SINCE ousting Danny Donegan from the chairman's set on November 5 last year, the problems have simply piled up for the Willie Carson-led board.

The consortium (as it came to be known) wanted the old regime thrown out because promises made were simply not being kept.

Getting rid of Mr Donegan was the simple part. A High Court judge took a matter of minutes to decide the former chairman's fate.

The club effectively entered a period of limbo with no-one in overall charge.

However, with the backing of major shareholder, Sir Seton Wills, the consortium took interim control on December 7 after an Extraordinary General Meeting.

The task of trying to sort out the club's financial crisis fell to Willie Carson, Bob Holt, Nick Prescott and Wendy Godwin.

Mr Holt quickly described the books as a 'mess' and, with a touch of gallows humour, remarked that each new cupboard opened saw fresh skeletons come tumbling out.

While the accountants sought to make sense of the books, it was obvious that then manager Roy Evans would have no money available for new players.

Evans decided he could take the club no further and quit five days before Christmas.

The new board reinstated Andy King as manager, a decision which did not meet with universal approval at the time.

While results on the field improved, matters off it did not. It gradually became clear that the financial 'hole' was even greater than the board had feared.

An unpaid PFA loan saw the club hit with the first of four transfer embargoes it would suffer over the season.

But while no players could come in, the biggest problem was dealing with how bills could be paid out.

The Inland Revenue were a matter of hours away from winding up the club.

The tax man had grown increasingly impatient for unpaid bills which are now around £750,000.

Mr Donegan and Mr Blatchley may have been ousted but they remained a part of the County Ground scene.

The pair held a £1.2million debenture over the club which could be called in at any time.

The board's backer, Sir Seton Wills was poised ready to invest £1 million but a classic case of Catch 22 ensued.

Sir Seton was reluctant to invest and then see Messrs Donegan and Blatchley walk away with his money.

But while the stand-off continued, the bills remained unpaid and the threat of a winding up order grew ever larger.

A last-gasp solution meeting was held following a 2-0 defeat at Brentford earlier this month (on a night when the players promised wages did not appear) and the decision was taken (after discussions with the Football League and the Inland Revenue) to seek a second period of administration.

Life has been anything but dull for Carson and Co. The future now hinges on Wednesday's court hearing.