PETE JONES fired a parting shot to those Wrexham supporters who are unhappy at the way the club is being run.

Lifelong Reds fan Jones will stand down as chairman of the Wrexham Supporters Trust at next month’s Annual General Meeting but is unhappy that the board’s critics haven’t put their names forward for election on August 8.

“We have all seen the call for heads of certain people,” said Jones in his review of the year to the fan-owned club’s shareholders. “But I deplore those who take to personal abuse of individuals who are working extremely hard to ensure we have a football club to go forward after this pandemic.

“The way to remove anyone from the positions that they are in, is by democratic procedures that we have in place as a fan-owned football club, and not by using what can be described as bullying tactics from people using social media as a tool for their own agenda.

“The Annual General Meeting has always been a way to go forward. If you are unhappy with what is happening and with the way things have been run, you can either vote for the people you want on the board or stand for election yourself. The door is open to any member to do this.

“From my own position, I understand the need for change, and to have new faces come on board which I welcome, and, it is with this in mind, that I will be stepping down from the chair of the Supporters Trust and the board as well, to ensure new faces get the chance to bring a fresh approach to both the Trust and football club boards. This decision was made last year when I decided to give one more year, as I really felt that last season would be the year. How wrong was I?

“The proposed EGM at the latter end of the year never received enough votes to back the resolutions that were being put forward.

“We, as a board, tried to engage with these people, who remained behind their usernames on social media, but the offer was turned down.”

Jones steps down at a most crucial stage of the club’s history and amid surveys among fans on whether external investment should now be an option.

“These are unprecedented times, with all football in the UK having been suspended since 19 March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic,” added Jones.

“This has certainly put a strain on the finances of every football club, and how many will survive to the end of this situation is questionable. The football club board at Wrexham have acted swiftly by furloughing all employees to give the football club a chance to see this through.

“Thankfully, due to the rigorous financial regime that the football club undertake, and the fact that the Supporters Trust hold, at the time writing this, £213,000 in the WST account, will hopefully see us through this time of uncertainty.”