MARK DEVLIN has moved quickly to assure supporters that the club is not about to be plunged back into financial chaos after it was given a five-day ultimatum to pay £100,000 or face a winding-up order.

Under the terms of the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) agreed in May last year, Town were obliged to pay the six figure sum (to go to preferential creditors) to the offices of CVA supervisors Hacker Young and Partners by July 1.

Failure by the club to stick to the agreement could technically lead to winding up proceedings being triggered on Friday August 1.

However, while holding his hands up to the fact that the money is late, Devlin insists the club will honour its obligations by the end of the working week.

He said: "Tight cash flow has meant we are late with the CVA payment and I accept the supervisors Hacker Young have a duty to keep creditors abreast of the situation.

"However, I can assure everyone that the club intends to resolve this matter by the end of the week."

Devlin said he had decided to speak out in case the issue snowballed into one that sparked considerable alarm among fans.

He said: "The board of directors are very aware of Hacker Young's obligations to provide all creditors with a yearly CVA update.

"Hacker Young have been kept fully informed of the actions taken by the board of directors at the club over the past year to reduce costs and return the club to a break-even position.

"However it has been a very tough year, as it has been with most Football League clubs, particularly in terms of cash flow and this is the reason for the late payment of this years CVA monies.

"Hacker Young are aware of our intentions to make the due payments by the end of this week and I understand that they are very comfortable with this arrangement."

Joint CVA supervisor Andrew Andronikou does not mince his words in a letter to creditors, although seems assured that the money will be forthcoming.

He said: "I have been advised by the company's board of directors that they are in the process of forwarding this sum to me and that they anticipate that they will be in a position to forward this to me imminently.

"Clearly, this position cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely but I have decided that it is in the interests of the company's creditors to allow the company until August 1 2003 to forward this sum to me.

"If the company fails to forward this sum by this date, then, barring exceptional circumstances, I will have no alternative but to forthwith issue a Certificate of Non-Compliance and commence proceedings for the winding up of the company."

On the field, a Town XI travel to Cirencester tonight for a pre-season clash (7.30pm).