Big interview: Chorley FC chief Ken Wright

Ken Wright (above) has become the new owner of Chorley FC alongside fellow Board member and club secretary Graham Watkinson

Ken Wright has a little chuckle to himself when he sums up the job of being Chorley chairman.

“If somebody finds a problem, then they usually get told, ‘You see him over there? He’s the chairman – go and see him,” Wright said with more than hint of a wry smile.

Being the figurehead of arguably the biggest non-league club in Lancashire is quite the responsibility, although something which Wright has grown accustomed to, having been in the role since 2003.

However, the onus on him looks set to increase ten-fold after news broke this week that he and fellow board member and vice-chairman Graham Watkinson have become the new owners of the club.

In a statement, it was revealed that the club’s ownership shareholding had been transferred to the duo – thus signalling the end of Preston North End owner Trevor Hemmings’ interest in the club.

He had previously owned the club and its Victory Park ground since saving the club from extinction in the early 1990s. Hemmings has over the years backed the club financially to varying degrees, although his input has diminished over the last decade.

The decision to entrust the keys to the football club to Wright and Watkinson speaks volumes for the way the Magpies have flourished both on and off the pitch in recent times.

Boosted by a stable financial and business footing, the Magpies have enjoyed one of the greatest periods on  the pitch in their long,  century-plus-old history.

Languishing in the lower reaches of the NPL First Division North, the appointment of former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Garry Flitcroft as manager in the summer of 2010 sparked a considerable upturn in  fortunes.

They have since gone on to win promotion twice and have enjoyed several play-off campaigns over the last seven years. They currently reside in the National League North – two steps away from the Football League.

Under new boss –  Flitcroft’s former assistant Matt Jansen – the club was just one win away from promotion to the National League this season, but they were beaten 2-1 after extra time by  FC Halifax Town in the play-off final last weekend.

The resurgence of Chorley as a major force in the world of non-league football is a huge testament to the work of the club’s current custodians.

However, as far as Wright is concerned , there is still much work to do as he looks to secure the Magpies’ future for generations to come.

Chief among his list of priorities in this new dawn is the potential redevelopment of the 97-year-old charming, but dated, Victory Park.

His and Watkinson’s acquisition of the club means they are in a much better position to negotiate with the club’s landlords Chorley Borough Council, who have recently acquired Victory Park.

Securing a new long-term lease will allow the Magpies to apply for grants and funding to improve the facilities.

“A lot of people say to me that they like going on Victory Park because they say it’s like going back in time,” Wright said.

“But the facilities do need updating and improving. We are playing at a good level – we are doing okay at the moment in that regard. But one of our stands got condemned the year before last and the big main stand is in a poor state.