NEW BUY-OUT TALKS AT VITAL STAGE AT AGGBOROUGH

A "WALL of silence" has been built around Aggborough as hush-hush talks continue in a bid to end Kidderminster Harriers' bitter power game.

The news blackout comes at a delicate stage in negotiations which began after last week's stormy annual meeting of shareholders.

Majority shareholder Lionel Newton has been in discussions with vice-chairman Barry Norgrove and retired businessman Neil Savery over their offer to buy the club, but the outcome remains a mystery.

Norgrove and Savery are up against an ownership bid from a consortium led by former Farnborough Town chairman Ron Higgins.

It now seems possible that the feud will still be festering when manager Stuart Watkiss returns from holiday.

He is due back behind his Aggborough desk next week for what he describes as "an absolutely vital time" in his recruitment campaign for the new Nationwide Conference season which starts on Saturday, August 13.

Watkiss said: "This is when a lot of your groundwork is done. We all like to think we are great coaches and great managers and we can do wonders on the training ground. But if you get your recruitment of players right in the summer then I think you're three-quarters down the line to having a successful season. This is an absolutely vital time and if you can get things right you would hope that everything falls into place.

"There's certainly a lot that needs doing to the club. I have said before it hadn't got the internal structure of a league club because they came out of the Conference at a right rate. They kind of outgrew themselves and the structure obviously needs to be improved."

Watkiss, however, has already missed out on one of his targets, former Shrewsbury Town defender Trevor Challis, who has joined Weymouth.

Harriers players will return to training on Wednesday, June 29, before opening their pre-season warm-up programme with a trip to Stourport Swifts on Saturday, July 9.

Their other friendly matches will be against Bromsgrove Rovers (away, Thursday, July 12), Wolverhampton Wanderers (home, Saturday, July 16), Walsall (home, Tuesday, July 19), Worcester City (away, Tuesday, July 26), Bristol Rovers (home, Saturday, July 30), Hinckley United (away, Saturday, August 6).

All Harriers shareholders have been sent a letter this week asking if they would be interested in investing more money, through shares, in the club.

If any shareholders have not received a letter they should contact Helen Mcdonald at Aggborough by telephoning 01562 823931.