By Malcolm Nugent - CUOSC

CUOSC will be striving to be more relevant and a more attractive proposition for supporters as it moves forward.

That was the promise from chairman Matt Spooner when he spoke at Sunday’s Annual General Meeting in Foxy’s restaurant at Brunton Park.

He said: “It has been a transitional year for both the club and CUOSC.

“During the takeover process the CUOSC board has adapted and worked well as a team and helped to achieve something massive for the club.

“We have a reduced shareholding but we believe we are in a good position moving forward.

"What we must do now is find new ways of becoming more relevant and more attractive and representative for fans.

“If we can walk into the board room with 5,000 members we will have a much louder voice.”

He added: “There is a sense of excitement at the club following the takeover. From day one the Piatak family have been really keen on fan involvement.

"They have been supportive of how we work and want to help us improve.”

Four new board members – Claire Winder, Mike Denovellis, Martin Robson and Ross Parkinson – were elected onto CUOSC’s ten-strong board at the meeting.

That meant Nigel Davidson and Carol Wilson missed out on re-election.

Spooner paid tribute to both of them. He said: “As we move forward it would be wrong to forget all the people who worked hard in difficult times for CUOSC in the past.

“We have new owners and Nigel and Carol played a big part in helping to make that happen.”

Davidson will remain as CUOSC’s representative on the club’s 1921 operational board in the short term until a new director is appointed. Billy Atkinson remains CUOSC’s representative on the club’s Holdings board.

Meanwhile, Blues chief executive Nigel Clibbens has paid tribute to CUOSC’s role in the takeover by American businessman Tom Piatak and his family. He said: “They have played their part as a shareholder in some pretty tough decisions.

“They stood firm at the right time and did the right thing at the right time.”

He also gave a special mention to Jim Mitchell, a former CUOSC director who lived and breathed the Blues. He would have loved to have seen the takeover go through but sadly died 12 months ago.

CUOSC has around 1,200 members. To join visit our website at www.cuosc.org.uk It costs £10 for an adult for one year and £5 for seniors and under-18s.