Share offer to make Lancaster City a 'fan-owned club'

Chairman Andy Baker says the club needs more supporter involvement to grow and ease a “precarious” financial position.

On the field, the Dolly Blues responded to back-to-back Northern Premier League defeats by taking four points from a possible six over the past week.

It was very nearly a maximum six points, though Guiseley secured a 1-1 draw at Giant Axe on Tuesday night following an own goal by Lancaster keeper James McLenaghan in the third minute of stoppage time.

The impending share issue had been announced on Monday in a statement from Baker on the club website.

He wrote: “Every penny really does count, with still a heavy reliance on the goodwill of our small group of volunteers to keep the club functioning.

“We are confident that the club has the basis for growth and success but we need support at all levels, including additional directors, a commercial lead to drive our income streams and additional volunteers to help with the neverending list of tasks at the club.

“The shareholders are all fans of the club and are the effective owners and their support over the years has been invaluable. Our belief is that the club needs more fans involved to make the club a real fan-owned club.

“To this end, the shareholders passed a resolution at the AGM to allow the directors to offer additional shares in the club. The details of the share offer will be released soon and the directors believe this is a real opportunity for more fans to become involved with shaping the future of Lancaster City FC.”

Team manager Chris Willcock said the team set a benchmark at FC United of Manchester on Saturday, when they overturned a 2-1 half-time deficit to win 3-2.

Willcock said: “I thought the second-half performance with and without the ball was top-class.

“We want to play a different style and we were able to do that. When we played out, played through the lines and got players in the areas, we felt the goal was coming at 2-1.

“The leadership that's been missing over the past two weeks was certainly there and the quality with the ball was there in abundance.”

Willcock named an unchanged side to face Guiseley and saw them lead for almost the whole game, after Nic Evangelinos converted Christian Sloan's cross to score in the third minute.

Lancaster nearly added a second soon afterwards as Sam Bailey struck the bar and Dom Lawson shot just over.

Scorer Evangelinos went off before half-time but the Dolly Blues continues to create chances in the second half, when Aaron Bennett had a low shot well saved by Joe Cracknell and a goal disallowed for handball by Lewis Coulton.

John Ludfudu and Jack Emmett shot just over for Guiseley but keeper McLenaghan was largely untroubled until he attempted to punch a long throw clear in the dying moments but could only turn the ball into his own net.

The draw leaves Lancaster ninth in the NPL Premier, though only two points behind fourth-placed Guiseley going into Saturday's home game against Ashton United, who are fifth..

Lancaster will visit NPL West strugglers Atherton Collieries in the second round of the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy on Tuesday, November 26.

Lancaster: McLenaghan, S Bailey, Thompson, Moonan, Beeden, Sloan, Bennett. C Bailey, Lawson, Mansell, Evangelinos; Subs: Ikpakwu, Byrne, Holland-Wilkinson, Fleming, Coulton.