Edinburgh City chairman John Dickson: 'We're not going anywhere'

Edinburgh City chairman John Dickson. Picture: Tommy Lee.

The Capital club chief admits there are a few hurdles to overcome but the long-term future of the League One outfit is secure.

Captain Danny Handling last night announced his immediate departure on social media due to "unfortunate circumstances" with other members of the first-team squad expected to follow suit.

Last week it was revealed that several players hadn't been paid by the Meadowbank club, currently bottom of Scottish football's third tier, due to a cash-flow crisis.

City directors cited a lack of investment behnd the current predicament and it remains to be seen what sort of side manager Michael McIndoe will be able to field at Queen of the South on Saturday.

However, chairman Dickson, who assumed control in June from former owner Tom Tracy, is confident a resolution will be found.

"We're going to put out a club statement early next week," he told the Evening News. "We're here, we're not going anywhere. We're just trying to get all the ducks in a row so we know exactly where we stand. Colin (Campbell) and I stepped in to make sure the club survived in the summer, and there have been a few things that have crawled out of the woodwork that we've had to deal with, but we're still here to tell the tale.

"We're constantly in touch with the fans, we talk to them on match days. Yes, there are a few things happening but all that will become clearer in the statement next week. We're definitely here for the long term. Football is scrutinised. If we were a toy company, for example, and there was a wee bump in the production line and we had to release a few employees, it wouldn't even be mentioned. But because it's football, it's scrutinised a lot more in depth.

"We've got lots of things happening. When we took over the season was on the brink of starting so there was a very short window to approach commercial advertising. But it's there to challenge us, we're not going anywhere and there's light at the end of the tunnel."