Salford chairman defiant despite rescue deal collapse

Salford chairman John Wilkinson remains defiant about the club’s future despite a £1.5m rescue package being thrown out this week.

Councillors voted not to pass a £750,000 loan to the club, paired with a similar arrangement with Peel Holdings, meaning the club is still looking for investment to secure its short and long term future.

With assistant coach Sean Long admitting that the club’s remaining players had been left in the dark over the situation, Wilkinson issued a statement via the club’s official website.

He said: “The board and myself were obviously very disappointed to learn the outcome of the vote taken by the City Council’s cabinet yesterday, but we respect and understand the difficult position they were in, given the backdrop of budget cutbacks.

“During negotiations the Club has been unable to speak freely and has had to respect the process, and it has been frustrating having to sit back and leave incorrect and at times scurrilous speculation unanswered.

“The position as it stands is that the Club has a short-term cash flow problem that it needs to overcome, however once that is done the club’s business plan remains solid, viable and independently verified by leading accounting firms such as KPMG.

“Discussions continue with other interested parties, including Peel, and we are grateful to the RFL for their on-going support in these matters. We will update stakeholders on any progress as soon as we are able.”

The financial troubles mean coach Phil Veivers has only been able one player to his squad since the end of the season – St Helens back-rower Andrew Dixon – despite a raft of departures, including Daniel Holdsworth, Joel Moon and Matty Smith.