Corney KOs Koukash deal

SIMON Corney has confirmed that there will be NO deal to sell up to Dr Marwan Koukash and move Athletic away from Boundary Park, with the imminent construction of the new £6million North Stand remaining the priority.

Koukash had stated his intention of buying the club on the non-negotiable condition of moving both Athletic and Oldham RL to a brand new, unspecified venue within the town.

But Corney spoke on local radio last night to finally draw a line under the issue, which has remained a constant recently despite the two parties having met only once — six months ago.

Athletic’s chairman stated that as well as holding tight to plough ahead with the new stand which will to help stem the football club’s losses, his future plans also concern tying down manager Lee Johnson and academy boss Tony Philliskirk to new long-term contracts in a show of support for the club’s new coaching structure.

“I told him (Koukash) the terms that would be required for him to take over,” said Corney, of his meeting with the horse racing magnate and Salford Red Devils owner.

“That would be staying at Boundary Park and being faithful to the manager and the players.

“He wanted to build a brand new stadium to incorporate the rugby and that is fine, a very good idea.

“But it didn’t appeal to me. I have been here for 10 years now and of those years I have spent seven trying to build a new stand.

“It has come to fruition now. The drilling and the pilings have been done and the foundations laid. It isn’t a small stand and it will cost over £6m.

“I am not prepared to stop now and wait for someone else to perhaps get a new piece of land, which may or may not happen.

“I don’t want to take my finger off the trigger. We are good to go and I am not going to stop.”

Corney also reiterated that Koukash had no interest buying the land surrounding Boundary Park – “we would like to get a fair price for it, but we will never recoup the money we put into it”, he said of any potential future sale — and detailed his belief that current boss Johnson is headed for a bright future.

“I have heard from so many people in the game, Premier League managers and other chairman, how highly rated Lee is in the game,” Corney added.

“He will go on to be a manager at a very big club one day. He is by far and away the best manager I have had and he has something special about him.”

Corney said that Johnson is in the process of being handed a new deal and the same is true of Philliskirk.

“Tony has been there with me since day one,” the chairman added.

“He is a big part of it and he has a another long-term contract he is signing. “

We are on the same page and always have been. It is a pleasure for me now to have my manager and academy manager working towards the same direction.”