Desperate bid to rescue City

Mr Rhodes was believed to be meeting representatives from administrators Kroll at a location away from Valley Parade after this morning's 10am deadline passed without any decision on the crisis-hit club's future.

It is understood a number of other interested parties also came forward today and will be involved in the ongoing discussions.

Among those meeting administrators today were businessmen Jim Brown, Alan Biggin and Steve Longbottom, who are all known to be dedicated supporters of the club.

Jim Brown, who is in the construction business, is a shareholder in Halifax Town Football Club of which he is a former chairman.

Mr Biggin runs chartered accountancy company Alan Biggin and Co, in Shelf. He was last year's president of the Bradford Society of Chartered Accountants.

Mr Longbottom was formerly group managing director of steel wire company Carrington Wire, in Elland.

In a statement, issued at 12.45 pm today, Mike Moore, joint administrator of Bradford City, said: "As a direct result of today's 10am deadline, there have been several expressions of interest with regards to the future of Bradford City including some from new parties.

"As you may imagine, we are eager to investigate all of these new avenues in case they can provide a solution to the club's problems.

"Therefore, we feel it would be inappropriate to make any decision at present about the closure of the club.

"While these new developments are pleasing, time is of the essence. Right now our focus is to commence discussions with all parties in order to try to attain a viable offer that would secure Bradford City's future.

"In order to give the club the best chance of continued trading while we investigate all these proposals, we have asked players to agree to a deferral of wages.

"We appreciate that this is a worrying time for everyone connected with the club and as soon as we have anything further to report we will let you know.

It also thought that former City chairman Gordon Gibb, who had yesterday said that he would not allow the club to play rent-free at the stadium which he owns, was also in touch with the administrators.

It was understood that the administrators are keen to resolve the situation before the next Football League meeting on July 8.

EndsA Football League spokesman indicated last night that the administrators would have to act quickly to explain how the club could compete in next season's fixtures.

The next Football League board meeting is due to take place a week today, but a final decision could be made as late as the day before the new season kicks off.

Mr Sutcliffe, who last month held a Westminster dinner for key Bradford business people to rally support for the club, said the administrators had failed to contact the city's MPs or Bradford Council ahead of today's new deadline.

"We have not been given the opportunity to put something together," he said.

"All of us, through the Telegraph & Argus campaign, and through the efforts of the wider community, have expressed our wish that the club should be saved.

"At the meeting, we had a group of people willing to invest if a significant business plan was put forward, and yet we have never even been asked.

"Someone has to be responsible for not pursuing the appropriate routes that they could have done. I see this as an act of betrayal. If we had been given a week to work something out, we could have achieved something. It is ridiculous."

Mr Sutcliffe was last night involved in talks with Bradford Council's interim chief executive Philip Robinson over the possibility of the authority bailing the club out.

The city's other MPs have backed the call for the Council to get involved.

Marsha Singh, Labour MP for Bradford West, said: "I would urge Bradford Council to explore every avenue possible to try to retain this community facility.

"I think the Council should strongly consider the possibility of buying the ground. All three party leaders should discuss this very strongly."

Asked if it he could justify spending taxpayers' money on the club, Mr Singh said: "The social and economic impact of not having a club in the city would be very serious.

"I understand it is a business but the Bantams are part of the community and if it came down to supporting a Council buy-out, I would."

Chris Leslie, Labour MP for Shipley, said: "The effect would be devastating on the wider community if we lost the club, or if it was out of action for any length of time.

"I can't believe we can't find a way through this mess.

"The fan base has been so loyal and happy to help, as proved by the T&A campaign, that there must a way to galvanise this and get the club back on a firm footing."

Mr Leslie admitted "serious questions" would need to be asked about the Council investing in the club but he said: "All options need to be investigated because of the effect on the wider community.

"I'm sure there is a profit to be made at Bradford City and I don't believe it is impossible to put the club back on the path to solvency."

Terry Rooney, Labour MP for Bradford North, said the club's plight was a "disaster".

He urged Council chiefs to persuade business leaders to stump up money to save the debt-plagued club, as well as putting high-quality executives in charge of its day-to-day running.

"Bradford Council must immediately convene a meeting of major businesses and organisations in the city to sort this out," he said.

"The club is important for the whole city and if it shuts it will affect the business community, it's bound to do, so they must help put together a package to get it over the crisis.

"People have got to understand what losing the club would mean for the image of Bradford."

City's players were stunned by news of the club's closure.

Captain David Wetherall said Mr Gibb held the club's future in his hands.

"It's down to one guy. Everyone else is doing their bit, the players, the fans, the staff. Julian (Rhodes) is there ready to put money in," he said.

"But the one guy not playing ball is the same one who stood out on the pitch and said that Bradford City will always be able to play at Valley Parade.

"He has had that long to change his mind and has been told the situation for weeks. But he's done nothing so why should it change now.

Mark Bower, who grew up watching City fan, paid tribute to the huge fundraising efforts that had been held to try to keep the club alive and said news of the club's closure had come as a shock .

"Everybody has been fantastic to try to ensure there is still a club," he said.

"The public, the T&A, the businesses, they have all got involved to try to save us. For all this to fall apart would be a travesty.

"We hadn't heard anything negative, our name was in the fixture list and everyone was of the opinion we would be allowed to carry on.

"This has come as a bolt from blue."

Mr Gibb said he had made various offers to the administrators about the rent for Valley Parade and accused them of leaving things to the last minute to make him "go weak at the knees".

He said: "My conscience is clear. I have done everything physically and financially possible to help the club."