CHAIRBOYS chairman Andrew Howard revealed at a supporters’ trust AGM that the debt to former chairman Steve Hayes has been paid off thanks to Jordan Ibe’s move from Liverpool to Bournemouth in the summer.

The debt, of £1.5m, has been paid off in full to Hayes and although this means that nothing in the short term has changed too much, Howard explained how the debt was cleared and what it could mean in the long run

He said: “The long-term objective was to pay Steve back over many, many years on an interest free basis.

“In terms of that being cleared, the Ibe money has allowed us to do that. We were paying it back every month and that will take that pressure off.

“It also brings to an end Steve’s era, although he has been a great support to the club, and we will see where we go from here.”

One of Howard’s objectives now Hayes’ money has been paid is the possibility of re-introducing a reserve team to Wycombe.

He commented: “Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one of the core objectives in terms of building stability within the club.

“If we were to go back to having an academy, it would be five or six years before we would see any benefit regarding the football club.

“The type of players such as Luke O’Nien, Scott Kashket and Max Muller are the future and bringing in these type of players allows us to have a group a strong enough squad.

“For example, Gareth Ainsworth bought in a Premier League referee the other day at training to officiate a 11 vs 11 game.

“We need to develop a system where if the lads who aren’t playing don’t go on loan, we need them develop to play regular football.”

However, Howard warned fans that the release of the debt didn’t mean that the club were suddenly going to spend pots of cash in January during the next transfer window.

He added: “We haven't suddenly got money to throw around. Like most clubs, we run on a deficit basis and rely on football fortunes to keep us going. 

“It's fundamentally a trust run club. We don't have the funding from any one individual, the reality is it's just another football fortune which allows us to continue and build.”