Members of the supporters’ groups that have been the driving force for a change of ownership at Boundary Park believe the club has reached a “significant turning point”.

Representatives from the Oldham Athletic Supporters’ Foundation (OASF) and Push The Boundary (PTB) met with head coach John Sheridan and Darren Royle, the son of Latics legend Joe, who has helped broker the deal with a local business to buy the club and Boundary Park, ahead of Thursday’s announcement.

Paul Whitehead and Simon Brooke of the Fan Led Group which owns the Oldham Event Centre, where the meeting took place, were also present as fan representatives were briefed about the announcement and where the formalities of the deal between Latics owner Abdallah Lemsagam, landlord Simon Blitz and the new investor currently are.

Fans have been at loggerheads with the club in recent years - a situation that has escalated since relegation from the Football League and more supporters planning to boycott Boundary Park under the Lemsagam regime.

But they have been assured that the new investor is keen to work with the fans going forward.

A statement from OASF said: “We are delighted with the announcement.

“It has been a very difficult few years for everyone associated with the football club, culminating in our relegation from the Football League this spring.

“There is still work to be done and questions which need to be asked of the new investor in terms of due diligence, their intentions for the future management and vision for the club etc. But we warmly welcome the announcement as a significant turning point for Oldham Athletic Football Club, both on and off the pitch.

“The identity of the new investor has not been revealed to us yet. We understand that this information will only be released to the public upon completion of the deal.

“Darren Royle assured us, on behalf of the new investor, that our involvement in the future development and progress of the club is absolutely crucial and integral to their plans.

“We assured him and John Sheridan that as fans and as organisations, both OASF and PTB are fully behind Shez, the team and the football club.”

The statement added: “We would like to acknowledge the work of both the current OAFC board and their landlord, Simon Blitz, in their collaborative efforts to help broker this deal, in the best interests of the club.

“We hope that the deal will be concluded before the start of the new season and we will keep you updated on our involvement.”