8:00am Wednesday 6th June 2007
By Andy Cryer
MARTYN Starnes insists Swindon Town were not prepared to be rushed into a wrong decision, after Bristol Rovers announced they would groundshare with Cheltenham Town next season.
Reports yesterday suggested Pirates had chosen Whaddon Road over the County Ground but, as far as Starnes is concerned, a move to SN1 had never been a confirmed option.
Town's acting chief executive (pictured) revealed the club had not finished their consultation period about a planned share and, despite recognising Rovers' time constraints, insists they could not afford to be rushed into a hasty decision.
With residents and supporters in Swindon raising considerable protests to the proposal, the club were determined to "address all the issues" and ultimately it seems time was not on Town's side.
Starnes said: "I am sure Bristol Rovers were put under pressure from the Football League in terms of the fixtures being released in less than 10 days time.
"But first of all we needed to make absolute sure that Bristol were more than interested in coming to us because of the amount of work that would be involved.
"We had a steer on that which meant we had to start a consultation process about things. We knew there had to be issues addressed and we knew we had to get it right.
"A ground share is a complex issue and we did have initial talks with the relevant authorities, although there was never any decision to make.'' Starnes admits the potential of Town needing to groundshare some time in the future played a part in them considering Rovers' request but again confirmed nothing had been decided.
He said: "We never arrived at a decision as to whether we would definitely have gone ahead with a groundshare or not.
"We were not at the point where we could make a decision. We knew there were still issues to address, including meetings with local residents, supporters and the authorities.
"It is important to recognise that while Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers are rivals on the pitch, we are all members of the Football League.
"We ourselves may need to groundshare in the future and the board had a responsibility to consider Bristol Rovers' request. We also had to look at the financial benefits that may have accrued to the club.
"However now with Rovers heading to Cheltenham all our efforts can now be concentrated on preparing for our own return to League One football."
Rovers will switch to Whaddon Road in December for 18 months, while the Memorial Stadium is redeveloped, admitting many reasons played a part in their decision.
Director Geoff Dunford told the club's official website: "The venue received a positive response from a survey of our supporters earlier in the season and we feel the size will help us create an excellent atmosphere.
"The playing surface is also superb and will suit the type of football Lennie Lawrence and Paul Trollope wish to play.
"It is important to acknowledge our very positive discussions with Swindon Town and we would like to thank their board for their kind consideration and offer of assistance.
"We thank them for their hand of friendship, which is unusual in today's world of competitive football."
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