JAMES Phipps believes Swindon Town Supporters’ Trust can be in a position to buy the County Ground by March next year.

Having ‘opened the hornets’ nest’, as external director Phipps described it, in making their plans to purchase the club’s stadium and the associated land, which is currently owned by the Swindon Borough Council, public at their annual general meeting in March, the Trust are now keen to build on the momentum they have developed.

And Phipps, who owns Swindon communications company Excalibur, is confident that there is a willingness from all parties for an agreement to be in place by this autumn.

Having already had a £1.1million bid turned down, the Advertiser understands that a figure around the £2million mark is more realistic.

“There is due diligence going on in the background in regard to the County Ground,” he said.

“We’re not stupid, we need to make sure we have gone through that with a fine toothcomb.

“The council recognise us as a formal bidder and I think they are making it clear that they are willing to sell the County Ground.

“Everyone is on the same page, it is just about getting them to a number that gives them good value for an asset they have got and I think to do that, you have to look at the wider area of what could be done in development etc.

“That is a long-term play and I think that is why we’d be different to the ownership of the football club because we can bring a much longer, wider vision that could be over the next 25 years.”

Phipps and the Trust are encouraging fans to throw their public support behind their plans by signing up to their Red Army Fund, with money for the bid being raised through a community share scheme, the details of which will be made clear in September.

“We have got to try and make people stand up and be counted,” he added.

“Physically counted by signing up to the Red Army Fund - people can do that from a pound a month. That gets you a vote in what we are going to do with the County Ground.

“I think everyone is quite keen to get it sorted out and I think to get an agreement by the autumn is a realistic time scale, we would then be looking to try and fundraise between then and March.

“I would love to go in before the end of the next season saying that we are now the owners of the County Ground.”