Stuart Harvey both nervous and excited about his consortium’s plans to takeover at Whitehaven

The excitement comes with the range of ideas and plans already prepared and ready to implement once the deal has been done.

But the nervousness stems from the reluctance of a handful of shareholders to part with their shares, which is currently holding up proceedings.

“I’m nervous about something I can’t control and I don’t even know these people. The majority of shareholders have been receptive but a handful are reluctant,” said Harvey.

“We do have a timescale to complete the deal and it would be a real shame if we couldn’t get it over the line.”

The man heading-up the consortium has been involved in rugby league since he was six years old and introduced to the game at Orrell St James.

He had ambitions to play the game professionally and was briefly involved in the Swinton set-up before he spent time in Australia, playing in both Queensland and Western Australia.

Returning home, there were further brief spells at Hunslet and London Skolars.

“Eventually, you realise that you aren’t good enough for the pro ranks but I have always kept my interest and love for the game,” he said.

In business since he was 21, the idea of taking over a sports club has been growing for the last four years.

He and seven associates were close to taking on a football club in Greater Manchester but it didn’t quite happen.

“It just wasn’t right for us, so we moved on and when we heard about Whitehaven’s appeal for help, it just seemed right for us. The Cumbrian culture and the fanbase made it a bit special,” added Harvey.

“I’ve spoken to my business associates and there are five interested at the moment, but I am looking for other investment.

“We’ve made it clear that the £60,000 which the club appealed for has to be cleared because it needs to be significantly clear of debt to make it a worthwhile project.

“The debt was more than we were initially led to believe, so we have had to re-adjust our own figures.”

Harvey is operations manager for RightTrades which operates across the north west and was launched in February 2016.

His three-year plan for the club would be aimed at establishing them as a solid Championship side.

He aims to cultivate a thriving youth policy from Under-12s to Under-16s, attached to the club and then moving into a Tier Three Academy system.

“The aim would be to eventually provide the first-team with the best talent in the county," he said.

“We want to reverse the trend where all the best young players go out of the county to join other clubs.

“We would also want to run a women’s team and work closely with all the amateur rugby league clubs in the area."

But before all these ambitious plans come to fruition, he has to get the deal “over the line” and, at the moment, that depends on a handful of shareholders changing their minds.