NEWPORT County AFC need to move forward without trying to play a blame game over the financial state of the club, the Supporters Trust have explained.

As revealed on Thursday evening at the Riverfront Theatre, County fans need to raise £225,000 to pay creditors and provide working capital in order to meet the Supporters Direct criteria for a takeover.

In financial figures detailed in the Argus, it became clear that ex-chairman Les Scadding is owed £300,000 in directors’ loans, which he provided to the club after informing them he would no longer be financially contributing.

Mr Scadding is not charging the club interest on the loan.

Similarly, it also emerged that the club have subsequently become heavily reliant on ex-director Howard Greenhaf. Mr Greehaf is owed £67,500.

And while the Trust have opened dialogue with some former non-executive directors and investors, they are keen to concentrate in the short-term on swelling the numbers of the organisation and raising the funds to complete the takeover.

Supporters Direct representative James Mathie told the Argus that the simple objective in the short term is merely to raise the capital to complete the takeover.

“If you see a club losing money year-on-year, you think that the money raised is just going to plug a short-fall,” he told the Argus.

“But the ultimate aim is to simply get hold of the club and change everything about it in a financial sense.

“It’s about having control of it, having the chance to move forward with a completely new plan for how to operate.”

And Mathie believes the momentum of the Trust will only grow once they take charge.

“We have seen it with other clubs like Wimbledon, who since the fan takeover, have had offers to sell to individuals,” he said. “And they turn that down. It becomes about saying, ‘yes, we want you involved, but on our terms’ and that is the key.”

The Trust will speak with potential financial big-hitters, but are focused in the short-term simply on growing the Trust.

“I think we recognise there is an incremental approach, we need to get off and running first,” committee member Gavin Foxall said.

“We aren’t under any illusion that in the long term, we need the support of some of the people who have enjoyed an association with the club in the past.

“But we need to get completely away from the culture of having to rely on individuals to bale the club out of trouble.

“We need a more sustainable plan. And we need every supporter to buy into the vision.”