FANS hoping to buy Wrexham Football Club say preliminary talks with club owner Alex Hamilton went very well yesterday.

Wrexham Supporters Trust met the Cheshire-based property developer with a view to buying his 78% shareholding in the League One club, together with the freehold of the Racecourse Stadium, also owned by Mr Hamilton.

WST vice-chairman Rob Griffiths said: "We had a very constructive meeting with Mr Hamilton. We spoke for almost two hours and presented him with our offer, which would involve us working with partners to acquire the football club and the Racecourse Ground.

"We believe that our proposal, if accepted, would safeguard the future of the football club.

"We agreed that the current situation at the club is very serious but the Trust remains optimistic that we can reach an agreement to safeguard the future of the club and the ground."

Mr Hamilton, who was unavailable for comment last night, had earlier told a local evening newspaper it was his intention in the New Year to submit a planning application for either housing or commercial development of the Racecourse site.

Mr Hamilton, who resigned as club chairman last Friday following a boardroom row with fellow directors David Griffiths and Dave Bennett, has already served formal notice to evict the football club from the site with effect from July next year. And before meeting the Trust delegation, Mr Hamilton confirmed he had set the wheels in motion for an extraordinary general meeting of the club's shareholders at which he will propose the removal from the board of both Mr Griffiths and Mr Bennett.

Shareholders require 21 days notice of any meeting and Mr Hamilton warned that failure to comply with his request would trigger formal proceedings resulting in a further three-week delay before the meeting could be held.

"Either way, their tenure of office will be finished before Christmas," he said..

Mr Hamilton said any new directors introduced by the current board would also be dismissed.

But Mr Griffiths and Mr Bennett hit back by insisting they would continue to keep Wrexham running, despite the fact the club's current account has been frozen by the bank and the Inland Revenue has reaffirmed its intention of presenting a winding-up petition in respect of £900,000 in unpaid tax in the High Court on November 17.

An initial approach to meet Inland Revenue officials was rejected yesterday but the two men said they were confident of avoiding court action by means of a rescue plan being formulated.

Following a meeting with manager Denis Smith last night, they issued a joint statement in which they said: "A decision was made not to appoint any new directors under the present circumstances but both of us will help the Race-course staff to keep the club running on a daily basis.

"We would like to thank the fans for backing us at Saturday's match against Hull City.

"We need fans and the business community all across North Wales to help us so that we can keep this great stadium for the use of future generations."

* Mr Bennett can be contacted on 07710 735604 and Mr Griffiths on 07818 041746. Picture: MIKE DEAN