JON Pratt has become the second Newport County AFC director to step down after being the ‘catalyst’ for a takeover by Huw Jenkins that is nearing completion.
Last week elected director Joe Crocker resigned from the boards of the club and the Supporters' Trust, which has owned the Exiles since 2015.
Now Pratt, who missed out to former Swansea chief Jenkins as the preferred bidder for County, has resigned with immediate effect.
Pratt, from Newport, was brought in as a co-opted director in February and then joined forces with fellow US-based businessman Dan Donoghue to launch a bid for the club.
The County board opted for Jenkins as their preferred bidder and his proposal got the overwhelming support of Trust members at a special general meeting in at the end of September.
The ex-Swans chairman is going through the EFL process for a takeover with the aim of the deal, which will see 52 per cent of shares transferred to the new owner, being rubber-stamped before the end of the year.
The current board will all stand down once the takeover is completed, although Jenkins has stated that a new board will feature two places for the Trust.
Pratt, meanwhile, has stepped down from ‘a perfunctory role’ on the board ahead of taking up a new role as president and chief executive of a company in America.
“I’m pleased in a way that my original approach to acquire an interest in the club was a catalyst for what followed, as transparency around finances was fundamental to any investment,” he said.
Pratt wrote that he was playing no active part in the conclusion of deal and was not invited to board meetings or copied in on minutes due to a conflict of interests.
“There may have been some merit in staying on to work with Mr Jenkins,” he said.
“However, the reality is neither I nor my business partner Dan have never had any communication with Mr Jenkins.
“In addition to our individual bid for the club, we had on multiple occasions during the recent process proposed an alternative combined approach.
“Given the amount of capital we committed and Dan’s specific financial acumen, we felt it would be an incredible opportunity.
“Above everything else, as fans, we wanted what was best for the club. However, despite our pushing, the board and Mr Everett [Colin, former director working as a ‘conduit’ for the deal] repeatedly advised that Mr Jenkins had no interest in working with other parties.”
Pratt went on to finish: “Who knows what the future holds. Maybe Dan and I will be involved with the club at some point.
“We hope the board is successful is concluding the specific deal the Trust empowered them to agree. As a lifelong fan I sincerely hope Mr Jenkins has enormous success.”
A County statement said: "The board wishes Jon all the best for the future and would like to place on record its thanks to Jon for his interest, advice and support over the last nine months.
"We look forward to seeing Jon at County games in the future when he is back in the country."
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