TRURO CITY chairman Peter Masters came up with the solution to the club’s £60,000 ground grading issue while taking a shower – and told supporters he’ll scrub up well and answer all their concerns with a statement in the coming days.
The White Tigers were faced with a huge decision if they were to classify the club eligible to contest the National League South play-offs.
They either had to give up on promotion or write a large cheque to pass the FA’s inspection by March 31 – for a ground which is being ripped down in a matter a months.
Truro have already shelled out more than £50,000 to upgrade to the required B status for a stadium that they are leaving this summer.
The bulldozers move in to Treyew Road and City will move in with Torquay United until their new ground is ready – but “daft” rules dictate that clubs are not allowed to enter groundsharing arrangements in order to gain promotion.
Fifth-place Truro’s soon-to-be-demolished home must have a 250-seater stand installed but Masters had a brainwave as he was having a wash.
And he said: “This, I’ve got to say, is real Non-League thinking outside-the-box mentality! As everyone knows we are faced with a big decision. If we do the work and don’t make the play-offs it’s a disaster, if we don’t do it and carry on with our great form we live in regret.
“If we sign a contract tomorrow and our form nose-dives then it’s a total waste of money. We can’t afford to get it wrong.
“I was in the shower on Tuesday and it suddenly hit me. We need to build this stand in four stages. Stages one and two we have to pay for now. But stages three and four – putting in the seats and putting on a roof – can be done in less than a week.
“So, if a week before the deadline we’re in the mix – we pay the £30,000 to complete the job. If we’re not, we’ve only lost less than half by committing to the first two stages of the development.”
The Truro Independent Supporters Association have asked Masters to clarify a number of issues regarding the move to Plainmoor and a plan B if the new ground isn’t ready, the funding of the club, debt repayment and directors’ relationship with the Torquay United board.
“We remain concerned that the agreement is for only one year and with no certainly over when or even if we will ever move to Silver Bow,” TISA said. “It leaves the club potentially homeless.”
Masters says he isn’t dodging questions – and will detail the club’s position in a statement of their own this week.
He added: “There’s absolutely nothing to hide and we will answer all the questions the group has put forward in full in a statement very soon.
“You can’t please all the people all the time but we’ll never hide away. What we really want at the moment is full focus on the pitch as the team are enjoying a wonderful season. We don’t want any unwanted distractions.”
