TROUBLED Halesowen Town Football Club is being sold and will soon be out of administration.

Godfrey Ingram, a multi-millionaire former footballer who is based in California, and brother Graham have been linked with a buy out of the club for several months and have finally sealed the deal.

Shareholders and creditors overwhelmingly voted by 87 per cent to accept the bid of the Ingram brothers at a meeting in Northampton yesterday. Administrator Gary Pettit of Marshman Price said: “This is great news for the club and I am delighted to report that creditors approved their proposals, including the sale of the company.”

“The past two years have been a torrid time for the club off the pitch and hopefully, with this commercial decision by the creditors, both the club and its local community can enjoy a brighter future.”

He added: “I appreciate it is difficult, but I would urge the local community to look forward and put the past behind them; support your club whose performance on the pitch deserves recognition and get behind the new owner.”

The club will remain in administration in the short term while sale negotiations and other regulatory matters are concluded and there is an appeal period for creditors.

Mr Pettit said: “Though there is an appeal period we are confident that there will not be any problems and valid reasons for an appeal.”

And the administrator explained why the meeting had been held 70 miles away from Halesowen.

He said: “We have to hold the meeting at a convenient place for creditors and we did, there were creditors in all four corners of the country.”

Former owner of the club Morell Maison attended the meeting as a creditor and a shareholder.