Barrow AFC chairman Paul Hornby has pledged to continue to be open and honest about the situation at the club, as their new owners strive to build up its revenue in the months ahead.

Hornby made Bluebirds supporters aware of the level of debt the new consortium of himself, Tony Shearer, Mark Hetherington, Kristian Wilkes and the Bluebirds Trust took on when they took ownership in November during last Friday’s Q&A session at Holker Street

He stated that they needed to find half a million pounds worth of investment within a month of previous owner Paul Casson stepping down to avoid AFC being plunged into financial trouble.

Thankfully, the situation has stabilised in the three months since, although the owners have accepted that the club will carry over some of their debts into next season, which they had hoped to avoid.

Hornby said: “I think you’ve got to be honest with the supporters, there’s no other way because these fans aren’t stupid and they know exactly what’s going on.

“The volunteers that come down here and they see what’s going on at the club and if you’re not honest, or tell porkies, they’re going to see right through you and there’s going to be a breakdown in trust.

“We’re trying to break down barriers and get people coming back to the club and the only way you’ll do that is by being absolutely honest about where you’re at.”

Hornby believes that the fact that the new ownership model is made up of local businessmen gives them an advantage the previous regime didn’t have when it comes to using the vast range of contacts they have built up.

The Cassons invested around £4 million of their money into the club during their four-and-a-half-year reign at Holker Street, but them not having as large a network to work with meant they ploughed a relatively lone furrow, in comparison.

Hornby said: “I said on Friday, with all due respect to the Cassons, they never stood a chance, really.

“Even me, as one person, saying I had the funds, I couldn’t have done it on my own and I just thank goodness that I’ve got Tony, Mark and Kristian because you need to share the burden.

“When you’re running this football club, you’ve got this whole town’s expectations on your shoulders. We want to do a good job, but carrying that burden on your own is far too much. It must have been a heck of a responsibility the Cassons had.

“We’ve been working hard for the last three months behind the scenes, but last Friday probably made it a bit more real for the supporters.”