The Board of Directors are delighted to announce that Finance Director, Peter Brown, is to become the new Chairman of the club following the announcement last month that Brian McCarthy will be stepping into the role of Club President.

On announcing the news, majority shareholder Roger Payne explained: “The finances of any football club at this level is critical, and under the current unprecedented circumstances we have been fortunate to have a Finance Director in place who has worked tirelessly to keep the club ticking over, applying for available grants and making sure that we are ready to start the new season in as strong a position as possible.

Our commercial revenue had dropped in recent years, and while we as a club were doing so well on the pitch, Peter had to invest his own money into the club so that we could continue with the existing players and strengthen the squad. The results stayed strong, we increased the depth of the squad and the fans came back into The Meadow in large numbers recording some of our highest gates in years.

In light of all that, together with his pivotal role in the work going into moving to the new ground, it is completely logical that Peter takes over the vacant role of Chairman and leads us all into an exciting new era.”

On accepting the appointment, a delighted Peter Brown commented that “it is an incredible honour to become Chairman of this great club, but I am under no illusions as to the hard work that lies ahead. I am very lucky to still have the experience of Brian McCarthy by my side and with the rest of the Board we are in a strong position to look to the future. However, what is abundantly clear is that we need now to look to expand our team of volunteers at every level of the club.

In addition to the everyday running of the club and our ambitious move to a new ground, my priority is to open our door for any volunteers who feel they can contribute to the club in any way, no matter how large or small. We are open to listening to new ideas that we may not have thought of before, and we are also keen to build a network of supporters and business-people that can bring their expertise to the table and make this club even greater than it currently is.

There is a lot of work to be done, the financial stability of the club is of paramount importance, but even more so at this current time is the health and well-being of our players, staff and supporters.

Stay safe in these troubled times, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to The Meadow as soon it is safe to do so.”