The Trust’s History

History of the Trust

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It is planned to develop this section over time to give some detail about the origins and history of the Trust since its formation in 1994.  If you have any information of the early days of the Trust which you think would be of interest to other supporters, we would love to hear from you: simply use the contact details at the bottom of this page. However, given the tumultuous events leading upto Administration in 2024 and the Club changing ownership in 2025, a brief recent history of the Trust is here, which is intrinsically linked to events within the Club, but please help us to expand this section.

 

Recent History

 

Due to increasing unrest amongst Fans about the way the Club was being run as well as poor on pitch performances, the Trust held its first Fans Meeting in 2023, allowing fans the opportunity to share their concerns highlight areas for improvement, and expand on the feedback received when the Trust carried out a Matchday Experience Survey in 2023.

 

The Trust tried hard to engage with the Club at this time, but with very limited success, despite the then Club Chair attending a number of the Fans Meetings.

 

The situation continued to simmer and finally boiled over, coming to a head in May 2024, following relegation to League 1 and the Club’s announcement that first team training would take place 135 miles away at Kelty. The Club sought to justify this decision by saying it would reduce costs, improve player recruitment and allow the Club to stay full time.

 

The Trust spoke out forcibly against the Club’s stance, receiving considerable coverage in both the local and national media. This marked the start of a positive relationship between the Trust and the media, which has continued.

 

The Club backed down from the Kelty decision in the face of the backlash from the Trust and fans, but we then had to deal with the proposed ill-advised acquisition of the Club by Ketan Makwana.

 

Fortunately this also fell through, and the then Chief Executive left the Club, along with numerous changes to the Board, but it all reinforced the grave financial position the Club was in, which ultimately led to it entering Administration in October 2024, with the imposition of a 15 point penalty for the 2024/25 season and a further 5 point penalty for 2025/26. At this time, it was hard to see how the Club could survive, but the Trust was determined to do all it could during this difficult period.

 

One bright spot during this period was the appointment of Scott Young as Supporter Liaison Officer. The Trust quickly built up a positive working relationship with Scott, which has continued and grown to this day.

 

As season 2024/25 got underway, the Trust took on the running of the old and underutilised Sports Bar, rebranding it as Bar 94 with tremendous help from volunteers who were happy to work behind the bar or give up their time to carry out improvements. This saw the bar transformed into a destination of choice for many fans, with improved products, extended opening hours, improved bus links to and from the City Centre, and with players coming in after matches to speak to fans. You can read more about Bar 94 here.

 

The Trust was involved in numerous meetings with the Administrators and Shareholders as they sought to find a sustainable way forward for the Club, during which time Alan Savage, a former Chair of the Club, came forward to try to identify a solution, which was complex given the club’s disparate shareholding and the number of large shareholders.

 

After a complex process, this culminated in Alan Savage submitting an offer to purchase the Club, which was conditional on a number of items, including him taking control of 100% of the Club’s shares.

 

The Trust was custodian of a 10% voting right in the Club, which stemmed back to the time the Club was formed, which the Trust had fought to maintain as it underpinned its role and objectives. However, in practice, there had never been an opportunity to exercise this voting right.

 

The Trust held a Member Meeting to discuss this, followed by a Special General Meeting on 8 May 2025, when a Resolution to cede the shares to Alan Savage was unanimously passed.

 

The Club finally exited Administration in September 2025, with Alan Savage taking ownership of the Club.

 

In late 2025, the Trust, through its Chair George Moodie, was invited to take up a place on the Club Board, bringing the voice of fans to the Boardroom table for the first time.

 

The Trust’s visibility and membership grew during this turbulent period, and it started to issue regular updates to members to keep them appraised of developments and to encourage feedback. It was also involved in key decisions, such as the setting Season Ticket prices and the selection of the home and away kits for the 2025/26 season.

 

As well as revamping and running Bar 94 and introducing Dog Falls products to it, the Trust has assisted the Club in many ways in recent years, including securing an improved Matchday Bus Service operated by Stagecoach, sponsoring two players for the 2025/26 season and providing new jackets and hats for ballboys.

 

The Trust is working with the Club to overcome issues faced by fans with disabilities.

 

The Trust is also continuing to follow up on issues highlighted in the Matchday Experience Survey, at Fans Meetings and general feedback provided, and with its seat on the Club Board is now better placed than ever to be the voice of all fans. 

 

We are a membership organisation, so if you are not already a member of the Trust, we would welcome your support, and you can join here.

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