ANTHONY Hampson insisted his bid to purchase Claines Lane as a base for Worcester City had not swayed the decision to take voluntary relegation in 2017.

Hampson confirmed he had offered £120,000 for the site a matter of months before the City’s board oversaw a three-tier drop into the Midland Football League.

Aside from requiring floodlights, work to bring Claines Lane up to scratch for the new level would have been minimal compared with the more onerous ground grading necessary for National North football.

At the time the club was also part of a joint application with Worcester City Supporters’ Trust to push for a new stadium at Perdiswell with Hampson refuting any suggestion his attempt had undermined those efforts.

“It was to provide another option alongside the Perdiswell application,” said Hampson.

“We saw it as having potential for the youth sides, training and perhaps at a lower-level a home for the club with a bit of tweaking.

“At the level of football the club is now at there would not have been much to do to it apart from the floodlights but the (decision to) move down the leagues was taken quite a bit later on that season, it certainly was not in January.

“The dropping of leagues was not on the table when I made that offer. I had to meet with various people (about the potential purchase) in the two or three months prior.

“Putting that aside, bearing in mind you don’t get a choice which league you get put into, the thinking was that at least we would have had a plot of land for the club, an administrative centre with social facilities.

“It would have provided a hub for Worcester City to get back into the city in some state.

“Claines Lane was an obvious option for Worcester City with what we were being told at the time about the availability of land anywhere else.

“It has the access, a good clubhouse and we almost had an agreement in place but would have needed floodlighting.

“Still, you would not be able to put your hand on your heart and say that was why we dropped the leagues. That certainly was not the case.

“I was disappointed, it was there to be had and would have been a good place to come back to.”