STOCKPORT County manager Chris Turner is looking forward to working hand-in-hand with the Supporters Trust well before, as seems highly likely, they officially take over the running of the football club on July 1.

As reported on our front page this week, the Supporters Trust is set to take over the day-to-day running of the football side at Edgeley Park in around eight weeks time after current millionaire owner Brian Kennedy struck a deal last Thursday night to sell off the club.

Sale Sharks RUFC will continue at Edgeley Park under the wing of Kennedy's Cheshire Sport company, but County boss Turner is looking forward to meeting Supporters Trust chiefs, possibly as soon as later on this week.

Turner said: 'It's very positive news, I'm happy for the fans and the Trust.

'This kind of takeover is a fairly new thing happening in football, but there are more and more league clubs coming under the ownership of fans all the time.

'There are other clubs owned by their supporters who are seemingly doing okay.

'Look at Lincoln City for example, they've just announced a yearly profit of three-quarters of a million pounds.

'It's very early days of course, but I can't see any reason why Stockport County football club can't go on in the right direction like that.

'I'll be sitting down with the Trust, hopefully over the next few days, and I can put them fully in the picture with regards to what the playing squad needs in terms of new players for next season.

'I think they've probably already got a good idea of what's required, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the playing squad needs strengthening.

'We should be pushing on now, everyone is pretty much in agreement as to what we need, so let's go ahead with some positive action.

'In terms of next season's playing budget I really need to know where I'm going sooner rather than later, but I'm looking forward to the challenge the same as the Trust are.

'With a bit more experience and guile in the squad I'm sure we can build a squad which will be capable of challenging in League Two next season.'

Meanwhile, Turner has delayed the naming of his end-of-season retained list of players until next Monday.

The County manager was wary that any players not retained wouldn't be in the best frame of mind if selected for Saturday's final league game of the season at Walsall.

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