Kettering Town's potential new owner Piercewright lays down his challenge to Akhtar

Brad Piercewright has challenged Kettering Town owner George Akhtar to prove the club's finances are not in a dire situation, while also offering him a place in his team in any future takeover.

Poppies fans gathered at the Park Hotel in Kettering on Monday night to hear a lengthy and impressive presentation given by Piercewright, who laid out his vision for the Poppies should he become the man to take over the reins, as he wants to.

The NT broke the story last week that Piercewright is fronting a consortium that is trying buy out Akhtar and take over the club.

The former Poppies defender hosted Monday’s public meeting, where he revealed that his latest offer was £450,000 despite his own valuation of the Poppies being just £1 due to the fact he claims to have discovered a number of potentially crippling debts owed by the club.

The club issued a press release last Friday that categorically stated the club is not for sale.

But Piercewright and his team still feel there is an opportunity, not just with a cash injection, but also expertise from local businessmen who are successful in their respective fields.

During the public talk, Piercewright was cautious about what was said, reiterating on many occasions that Akhtar should be applauded for the progress that the club has made over the past two seasons.

It was clear that he has information to expose but was adamant it was the fans, who should ask the questions of their owner.

After a long and thoughtful pause, Piercewright also decided to divulge his personal wealth to show that he means business.

"I want to give everyone some peace of mind - and please take this as a non-arrogant message - my net worth is worth about £58 million," revealed Piercewright.

"So I'm standing here, deadly serious about driving this club forward.

"It isn't about throwing millions at this or that, it's about building sustainably and making the community part of the club again because I feel there is a disconnect - I am aware of a lot more than you guys are.

"Yes I could have done this differently but I felt like I had hit a brick wall when trying to buy the club."

Piercewright started the evening with a chronological order of events as he sees them.

"Last year, Craig Norman joined me in Watford to meet George and his agent - we established pretty quickly that club is for sale, or certainly was for sale until the recent statement (from the club)," he said.

"What he wanted for it, I think, is pretty unrealistic (Piercewright stated later in the evening said that £1.5 million was asked for by Akhtar).

"My last offer was for £450,000 - that's cash, not loans.

"If there's any debts, I take them on - we take them off George's number and whatever's left is George's to take. I tried to do everything in the right way.

"I haven't signed an NDA - I did offer it to George. I've kept it as professional as I can over this period.

"The more I delved into the club and the more information I found out, the more things I wasn't very comfortable with as a supporter first and foremost."

Much has been spoken about the 'hostile' approach taken by the consortium, with some supporters feeling it has split the fan base and shows disloyalty to the current owner.

Piercewright stated that he was left with no other choice, while also answering the question about whether he could have approached the club two seasons ago when Ritchie Jeune was in charge of the club.

"I didn't know Ritchie was selling at the time," he said. "And to be honest, I wasn't in the position I am now and also for personal reasons.

"If this was a normal business transaction, this probably isn't the way to do it. I've done 17 acquisitions with AngloTech and not once have I had to stand in front of people and tell them what I want to do.

"I don't need to be here, getting eggs thrown at me.

"But I'm here with the best interests for Kettering. I'm stood here knowing I won't make a penny - I'm prepared to put my own cash into the club knowing I'll lose it, which is pretty crazy!

"I've just had a meeting (with the supporters trust), to state even if I bought the club, I don't particularly need my name up in lights.

"I'm quite happy to give the majority of the shares back to the supporters. It sounds a bit corny but I want to give something back to the community and build a legacy.

"I would welcome George if he wanted to sit with me but I don't think he will.

"The club owes a substantial amount of money that's grown since last year, but ultimately it's up to George to decide what that value is.

"A £450k offer for a club that's worth a £1, for me is a no brainer - to get out, as a legend to be able to have done what he has over the last two years.

"I just don't feel I want to go any higher. It's on principle - I don't think it's worth it. I even left it on the table for George to be part of my team."

After over an hour of responding to fans' questions, Piercewright summed up the evening.

"The purpose of tonight is to provoke a reaciton," he said.

"If I leave here, and George doesn't want to deal with me ever again, he is now accountable for what he put on that statement - spending money, doing the pitches, doing this and this, and that means I've done my job."