TRUST STFC have released a statement urging the respective parties involved in legal disputes regarding the ownership of the club to resolve their differences as quickly as possible.

The Trust says that the issues arising from the battle between Lee Power and Swinton Reds 20 Ltd and Jed McCrory and Seebeck 87 Ltd are, in their view, "deeply damaging both to the morale of all the staff of the club and its supporters, and to its reputation locally and nationally".

They also ask that the supporters of the club are not "alienated" by current proceedings.

The statement reads: "For the past fifteen months Swindon Town FC has seemingly been living under a cloud of instability and uncertainty in the boardroom. For the most part, supporters are mystified and disappointed by the continuing struggles now being fought in the courts.

"In the circumstances, our first wish is to applaud and thank the manager, coaches and players for a remarkably enjoyable and successful season.

"However, we are concerned for the club as a whole, and expect success on the pitch to be reflected in stability, integrity and transparency in the running of the club.

"Therefore, as representatives of the body of Swindon supporters across the region, the Trust invites all the protaganists in the current court case to:

"a) remember their primary responsibility to all the employees of Swindon Town FC, and especially to members of the playing staff whose future employment with the club is due to be decided now; and to ensure that such decisions are able to be made properly and promptly.

"b) ensure that the club is able to move forward with its summer programme of strengthening the team for the new season.

"c) move rapidly to reassure supporters that there is a stable and secure future for the club, and that the directors of the club will develop an honest and transparent relationship with the fan base which respects their unique role in the life of the club.

"d) bring an end to the current legal dispute quickly in a way which will enable the progress on the football pitch this season to be enhanced in the coming year and beyond, and without further damage to the strained financial state of the club.

"At the same time, we wish to make clear that we understand the complexities of running a modern-day football club, especially in the light of the need to enforce a radically new financial model. That the team has achieved so much on the pitch in the first season under such constraints reflects positively on all concerned.

"However, the disputes 'behind the scenes' which have led to the current court case are, in our view, deeply damaging both to the morale of all the staff of the club and its supporters, and to its reputation locally and nationally. The supporters of Swindon Town, as of any club, are its lifeblood. To alienate the supporters is to risk destroying the very business that is being fought over."