Consortium to assist owner at Hednesford Town

Owner Steve Price has accepted the assistance of the as-yet unnamed group to help with the running of the Pitmen following a turbulent week that saw a takeover bid from mobile phone app OWNA Football Club fall through.

A statement from the Northern Premier outfit said yesterday the consortium will work with Price ‘to create a sustainable future for the football club with a much more commercially dynamic model than seen in recent seasons’.

Price said: “After meeting with this group earlier in the week, I was convinced that this was the best option in order to take the football club forward.

“The group are determined to make this a success and I’d like to ask all Hednesford Town supporters to give them their full backing.”

Hednesford were the subject of a takeover bid from mobile app OWNAFC, which was set to go to a vote of its 3,500-plus members on Wednesday.

However, talks broke down and the vote called off on a deal that would have handed control of the club to the app’s members – who have paid a one-off of £49 to have their say on new signings, as well as hiring and firing staff, from their mobile phones.

Instead club officials, local businessmen and supporters make up the new consortium, with more details due to be announced in the coming days.

The statement adds: "This group will be exploring all commercial and investment opportunities with a view to supporting a high-quality team and much-improved match day experience for all visitors to Keys Park."

After missing out on promotion through the play-offs to the top tier of non-league football in 2013/14, the Pitmen have undergone four years of decline on the pitch.

They were relegated to the Northern Premier in 2016 and are yet to finish in the top half on their return to the third tier of the non-league pyramid.

Relegation fears were creeping up on them again, but three consecutive wins under new manager Nicky Eaden has lifted them into mid-table, nine points above the bottom three.

The Pitmen do not have a fixture this weekend. They return to action on Saturday, March 16, with a game at home to Nantwich Town.