proposal is that Mr Neill and Mr Rowley, acting through a newly formed LLP, invest £600,000 in the club by way of an insecure loan.

In return they both become directors of the club, and Mr Neill would assume the position of chairman.

The investment would comprise an initial £350,000 sum and further advances of £50,000 each year for the next five years.

There are stipulations that say Mr Neill and Mr Rowley can be removed from their positions should the club fail to meet certain expectations.

These are: to retain its current valuation at any point; to win promotion to Scottish League One by the 2022/23 season and to win promotion to the Scottish Championship by the 2026/27 season.

The Observer reported on Wednesday that Ian Doyle, a prominent sporting figure in the Stirling area, was calling for an independent legal examination of the documents produced by the consortium.

Doyle, who discovered snooker legend Stephen Hendry and used to own the town’s John Spencer Snooker Club, voiced some concerns about the offer.

And he says that the potential investors should themselves pay for lawyers and accountants to examine the documents presented.