KIDDERMINSTER Harriers' board have de-manded face-to-face talks with the men who want to take their place.

The third party, believed to be a Hampshire-based consortium led by former Farnborough chairman Ron Higgins, want to check the Aggborough club's accounts before making any firm take-over bid.

They could buy Lionel Newton's majority shareholding for £1, but must also be prepared to plough at least £400,000 into the cash-strapped Nationwide Conference outfit.

However, current chairman Colin Youngjohns and his group, including former Harriers chief Dave Reynolds, are not prepared to give up the club without a fight and a counter-offer.

But Newton is yet to receive any official written bids and it is feared the future of the club may even remain undecided before the annual meeting on June 7 with the deadline for bids extended until May 27.

In a statement, Harriers' board said: "The members of the board of Kidderminster Harriers Football Club Limited confirm that they have now been notified of an approach to Lionel Newton from a third party consortium interested in acquiring Mr Newton's interests in the company. The board have requested a meeting with members of this consortium before releasing information to them."

A war of words has seen Newton refuse to sell to any group involving Reynolds, while Youngjohns has questioned the third party's motives due to Harriers' lack of assets.

With boss Stuart Watkiss increasingly becoming a 'piggy in the middle', there is even speculation he may be replaced if the new consortium were to take over.