SWINDON Town supporters remain concerned about the future of the club despite broadly backing the appointment of a new board.

There was near unanimous approval for a new five-man board headed by former jockey Willie Carson at an extraordinary general meeting in the Winner's Lounge yesterday. But the mood of the meeting was far from content among the 200 shareholders who turned out.

Many expressed concern that they did not appear to have any choice in the matter and described the meeting as a foregone conclusion because the club's majority shareholder Sir Seton Wills had already given the new board his backing.

There was only one item on the agenda of the meeting, to confirm the new board. The alternative would have been to leave the club in continuing leaderless limbo.

The main task of the new board is to prepare the club for an annual general meeting before the end January at which its problems will be discussed in full. Friday's meeting heard that the club's debt could total £3.5 million and that it was losing money at a rate of £120,000 a month.

Nick Prescott, who chaired the meeting, said: "This club does need a new board, the longer that it is delayed the more problems the club could face in the near future."

The other board members confirmed at Friday's meeting were Bob Holt, Nick Prescott, Wendy Goodwin. Mike Squires will act as company secretary.

Several shareholders spoke out at the meeting to express their frustration at the club's ongoing problems.

David Smith said: "We are a joke let's get our act together, stop bouncing cheques, let's pay the council the money we owe them and get on with it."

The EGM was called after former board of directors chairman Danny Donegan was taken to the High Court by Mr Prescott. He successfully argued that the previous board was illegitimate because an AGM had not been called for two years. The EGM was called as one of the conditions of the High Court decision.

The new board is only an interim one and will have to stand for election at the expected January AGM.