THE financial state of Worcester City Football Club will be put under the spotlight when supporters, shareholders and directors gather for a long-awaited meeting tomorrow night (7.30pm).

Dozens of people are expected to pack into the Gheluvelt Suite at the Whitehouse Hotel to find out the club’s plight as Worcester City hold their first annual general meeting in five years.

The meeting is strictly restricted to shareholders as they will have the chance to elect new members onto the board and look through the club’s latest accounts, which are also set to be approved.

However, as part of the National League North outfit’s efforts to be more “transparent”, a presentation will take place afterwards and fans, including non-shareholders, will have the chance to quiz chairman Anthony Hampson.

Company secretary John Jordan said it was a great opportunity to discuss issues surrounding the club, who have been paying rent to Kidderminster Harriers to play at Aggborough since 2013.

“We are fairly well aware of what is happening on the field, so this is an opportunity to hear from the chairman and other directors about what’s been going on behind the scenes,” he said.

“Shareholders will have the accounts from last year, which will show expenditure and bank balances, so we will know what the state of play is with the football club. It will be an opportunity for them to come and have their say on the way the club is run.”

Jordan said he expected up to 100 people to attend the annual meeting despite confirming the club had about 1,400 shareholders.

“Normally we get between 50 and 60 shareholders but we might get a few more as we have not had one for a while, so I would expect about 100 people,” he said.

“We have got about 1,400 shareholders but a proportion of those have either died or no longer live at the address we have for them.

“But, from my point of view, one of the things we need to improve on is communication, so on the night I am hoping to get people’s email addresses, so we don’t have to post stuff out all the time.”

As well as the recommendation to re-elect directors Hampson, Colin Layland and Mike Davis, shareholders will also have the option to welcome Rob Crean, Carl Heeley, Martin Pinches, Jeremy Pitt, Julian Pugh, Joe Murphy and Mark Wilcox onto the board.

Crean, also secretary of Worcester City Supporters’ Trust who are behind plans to create a 4,419 capacity-ground in Perdiswell, said it was an opportunity to “draw a line in the sand”.

“The board now want to encourage transparency, which may not have been the case before but is something they want going forward,” he said.

“I think it will be a lively debate where we can put questions to bed and start focusing on the future. So let’s get the AGM out of the way and hopefully push on together with a more unified approach.”

The last annual meeting was in 2011 and Hampson said: “Over the past couple of years, we have missed some in between leaving St George’s Lane and our time here at Aggborough.

“As chairman, I take full responsibility for this lapse and will explain my reasoning to shareholders at the AGM.”