Supporters Club hopeful Wigan Athletic's new owners 'will want our involvement'

That's the view of Caroline Molyneux, the chair of the fans' group, who's revealed she's already held fruitful discussions with the club's new preferred bidder.

"We are talking to the preferred bidder, and they are very interested in fans' participation, in fans' getting involved," she said.

"They are fully aware that they are not from Wigan and, as a result, that means they would like fans' involvement.

"Where they come from, there is a long history of supporters being involved in football clubs.

"So we are feeling very positive that they will want the Supporters Trust, the Supporters Club, involved in some way.

"Obviously we have a large level of funding with which we can support the football club.

"That is only on the proviso we are able to secure that voice for the fans.

"But I just feel very positive that they want our involvement."

Molyneux and the Supporters Club have hardly stopped in the last three months, with the total amount of fundraising closing in on the £900,000 mark.

While a supporters-run club was always the back-up plan, Molyneux hopes the fans can still have a very strong voice moving forwards.

"Ultimately we all feel very happy at the moment, because the football club looks like it's on the way to being saved - assets and all," she said.

"Obviously we lost the training centre at Euxton, but one of the major plusses is we are still going to have our stadium, our training ground at Christopher Park, and our football club ready to rebuild.

"The whole thing about raising so much money through the fans was not having to put this Plan B in place.

"The main hope was that somebody else was going to come in and make our football club sustainable.

"Throughout all of this, the Supporters Club have learned so much about what goes into running a football club, and what we'd like the future to be like.

"And I really feel like these people will listen to that, and will want the fans' input."

Speaking on the 'Progress With Unity' podcast, Molyneux also attempted to sum up a three-month 'rollercoaster' of emotions that, because of the confidential nature of the process, have included some very dark days.

"It has been very, very frustrating, I've tried not to look at the comments on social media and message boards," she added.

"But we have been working very hard with a number of potential bidders, and it is hard to only be able to say that.

"We had a joint bid with the Americans just two weeks ago, we are now talking to the preferred bidder, and there have been many others over this three-month process.

"It's been the worst rollercoaster ride imaginable - each week has felt like four or five weeks.

"You can have one bidder ready to go, and then 24 hours later it's not happening.

"That's obviously through no fault of the Supporters Club, and when you see some of the comments - especially those of a personal nature - it's just disgraceful.

"If anybody thinks they could do any better, then good luck to them!

"When this is over, we're going to have a big party, because we couldn't have got through this together."