Debt free Jags look for new chairman

Oct 3 2012 by Paul Thomson, East Kilbride News

East Kilbride Thistle assistant bossMark Wilson has revealed the football club are now debt free and looking for a new chairman.

John Drummond has stepped aside due to ill-health and has severed all ties with the Showpark side amid mounting debts facing East Kilbride Thistle Social Club, which he operated.

According to Wilson, who is part of a new temporary committee running Thistle, the football club and the social club are now separate entities .

He also told the News that in recent weeks, the new committee have helped clear almost £3000 worth of football-related debts to allow East Kilbride Thistle a new lease of life.

Wilson said: The club had £2700 worth of outstanding debt from the footballing side and, as of six weeks ago, we cleared all that, so East Kilbride Thistle are now stable and debt free.

The money for these payments has come from sponsorship and fundraising and we hope to announce our new shirt sponsor in the coming weeks.

Lets be clear, we dont have vast amounts of money, but we can pay our own way now.

We are fully amateur and the fact we dont pay wages for players means we can bring the football club back to the way it was.

The good thing now is that all money generated by the club will remain within the football club.

Last month the News revealed East Kilbride Social Club had racked up debts of over £50,000, but Thistle say they applied to the Scottish Junior Football Association, submitting a new constitution which now separates it from the social club. This new constitution has since been accepted by the SJFA.

A temporary six-man committee is now in place with Mark Wilson, Jags boss Brian McMullan, Andy Bryant, Gary Marshall, Robert Guffie and Martin Sutherland in charge at Showpark.

Wilson welcomed John Drummonds decision to step down from the role of chairman, which he had occupied for eight years, and insisted it was best for all concerned.

He added: In the past two months weve been working very closely with the SJFA and weve had to separate the football side of the club from the social club, so the football club is now stand-alone and has its own constitution.

We now have our own temporary committee. Darren Waugh has stepped down as club secretary and Ive taken over that role, but Ive got to thank him for all his help and the support he has given the football club over the years.

John Drummond has gone now as well and that can only be a good thing for the club.

Ive been at Thistle for two years now and Ive never had a problem with him. However, when you speak to people from many different areas across the club, everybodys issue is with John Drummond.

I think John did his best for the club but due to ill health he has had to stand down.

Its the right decision for him personally and I think he knows its the right decision for the club as well.

Now we can take the club forward with no shackles and no hindrances whatsoever.

Over the last couple of years it has been a real struggle.

I can only thank John for what he did for the football club and now we can look to the future and a better one for East Kilbride Thistle.

Thistles new committee are wanting interested parties to come forward to operate the club on a permanent basis.

Wilson, who hopes a chairman can be appointed within weeks, said: Anyone who thinks they can take this club forward is more than welcome to stand we want someone who has the best interests of Thistle at heart.