Chorley are hoping to follow the Wrexham “playbook” after revealing they are in negotiations for pop group Boyzone to become the new face of the club.
The part-time National League North outfit announced this week that members of the boy band were due to attend their next fixture with a view to taking an active role in the set-up at Victory Park.
That news came after Chorley were served with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs but the significance of that has been played down by the club.
According to a court filing, the petition was served on Tuesday and the case is currently listed as open.
“It’s been dealt with, it’s done,” chief operating officer Tom Clarke told the PA news agency. “It was something and nothing and it’s gone.”
For Clarke, the immediate focus is on Saturday as Boyzone singers Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy, along with Westlife’s Brian McFadden, attend the Magpies’ FA Trophy tie with Solihull Moors.
It is part of a collaboration which could lead to Boyzone not only bringing sought-after publicity but, potentially, investment.
The club described their ongoing discussions with the group as a “game-changer” that could push Chorley into the “limelight like never before”.
Whether or not it generates the attention that actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have brought to Wrexham remains to be seen, but that would certainly be the dream.
Clarke said: “They’ve written the playbook, haven’t they? They’ve proven that as a tried-and-tested model and obviously it’d be absolutely fantastic to do anything like that.
“It’d be wonderful if they were to come in and have an active role within the club and, ultimately, that’s got to be what our goal is set for as part of those negotiations.”
Chorley, whose stadium holds 4,100, were taken over by London-based entrepreneur Prince Yemoh last May and have big ambitions of climbing through the league pyramid.
They are currently sixth in the sixth tier and hope to follow the path of Salford who, backed by a group of players from Manchester United’s famous ‘Class of 92’, rose through the non-league ranks to League Two.
Clarke said: “Salford is probably a very good example. We’re under new ownership, there’s lots of things changing, lots of things happening.
“We’ve great ambitions to progress through the National Leagues and hopefully into league football in the not-too-distant future.
“We want to try and do the best we can. Chorley’s got 180,000 people (living) there. It’d be great if we were seeing a lot more of them coming to the actual games to support the club.”
The link with Boyzone, which has come about through a personal friendship with Lynch, has already created attention the club could previously not have imagined.
Clarke said: “Shane’s a personal friend of some of ours. We’ve known him for about six or seven years through the motoring trade.
“He came down to a couple of games earlier this season and liked the buzz that was happening at Chorley.
“He’s gone back, spoken to his bandmates and instigated negotiations for them potentially becoming the face in the club.
“Obviously it’s gone very big, very quick. It’s really good. It’s exciting times.”
Injury forces Militao out of Brazil's World Cup qualifiers
Eder Militao will miss Brazil's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru due to a thigh injury.
The defender, who also missed September's fixtures due to a leg injury, first felt some discomfort against Atletico Madrid on September 29.
Though he has featured for Real Madrid since, he flew out to Sao Paulo to undergo checks on the issue, where the national team confirmed the extent of the injury.
"[Militao] underwent tests this Sunday... which revealed a minor muscle injury in his left thigh that will prevent him from playing," the CBF said in a statement.
He is the second Madrid player to pull out of the Brazil squad, with Vinicius Junior also unfit to play after suffering a neck injury.
Brazil sit fifth in South America's qualification table after eight matches, with 10 points.
Brighton 3-2 Tottenham: Rutter inspires remarkable Seagulls comeback
Brighton managed a remarkable second-half comeback as Georginio Rutter scored one and played a key role for another in a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou's visitors had won their last five games, including their EFL Cup and Europa League exploits, and started well on Sunday as in-form Brennan Johnson scored for a sixth straight outing.
James Maddison doubled the away side's lead before the interval, aided by Bart Verbruggen's handling blunder, but Yankuba Minteh halved that deficit after the restart with a thumping finish.
Destiny Udogie was somewhat at fault for Minteh's finish, and the Spurs defence again struggled as Rutter restored parity before the hour mark after dancing around a couple of defenders.
Former Leeds United star Rutter then edged past numerous Tottenham charges once more, with his cross deflecting up for Danny Welbeck to head in the 66th-minute winner and seal a memorable turnaround.
Verbruggen was still required to deny Udogie late on, however, as Fabian Hurzeler's side held on for a victory that lifted them to sixth and ended Spurs' impressive winning run.
Data Debrief: Johnson's heroics in vain
Johnson has now scored in each of his last six appearances in all competitions, becoming the first Spurs player to do so since departed talisman Harry Kane between December 2018 and January 2019.
The winger's six goals across 10 appearances this season are also more than he managed in 34 outings for Spurs last campaign, though Johnson's efforts proved ultimately in vain.
Sunday marked the 10th time that Tottenham have lost a Premier League game in which they led by two or more goals – they are the first club to hit double figures for this, and have done so three more times than any other club in the competition's history.
Indeed, this memorable turnaround saw Brighton win a league game after trailing by two or more goals at half-time for the first time since a 3-2 victory against Charlton in the Championship in December 2015.
Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect
Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference once again for Al-Hilal as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions beat Al-Ahli 2-1 on Saturday.
Al-Ahil went in front with 12 minutes played when Gabri Veiga was sent through on goal by Franck Kessie, with the Spaniard rounding Yassine Bounou to open the scoring at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts went close to doubling their advantage soon after, with Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney going close, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his effort cleared off the line at the other end.
But parity was restored early in the second half through Al-Hilal's master marksman, as Mitrovic nodded home a trademark header from Renan Lodi's delivery.
Al-Ahil were then awarded a penalty when Rayan Hamed fouled Malcom inside the box, only for Mitrovic to see his effort saved by Abdulrahman Al Sanbi.
However, the Serbian was given the chance to redeem himself after the VAR deemed encroachment had taken place, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to net his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Mitrovic the main man
Mitrovic has been in fine form since his move to Saudi Arabia, with his latest double taking his tally to 54 goals in as many appearances for Al-Hilal.
This time out, he contributed 1.16 expected goals (xG) tally to the visitors' 2.24 total, while also recording the most touches in the opposition box (six).
Malcom also impressed for Al-Hilal, creating more chances (three) than anyone on the pitch, with his 14 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Ruben Neves (18) and Salem Al Dawsari (15) among his team-mates.
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