Simon Cope said the new club lives within its means after years' of financial struggles and is looking forward optimistically to climbing the leagues.

He has followed the recent turbulence at Halifax Town and is as puzzled as all supporters are at what is going on behind the scenes with the consortium.

But, if it is left to the Halifax Town Supporters' Trust to form a new club owned by the fans, he said there was a lot to look forward too.

Mr Cope said scepticism of such clubs was unfounded as evidenced by this month's promotions of fans' clubs Exeter City from the Conference and Stockport County from League Division Two.

He said Scarborough's troubles intensified following the 1997/1998 season when £800,000 was borrowed against the club's ground.

The debt gradually built up and in June 2007 administrators liquidated the club with debts at £2.5 million. It had finished the season in the relegation places of Conference North.

Scarborough fans had formed the Seadog Trust and when the original Scarborough FC was liquidated it formed the new club - Scarborough Athletic FC.

It has just completed its first season in the Northern Counties East League Division One - the sixth tier of non-league football.

A new Halifax club could be placed at level four which is the Unibond Northern Premier League Division One North.

Mr Cope said Halifax had the advantage of earlier warning of possible liquidation and a ground - Scarborough lost its ground and now plays home games 20 miles away in Bridlington.

"If you are reforming a club you have to take what you are given even though it is effectively the same club and fans," he said.

The Football Association had an unwritten rule that expelled clubs fall at least two leagues and he could not understand the consortium's stance which suggests it could reform the club and play higher than Unibond division one north

"I can't get my head round the consortium," he said.

"It does not help they don't talk to the fans and keep everything at an arm's length.

"They are insistent they can get the club higher up than anyone else.

"I do not think Halifax can get higher than Unibond one north unless the consortium know something nobody else does.

"They will have to restart the club. Unless somebody pays the credtiors' off they can't carry on and they can't transfer the club's membership."

Mr Cope said a fans' owned club was perfectly sustainable as an alternative option.

"You spend what you have coming in through sponsorship, bars, and matchday receipts," he said.

"There is nothing stopping a supporters' owned club generating commercial income and using it.

"We do not want a businessman coming in with £1 million because that would be a debt around the club's neck.

"We have been there before and do not want it again.

"There will be a level where we can't compete financially - but we don't know where that is yet."

Despite playing in a lower league this season Mr Cope said fans had enjoyed the experience.
"There is more of a feeling we are `in it` together having gone through the trauma of the old club dying," he said.

"The millstone has gone and it is a fresh start."

The Scarborough trust has 550 members and the club averaged crowds last season of 500 who paid an adult price of £5 a game.

Mr Cope said it was sad that divisions had surfaced among Halifax fans on the right way forward but said that would not have been the case had the consortium been approachable.

"That is creating the divide. There is not enough information for people to make a decision," he said.