THE directors of Wealdstone FC met fans on Tuesday to quell fears over a cash crisis that has left their new stadium half-finished.

Work on the stadium at Prince Edward Playing Fields in Canons Park ground to a halt in April when Stones' partner Stadia Investment Group hit financial trouble and the Bank of Scotland withdrew its funding.

At the meeting in at Kodak's sports and social club in Harrow View, North Harrow, club chairman Nick Symmons explained that SIG was involved in a string of football projects which now face abandonment.

"Unknown to us, SIG started a number of schemes in the UK and seems to have over-extended itself," he said.

"The chairman of SIG was also a director of Dunfermline FC and had connections with Livingston FC, both of which have gone into administration. All his projects were funded by loans from the Bank of Scotland, and this is being investigated."

The Scarborough Development Group, which has stepped in to manage SIG's affairs on the bank's behalf, is expected to pull the plug on most of its projects. But with about £5.5 million spent on Wealdstone's stadium already, including £2 million of bank loans, SDG is likely to want to see it completed.

It hopes to renegotiate the rent agreed with Harrow Council to make this viable.

Mr Simmons said: "Scarborough has looked at the rent and said that it is probably too much. For the last few weeks we have been in talks with the council, which have not come to a conclusion yet."

SDG is also said to be concerned that the club will not have the expertise to run the stadium's associated businesses, such as the gym and conference facilities, at a profit. Although the club want to keep all the facilities in the original plan, scaling them back has not been ruled out.

Tony Lear, the council's deputy chief executive, said: "Harrow Council is committed to developing better sports facilities and is actively involved in trying to resolve the present difficulties at Prince Edward Playing Fields."

Wealdstone Stadium Management Ltd, the joint venture company which the club set up with SIG, owes £1.2 million to building contractors, but if the company is forced into receivership this would not make Wealdstone FC insolvent.

The directors told fans they should expect to play the whole of the next season at Edgware's White Lion Ground, although in the best-case scenario, the new ground could be available at Christmas.