MUSTER was at 7.30am at the UniBol for our marathon trip to the Priestfield stadium at Gillingham.

Despite the unsocial hour, the mood was buoyant after the welcome news of our takeover by Football Ventures this week. There was a tremendous feeling of relief that we have survived, mixed with sadness and sympathy for our neighbours, Bury who didn’t make it.

We wish them luck with any appeals, which currently seem to be falling upon deaf ears at the EFL.

Calorific refuelling was undertaken at Norton Canes, where we shared experiences of rogue owners with some Portsmouth fans on their way to Blackpool.

It puts things into perspective when you realise just how many other clubs have similar traumatic tales of financial problems and administration.

We arrived in good time to form queues to get into the stadium.

With only Jack Hobbs on board, we had to go with the young ones again and, as usual, they gave their all and Dennis Politic was denied by a great save from his free kick.

Late on, Hobbs headed against the bar but the inevitable result ensued.

The fans were tremendous with their fantastic support throughout the match.

We understand the position the club is in and we’ll support the club through these dark days. Indeed, we were happy that we still had a team to support.

There is light at the end of the tunnel now that we have new owners. We have a long hard road ahead of us but at least the rebuilding starts now.

News of the appointment of Keith Hill as manager and David Flitcroft as his assistant was well received on the journey back – they are both ‘our own’ with a good track record at his level.

No one can underestimate the size of the task they face, as we are basically restarting from scratch.

Recruitment is the first priority to get some much-needed support for our youngsters.

The transfer and loan deadline is at 5pm on Monday, although I believe out-of-contract players can be signed after that.

It’s a wonderful feeling now to be able to focus on the football side after the years of off-field dramas we have endured.

It’s good to think about season tickets, new shirts and Supporters' Association meetings.

Best Wishes to Football Ventures as we all get on board for the rebuilding of our beloved club. It’s passion not fashion.