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Reds move was Manchester’s Maine aim

21/ 4/2005

SECRET meetings were staged by Manchester City Council in a bid to entice Salford Reds out of their hometown and into Maine Road.

The Advertiser has learned that Manchester chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein orchestrated high-level meetings with Reds chairman John Wilkinson to offer a lucrative deal to abandon the Willows in favour of Manchester City's former ground.

The revelation comes only a week after Manchester's bid to block plans to open the retail units needed to build the Red's proposed £35m stadium were finally unearthed.

It is thought a journalist was used as a go-between to set up discussions over the Maine Road deal, which Manchester City Council this week confirmed had been subject to top level discussions.

A council spokesperson said: "We can confirm that there was an exploratory meeting several years ago which came to nothing."

He added it was the council's recollection that the meeting was not instigated by them.

Mr Wilkinson OBE said: "They set up three meetings with me while Manchester City were still playing at Maine Road to ask if I wanted to move the Reds into Manchester. I didn't instigate them, Manchester contacted me."

Mr Wilkinson said the meetings were set up by a journalist working for a national newspaper and were attended by Keith Pinner, now honourary president of Manchester City FC.

Mr Wilkinson said: "The final meeting was with Howard Bernstein. He offered me the stadium for a peppercorn rent which would have made sense to some people but I said no.

"I just thought it would be wrong to move Salford Reds out of Salford and that Maine Road stadium would be too big. Salford Reds means so much to the city and its people - not just to supporters but everyone.

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