Mr Derry's appeal last week for backers - to replace parties who dropped out at the last minute, stalling an agreed takeover with owner Keith Haslam - has attracted new investors.

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Now he hopes to complete his buyout very quickly - confident that he can now put up the required minimum £0.5m working capital - and end Mr Haslam's near 15-year ownership of the football club.

If the deal goes ahead the Stags will be sold for £1 with a zero bank balance, with the new owners renting Field Mill from Mr Haslam.

It is not clear if the owner will repay his approximate £500,000 loan to the football club, but he has agreed a sale price for the stadium should the Derry consortium find the funds over the next four years.

The loan - made to Mr Haslam's separate company Stags Ltd to purchase land at Skegby for a yet-to-be-built training ground at Skegby and first revealed at a football club AGM in 2002 - has long been the subject of protests from supporters.

Mr Derry's consortium will include local businessman Steve Hymas and another prominent Mansfield businessman, who came forward this week and has still to be named.

He also hopes that fans groups may also invest money into the running of the club, following discussions this week.

Mr Derry told Chad today: "I have been delighted with the response to last week's appeal. We are almost there."

At that public appeal the non executive chairman had said it was time for local businessmen to come forward and back his takeover, after it was revealed that Mr Haslam had agreed a deal to sell.

Mr Derry will be at tonight's Fans Forum, together with Stags chief executive Stephen Booth who is brokering the sale of the football club for Mr Haslam.

Both will be answering questions from fans, together with caretaker manager Paul Holland and captain Jake Buxton.

Tonight's fans forum is at 7.30pm in the X Bar, entry is by Stags Supporters Association (SSA)/TEAM Mansfield (TM)/Ollerton Stags Supporters Club (OSSC) membership card only due to limited capacity, but half price SSA membership will be available on the night.