GARY Patchett has broken his silence on the reasons behind Cradley speedway chiefs pulling the plug on the club.

Patchett, along with Nigel Pearson and Chris Van Straaten, brought the Heathens back to league racing in 2010 and have enjoyed six successful seasons.

But things changed in the winter when the club lost the use of Monmore Green and switched to Perry Barr – which ruled Patchett out of meetings due to a previous dispute with stadium bosses.

Halesowen-based Patchett insists the club remains a viable venture with plenty of potential for any interested parties looking to take them forward into next year and beyond.

“There is no single reason that we have come to this decision but more a catalogue of circumstances,” Patchett said.

“Nigel is ever busier with his media business which stretch much further than his involvement in speedway. He’d be foolish to neglect those and his business has to come first.

“CVS has had a torrid season at Wolverhampton and I know only too well how that feels. He has to ensure that his business there receives his best attention and although he won’t thank me for saying it, he isn’t getting any younger. He certainly doesn’t need the stress of running two clubs.

“The pressure on my two colleagues has increased considerably as a consequence of me being unable to attend our home meetings.

“This seriously challenged my enthusiasm for the sport and Nigel and Chris talked me out of leaving the club then. I assured them I would do what I could behind the scenes but felt increasingly guilty at the increased burden I’d inadvertently put on them.

“Doubtless, these issues would have seemed less significant had we not been dealt a cruel hand by lady luck this year.

“Injuries to key members of the team and a lack of like for like replacements handicapped us before the season had hardly started.

“So we have different reasons to call time on this venture. Perry Barr doesn’t work for us for, personally, a number of reasons but that’s not to say it won’t for another group and despite what I’ve already said we’re grateful to have had the opportunity this year.

“Speedway is more expensive to run at Perry Barr than at Monmore Green and those who suggest we walked away from Wolverhampton couldn’t be more wrong.

“We’d still be there now if that were possible. That’s not to say we run at a loss at Perry Barr either. The business is viable there but it’s harder work on lower crowds and higher overheads. To those that think we’ve been raking in the profits these last six years, do you really think we’d walk away from the golden goose if that were the case?”

Heathens have pencilled in next Wednesday, October 21, as the final Perry Barr meeting of the season with the Knockout Cup Final against Eastbourne lined up.