Salisbury Journal:

SALISBURY City Fans have long been used to the rollercoaster ride that football in the lower divisions is like.

Their loyalty and support for the Whites was unquestionable even as they saw their team fall like a stone from the Conference Premier and eventually into administration.

One step forward would be to be assured of a ground to play at and, with the right caveats, you would hope that the trustees of the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, pictured below, would give them the key to the doors once again.

It is no fault of the fans that the club took such a tumble. It is probably no fault of those whose ambition took them beyond what could be achieved both on the pitch and financially.

A catalogue of misfortune around the ownership left the club with no other option than to fold. But out of the ashes the Whites are ready to rise again and, with a man like Steve Claridge ready to lead the way, this is a serious proposition.

What then is the hold-up from the trustees of the stadium?

If there are concerns about the new consortium that need to be ironed out that would be perfectly understandable. But the silence they have had from the trustees since forming the club has been deafening.

The as yet unnamed trustees have simply said through solicitors Wilsons Law that they are exploring all options.

Could an alternative use for the Ray Mac be one of those options? Many right-thinking people would cry foul if that were the case.

There have been proposals in the past to allow house building on the site. However, Wiltshire Council saw the football club as an “extremely important social and cultural asset”, and there was no compelling evidence why they should consider the club being relocated.

Let us hope that view remains.

In case anyone needs reminding, the stadium was purpose-built in 1997 for high-quality football at Old Sarum in what could be seen as a gift to the city by the then chairman, Raymond McEnhill.

Those who knew him say they would be in no doubt which way he would be urging the trustees to vote.

David Phillips, the new chairman, said: “We cannot believe the trustees would betray the legacy of Raymond McEnhill, who donated the site for football in Salisbury.

“I met Mr McEnhill and I know he wanted a good standard of football for the people of Salisbury in good quality facilities.”

Legacy and the memory of Raymond McEnhill aside, there is another group of people who should not be betrayed. It is those who have stood on the terraces of his stadium through thick and thin to give their support to the city’s number one football club. Come on you trustees.