THE merry-go-round that is Dover Athletic Football Club took off on another ride this week with the resignation of the club’s three-man board.

Jim Pellatt, who only became chairman in March, and his fellow directors Jim Gleeson and Roger Knight have announced they are stepping down “to allow a new board drawn from members of the Supporters Trust/Consortium to take over".

It is the latest twist in a long-running saga at Crabble revolving around who will gain control of the club from the majority shareholders, John and Alan Husk.

Now, with the resignation of Pellatt and Co, the way appears clear for the “Dover Consortium” headed by Mick Kemp and backed by the Supporters’ Trust, to take control - providing Kemp’s backers come forward with the investment they have promised, and providing the Husks agree to the takeover.

Kemp, a 55-year-old local businessman, was involved in a series of meetings this week trying to tie up the takeover details. Supporters Trust secretary Steve Cattermole said: “There are lots of issues to be sorted out such as legal matters, funding, and the proposed groundsharing with Margate.

“But the consortium are ready to form a board, we have bank guarantees in place, and we have enough funds already to take the club through the close season. It is now a question of whether the major shareholders will agree to the takeover.”

Former chairman John Husk, while waiting to receive fuller details of the consortium’s proposals, was keen to put his side of the story following the board’s resignation.

In their statement, the board claimed that one of the reasons for their decision was that “they were prepared to take over the major shareholders’ liabilities at the bank, in exchange for their shares as previously agreed. The shareholders have informed the board that this offer has now been withdrawn.”

Husk, insisted, however, that he and his brother had twice agreed to a deal, only for the board to “to change their mind twice at the last minute”, first in April of last year and then in February of this year.

Husk said they that informed Pellatt of what had happened in a letter in March, and stated that, if no deal was agreed within seven days, he and his brother would withdraw from all negotiations until the end of the season.

Husk added: “To move things along, we were prepared to convert loans currently outstanding to myself of £39,750, and to Alan of ££23,000, into fully paid up share capital. By doing this, the club’s balance sheet would be considerably strengthened because it turns liabilities into assets.”

According to Husk, there was no response from the board, and so they subsequently informed Pellatt that they were withdrawing any offers of concessions regarding loans and shares.

Husk added: “I would like to thank Jim Pellatt for what he has done in the past six months. He has worked tirelessly and honourably to try to resolve the situation as a mediator, but he has not been able to bring Jim Gleeson and the Supporters Trust together

“Now, I am waiting to hear from Mick Kemp, and it is time for the people who say they want to see Dover Athletic survive to stand up and be counted.

“I also feel that the supporters will have to accept a lower standard of football at Crabble for the forseeable future so that the club can get some stability and not keep sacking managers and bringing in new players."

With the departure of Gleeson, who has invested heavily in the club to keep it afloat since he joined the board 18 months ago, Dover are once more on the financial brink, but at least the arrival of the end of the season means that the club does not have to pay players’ wages. As for the four players, led by captain Keith Scott, who are on 52-week contracts, their position remains unclear.