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Alex Hamilton

Andy Smith hasn't made any contact with me over the last week and I have instructed my solicitors to close the file

WREXHAM owner Alex Hamilton last night insisted the club's fans had better get used to the idea of life away from the Racecourse.

Hamilton owns the freehold to the club's famous home ground as well as 78 per cent of the club's shares.

He served a 12-month eviction notice on the club in July, meaning that Wrexham will be homeless come next July after 132 years in existence.

But there had appeared to be at least some hope for supporters of remaining at their cherished ground after two potential buyers for the League One club emerged over the past two weeks.

But while one of the consortiums has already taken a step away from any negotiations, the other also now appears to have stalled.

And as a result Hamilton believes people will be forced to accept his long-stated plans to sell the valuable ten-acre Racecourse plot and rehouse the Dragons at a new site.

The Cheshire-based property developer intends to spend the next few days looking at a former steelworks site in nearby Brymbo as a potential new home for Wrexham.

And last night he told Wales on Sunday: "People had better get used to the idea of not being at the Racecourse any more.

"I am confident that the club will survive but it won't be playing at the Racecourse in the future.

"It has happened to many other clubs and their fans have all accepted a move away from their old homes. The list is endless. Hull, Huddersfield, Leicester have all moved and even Arsenal are doing the same. Wrexham fans had better understand that this is for real.

"It looks like they will have to get their minds around the fact that they will be travelling to Brymbo or some other district to watch their club in the future."

Hamilton's insistence on selling the Racecourse could net him anywhere between £5m-£12m and the club a share of that profit due to a clause in their lease. The former chairman claims it is the only way to pay off the club's £2.5m worth of debts and take them out of administration.

Wrexham became the first league club to be docked ten points when they were placed into administration two weeks ago.

Hamilton claims to have met a new potential buyer for the club on Wednesday and been contacted by a separate party on Friday.

But he insists that a deal with the Surrey-based businessman Andrew Smith is now dead.

Both men had previously shaken hands on a proposed deal but, while Smith insists a contract is almost ready to sign, Hamilton said: "He has disappeared off the radar.

"He hasn't made any contact with me over the last week and I have instructed my solicitors to close the file.

"I refuse to spend any more time and energy and that of my lawyers on it."

But while Hamilton insists he's pulled the plug on negotiations with Smith, Smith appears to be blissfully unaware that he's now wasting his time.

"The whole matter is with the lawyers but our deal has been accepted in principle," Smith told Wales on Sunday.

"We are getting towards a possible exchange of contracts.

"But we cannot complete a deal until a meeting of the creditors can be arranged and for now it is just a case of letting the lawyers do their work."

The Surrey-based businessman admits that even if and when a deal is struck the club would remain in administration for a period of time until "on the satisfaction of creditors it can be released."

Meanwhile another businessman believed to be in the running to take control of the cash-strapped club has admitted he would be unable to cement any sort of deal before early spring.

Middlesex businessman Paul Buttivant said he and his backers had taken a step away from any potential deal to buy Hamilton's 78 per cent stake in Wrexham.

"This does not mean we have lost interest - quite the opposite, in fact," said Buttivant.

"I am determined to clinch this deal but my backers are no willing to get involved in any auction.

"Any deal will take months I would say.

"Perhaps late February or early March - maybe even in April."

As for Smith's plans for Wales oldest professional football club they are believed to include a housing redevelopment of part of the Racecourse plot behind the Kop End and a makeover for the stand itself.

The League One club are currently in administration with debts of around £2.6m.

Any deal would first require the agreement of the club's administrators as well as creditors. These include the Inland Revenue.