ACCRINGTON Stanley chairman Eric Whalley has accepted a bid for the League Two club – but the takeover has not yet gone through.
Mr Whalley has been at the helm at Stanley since 1995 and has invested a lot of his own money in their rise from non-league obscurity into League football.
He has, however, made no secret in recent years of the fact he would sell, with dwindling crowds and lost sponsorship deals meaning the club has operated on a tight budget.
Current Stanley commercial manager Dave O’Neill is believed to head the takeover bid.
"A bid has been made and I have accepted it," said the chairman, who owns EW Cartons in Rishton.
"It is a hard decision as my head tells me to go but my heart tells me not to.
"I currently own 56 per cent of the shares and I would still keep some and be the second biggest shareholder in the club but not the chairman.
"At the moment, though, no deal has gone through."
