Wycombe Wanderers chairman Andrew Howard has lifted the lid on the challenges of running a trust owned football club.

The Chairboys have been trust owned since 2012 with around 1,000 fans paying nominal fees to elect a Trust board who subsequently elect a football board.

It is a system which has reaped rewards in the past few years, with Wycombe avoiding dropping out of the Football League and cementing their place in League Two.

While an appearance in the 2015 play-off final is a particular high point, Howard admits the trust approach does present Wanderers with a constant fight to remain competitive.

“It is a very difficult model because what you haven’t got is a very large bank account behind it,” Howard told the BBC.

“But if it’s done properly I think it’s a sustainable model for the club and the fans for clubs at a certain level.

“I think once you get to a certain level it would be very, very difficult to compete against what becomes private investment.

“It takes out the fluctuation of private ownership. What it can’t do is reach the highs of private ownership, like somebody walking in and giving an extra £2m to a club that’s turning over £3-5m.”

Howard also took the time to discuss his own role at Wanderers where he has helped oversee a reduction in the club’s debt.

While the club may be trust owned, Howard himself is not a Wycombe supporter and feels this disconnect allows him to make decisions based purely on business matters.

He said: “Off the pitch, as chairman, while I have absolute respect and will do anything I can for Wycombe Wanderers and support the lads and everyone there, I’m not a Wycombe Wanderers fan.

“I don’t have a football drug that suddenly switches me over into crazed decisions. I do all my decisions from a commercial perspective.”

If 2015 provided the high water mark for Wycombe’s time as a trust owned club, 2016 has in many ways brought fans back down to earth.

Yet, Howard feels the right coaching staff are in place to help deliver success despite the constraints of a small playing squad. “On the field the coaching staff are very keen on selecting a small group of lads that are committed and deliver,” Howard explained.

“There are examples through history where a small squad has a capability of delivering.”