Harrison latest and the League Cup draw
Gerry Harrison was looking certain to leave Burnley with a cluster of clubs chasing the signature of the out of contract utility player and one of them, Luton Town, having made an offer.
Harrison had travelled to Bedfordshire for further talks about rejoining his former Burnley team mate Steve Davis who had made the same journey three years earlier. Those talks resulted in Luton chairman David Kohler making an offer.
“We are very hopeful of signing Gerry although there are other clubs interested,” Kohler said. Those other clubs were believed to notably be Ipswich and Port Vale. Kohler added: “We have made him an offer and now it is a case of wait and see.”
Despite the move being close, Harrison had indicated that he wanted to stay at Burnley and sign a new deal and it was believed he would hold further talks with Stan Ternent over the coming days, but it was thought that we’d have to break the bank to keep him.
Ternent had still to replace both Gordon Cowans and Alan Harper on the coaching staff and Mick Docherty remained favourite for the senior of the two roles with another ex-Claret Jimmy Robson a potential name for the other position.
Manager Ternent was set for an early reunion with his former club Bury when the two were drawn to play each other in the first round of the League Cup which had Worthington as its new sponsor.
Ex-Clarets Peter Swan and Adrian Randall were expected to line up for Bury against their former club and it was still expected that Ternent would bring in Bryan Small who would also then be facing his former club.
Alongside Stan in the dug-out would be Sam Ellis, another former Bury manager, and he said when hearing the draw: “These things happen in football but as far as we are concerned, we will take what the draw gives us. Last season at Bury we drew Sunderland and that was a massive draw, but there are only so many clubs you can get in this area now that the draw is regionalised, and it is strange that we have got Bury. It will be a tricky tie but they all are.”
The first leg of the tie was set for Gigg Lane. The likely date was Tuesday, 11th August with the home leg to come a week later.
The board were coming under threat from a group of supporters headed by Whalley based businessman Andrew Ronnan who was demanding an emergency general meeting.
Mr Ronnan said: “We take the view that the club’s takeover saga has run an unreasonable length of time and, at times, has boarded on the farcical. The club cannot exist without the supporters but it can exist without the present club directors who do not have a majority of the company’s share capital.
“If the directors do not positively respond within the seven day deadline, then we intend to instruct our solicitors to brief counsel. If our advice is such that we have an arguable case that has a reasonable prospect of success and that it serves the best interests for the club’s future financial stability, then we shall proceed with our legal action.”
The board were expected to make a full statement once advice had been received from their solicitors Addleshaw Booth while Peter Shackleton would only say: “There is nothing to report,” when questioned about the takeover deal.
However, it was looking increasingly likely that the collapse of the deal was not far away although it was considered very unlikely that the directors would consider the offer from Ray Ingleby who was waiting in the wings.
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