The future of Bury appears to hinge on whether a takeover bid by C&N Sporting Risk can get over the line.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the Shakers' prospective saviours.
Who is buying Bury?
Just minutes before the Sky Bet League One club were due to lose their Football League status on Friday night, the EFL announced that owner Steve Dale had accepted an offer from C&N Sporting Risk, a data analytics company helmed by Rory Campbell – the son of former Labour Party spin doctor Alastair Campbell – and Henry Newman.
Do they have any football experience?
Yes. Campbell previously served as a technical scout and analyst at West Ham, while Newman also worked as a scout for the Hammers and had coaching roles at a number of clubs, including Barnet, where he spent 12 games as joint interim head coach. Newman was offered the position of head of football with the Bees, but opted against taking up the job "as it took me away from my passion which lies on the coaching field".
What do C&N Sporting Risk do?
In their own words, C&N Sporting Risk are "experts in the creation and facilitation of product pricing through complex data analysis for a wide range of companies engaged with both football and other leading sports industries".
What have they said?
On Friday night, in a statement released to PA, Campbell and Newman said: "We can confirm that over the past 10 weeks we have been in discussions with Bury FC, the EFL and others with a view to putting forward a proposal to buy the club. It is a very complicated scenario and there remain a number of outstanding legal and other issues that have to be addressed. Our background is in football and data analytics and it should therefore not be surprising that we are taking a very detailed forensic look at the realities of Bury FC finances. A club like Bury ought to have a viable long-term future even if the short-term future is clearly very challenging. To that end, we have been in discussions with the EFL about an extension so that we can continue to explore the prospects for a purchase. We will be making no further comment at this stage."
What happens next?
The EFL board are meeting on Saturday to discuss whether to grant Bury an extension to Friday's deadline, with an announcement expected to follow. Dale had been given until 23.59 on Friday to either provide proof he could fund the Shakers this season or hand the club over to someone who can. After a day of claim and counter-claim, Dale revealed he had agreed a deal.
