IMAGINE the feeling of seeing the club you have supported for the last 40 years suddenly being effectively closed down and relocated 60 miles away.

Swindon Town fans were spared the grim reality of losing their beloved club when Andrew Fitton & Co invested just weeks ago - but for new backer Andrew Black there was no such fortune.

The betting tycoon, who confirmed yesterday he was part of the consortium that saved the County Ground outfit, was a lifelong Wimbledon fan until their untimely demise back in 2004.

Like many, Black refused to start following the newly-founded MK Dons but that left him with a void at weekends - that is until the chance to invest in Swindon Town came along.

Now the 44-year-old is relishing a new footballing union as he combines his obvious knowledge of business with his love for the beautiful game'.

"I have been looking at buying a football club for a long time," he said. "My family were historically involved in Wimbledon and my great uncle used to own the club.

"When they were moved to Milton Keynes I was left without a team to support, with AFC Wimbledon now playing amateur football, and so for me Swindon can fill that hole.

"I won't lie. I have never supported Swindon before but I have respected them from afar. I know I will become a fan now though. Not having a team means my allegiance was able to be bought."

Black is not your archetypal businessman, having enjoyed a variety of career paths including caddying on the European golf tour, stocking shelves at B & Q, dealing on the stock exchange and gambling for a living.

He has also had to overcome caring for his dying brother, getting kicked out of Exeter University and being sacked from a job on the New York stock exchange - all experiences he believes have helped his shape his life journey.

Now on a sabbatical from the ultra-successful Betfair, Black has just purchased a farm with the intention of converting it into a stud-farm.

He said: "Racing is one of my loves.

"This stud farm we are trying to convert is a big job that will obvious take up a lot of my time.

"I have some sort of interest in about 35 horses, some with Andrew Fitton and Jeremy Wray, and it is a big part of our lives.

"Betfair was everything to me for eight years. I had no time for anything else but now I am on a sabbatical I am able to get involved in other projects like Swindon Town."

While he readily admits Fitton and Wray are the men at the front of the consortium he was quick to point out his involvement is far more than just a passing interest.

"I am a big sports fan," he said. "I have got to a certain age though where it is better for me to watch it rather than compete.

"I am really excited by my involvement at Swindon. I have four small kids and would love to take them to the games, but with the boys three and two and the two girls just a bit older, they are too young at the moment.

"It is sometimes quite difficult to get out on a Saturday but when I can I will. I would be there all the time if I could. Who knows maybe we could have the play-offs to enjoy this season?"