by CHRIS VAUGHAN

chrisv@newsquestmidlands.co.uk

"IT was excellent -- we had more crowds around us than the canvassers from the Labour party, the Conservatives, the Liberals and the UK Independence party."

That's the message from delighted Bromsgrove Rovers Supporters' Society press officer Peter O'Connell, after members held a ballot next to the Housman Statue, in Bromsgrove High Street, to gauge opinion on the Bannister family.

Over 500 townsfolk cast their vote on Saturday over whether or not the Bannisters -- which includes majority shareholder and chief executive Pat Bannister, reserve and youth team boss Paul Bannister, PR officer Andrew Bannister and commercial manager Simon Bannister --should quit the club.

"It couldn't have gone any better" beamed O'Connell. "Not one person came up to us and said 'what are you doing'. We were sweating that we would run out of ballot papers towards the end."

O'Connell added that last week's meeting with David Greensill -- from Rovers' administrators, Mayfields Insolvency Practioners -- was constructive and that Greensill would act as a mediator between society members and the Bannisters to discuss what is happening at the club, once Pat Bannister returns from holiday.

"We want to work with anyone who wants to take the club over," O'Connell explained.

"If it's the Bannisters then we want to see if Pat will put his cards on the table. As long as we can see their programme for the club then we'll work with them. But we want one of our members on the board."

If you want to vote, society members will be in the same spot on Saturday between 10am and 12.30pm. The result will be announced two days after the general election, on Saturday June 9, where a Bromsgrove district councillor will be on hand to supervise the count.