It’s been a long time coming but the takeover of Wrexham FC by the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) has finally been completed. For the fans of the club this news is welcome as potential suitors to the club have come and gone for what seems like forever. Finally the bid that most fans wanted to win has been ratified by the Football Association and the supporters have the club in their hands.

It wasn’t without sacrifice however. The ground was sold to Glyndwr University and many fans gave the club their savings when £25,000 had to be raised within two days at one point for a bond. One man even gave the money for his wedding and another, his mortgage. Whether these gents are mentally sound or not is a question for another day but it does show incredible commitment to their club. It also shows the amount of belief that some people have in the WST as if the club doesn’t make it to the end of the season this money will be lost.

The WST have declared their delight at finally completing the deal which took six months to complete after the initial agreement. WST called the process ‘torture’ and it’s easy to see why. The FA took an incredibly stringent line with the club as it didn’t want them to go bust and then face the headache of whether they should remain in the English pyramid system or not.

If only the FA were as stringent with other clubs such as Chester or Portsmouth.

Despite this victory for the WST the long road ahead is one that is uphill. They have predicted losses of £700,000 in their first year and that is without the current debt and any hidden debt that may lurk underneath the seats at the Racecourse.

Cutting costs may be a double edged sword as the club currently sit top of the Blue Square Premier so cutting the already slim playing budget may not sit too well with some fans desperate to return to the Football League. And manager Andy Morrell has already asked for a deal for him and his assistant (who are currently working for free) as well as deals for all those players that could be leaving in the summer.

The rewards for promotion may be rich but prudence could be the sensible option at this early stage.

So what is the future for Wrexham? In truth, it is difficult to say. It could all go swimmingly and they could win promotion at a canter, gaining access to the bigger prize pots in the league above, or it could all go horribly wrong. What is for certain is that the financial situation at the Racecourse is a delicate one. The honeymoon period is already over and the decisions made by the board in the next few months could be vital in determining the long term future of the club.

Photo courtesy of BBC North East Wales.