BOARD members of the Swindon Town Supporters’ Trust met with fans tonight for its annual general meeting.

Hosted at the Goddard Arms in Old Town, the meeting presented fans of Swindon Town with the opportunity to discuss hot topics with the Trust’s board – including the possible purchase of the County Ground from Swindon Borough Council.

Trust members Cliff Ponting, Alan Johns, Rob Angus, James Spencer, James Phipps and chairman Steve Mytton attended the meeting and started by reflecting on what has been achieved in the past 12 months before engaging with questions from the floor.

Unsurprisingly, discussion about the Trust’s possible purchase of the County Ground dominated conversation as Mr Mytton explained to those present that he wants to see more ‘energy’ and ‘enthusiasm’ added to the stadium.

In January, Town chairman Lee Power revealed a ‘formal offer’ to acquire the freehold to the County Ground had been made to the local authority following discussions between himself, non-executive vice chairman Clem Morfuni and council officials.

Stating the Trust will not be entering a ‘bidding war’ with the football club, Mr Mytton said: “This is not about selling an asset to gain a few quid from the council’s point of view.

“This is about seeing the County Ground developed in the right way.

“We want every single supporter to have a say in the future of that stadium.

“In six months I’d like to start our Community Share campaign which gives every fan the chance to own a stake in the stadium.

"In a year I’d like to say supporters own the stadium.

“The supporters owning the stadium is what this is all about. We’d like to see Swindon up a division as well and see a positive future for the club.”

While attendance compared to last year’s meeting was down, Mr Mytton added the evening was positive and included lots of interaction.

He said: “We do a lot of stuff throughout the year but we don’t get a chance to engage with people.

“There’s been numerous challenges. We first started talking to the Council three years ago, it’s been a long path.

"We’re now at a point where our bid to the Council is a professional one, very thorough.

“The main challenge now is getting over that line so we can move to the next level.”