At Stockport County on Wednesday evening, would-be Stags owner John Batchelor was allowed admission to the executive area at Edgeley Park.

But on the instruction of Mansfield Town, he was deliberately sat as far apart from current Stags owner Keith Haslam as possible.

Earlier on Wednesday Batchelor has revealed on air during a radio phone-in, on Mansfield station 103.2, that he had a takeover meeting planned with Haslam for Thursday afternoon.

• AUDIO: Mansfield Town takeover farce during 103.2 phone-in

But after giving the place and time for the meeting, Batchelor then appeared to be snubbed by the Stags owner when he told the station that no talks were planned - following chief executive Stephen Booth's on-air threat to resign if a takeover deal was being planned behind his back.

However, later on Wednesday afternoon Batchelor insisted that a meeting would take place, while Booth told Chad.co.uk that after contacting the owner, he was satisifed that there would be no meeting!

At the previous Stags match, against Barnet at Field Mill on Saturday, the Stags had refused Batchelor access to the executive area and made him pay through the turnstiles.

To complete the confusing picture at Field Mill, also at Stockport on Wednesday was former chairman and failed takeover bidder James Derry - who paid to watch the Stags for the third successive match.