A MYSTERY businessman today stepped forward in a bid to save Wrexham Football Club.

Club director Dave Bennett this morning confirmed he was in talks with the unnamed potential saviour and will meet him in the next few days.

Although Mr Bennett was not prepared to discuss the talks in detail, the possible buyer is being treated seriously. The Evening Leader understands that the bid would include a huge cash injection into the League One club.

Mr Bennett said club bosses will today start talks with all business people who have shown an interest in pulling Wrexham FC back from the brink of disaster, and tomorrow a top level delegation will visit Cardiff to ask Wales’ sport chief for money to save the club’s Racecourse ground.

Council leader Neil Rogers, Labour MP Ian Lucas and Clwyd South AM Karen Sinclair, accompanied by council officers, will meet sports minister Alun Pugh tomorrow morning at the Welsh Assembly.

They will urge him to back the authority’s plans to buy the freehold of The Racecourse from controversial club owner Alex Hamilton.

Fans have widely welcomed the decision to put the club into administration but club and council bosses have warned that the process will be tough.

Director David Bennett said: “It was not a difficult decision to take – we were considering it months and months ago – but there are tough times ahead. If we go all the way into administration the future of how the club is run will be decided by the administrator.

“He will look at the assets and decide what best to do with them.

“We still think there is a chance we can stop the club from going into administration but we have a lot of work to do.

“That starts now when we will be following up calls from various parties who have shown an interest in the club. By starting the administration process we now have time to speak to those interested.”

Mr Bennett said he could not reveal who the parties were but added that they were business people who had shown a serious interest in safeguarding the club.

That stance was echoed in an official club statement about the move to take the club into administration which said: “The directors would like to stress that every effort will be made by them, wherever possible, to complete a financial rescue package prior to the proposed hearing date and without the need to enter into administration.

“Interested parties should therefore contact the directors at the club as a matter of urgency.

“Discussions will continue with those parties who have already formally and informally expressed their interest to the board and other stakeholders.”

Wrexham Council leader Neil Rogers, who will be leading tomorrow’s delegation to Cardiff, agreed that tough times lay ahead for the club even if administration was successfully sought.

Cllr Rogers said he would personally ask Sports Minister Alun Pugh to financially back Wrexham Council’s plans to buy The Racecourse.

He said: “I will emphasise to him that we are not trying to acquire Wrexham FC but in fact hoping to secure The Racecourse freehold.

“I will be emphasising that the stadium is of vital strategic importance as a sporting arena for the whole of North Wales. Hopefully the Assembly will be able to help us with funding, although I cannot say how much we are looking for.”

Last week the Evening Leader delivered more than 5,500 petitions and coupons from our readers urging the Assembly to financially back the council’s plans as part of our Save The Racecourse campaign.

Those petitions were received by Arthur Emyr, the Assembly’s head of sport.