WREXHAM FC and The Crusaders’ chairman has said Racecourse chiefs are “on top” of debts owed by the rugby club to creditors.

Ian Roberts said the full scale of debts owed by Crusaders to creditors by its previous owner was not known at the time ownership was transferred to North Wales.

He added that he still fully intended to reveal the football and rugby clubs’ finances in the coming days, and that fans would then come to realise the “debt of gratitude” they owed to owner Geoff Moss for the amount of money he had pumped in.

Mr Roberts said: “We knew there was a creditors’ list but we did not know there were county court judgements.

“We knew who the creditors were but then things go onto the next level and you get people walking in, wanting a different figure, a substantially higher figure than previously revealed.

“It just sets us back slightly, but we are talking with them (creditors). We have paid a substantial amount.”

He added: “It is not going to affect the football club, which is part of the group but is a separate business.”

Former Crusaders owner Leighton Samuel sold Crusaders to a consortium led by Wrexham FC owner Geoff Moss in December last year.

Records have revealed there were 18 county court cases against Crusaders – the earliest dating back to 2006.

Documents say five of the cases, worth £16,455, have been settled, with 13 remaining worth more than £47,000.

The club has said a number of those have since been dealt with.

Mr Roberts said: “We are on top of the debts. They have basically been more than we knew about and they have stopped us developing the business as we would like but we are managing them.”

He added: “The RSL (Rugby Super League) know all about them and we are certainly not hiding things.”

Mr Roberts previously promised to publish the finances of Wrexham FC and Crusaders in a bid to improve communications with fans.

He said yesterday his intention was to unveil the figures some time in the next week, and added: “I’m going to fully document the club’s finances since coming out of administration.

“But I’m getting sick and tired of a certain group who think (owner) Geoff Moss has not put money into the club and has taken it out.

“(When the figures are published) they will realise fully how much of a debt of gratitude they owe to him.”