TWO meetings in the next few days should at last result in Pontypool Rugby Club being placed in the control of a new consortium for the coming season.

The club trustees are scheduled to meet tonight to examine legal documents and satisfy themselves that the new group are the right people to take over.

And if, as expected, they sign the documents it will remain only for the Welsh Rugby Union to ratify the take over, expected to be a formality.

The new group, which includes former directors Jeff Taylor, Alan Francis, Steve Pritchard, Eddie Butler and Arthur Crane, are still not counting their chickens.

But Crane said: "We believe the trustees meeting to be the last piece of the jigsaw and we believe they will back us.

"It does look now as if we will take over, though I don't say that in a boastful way.

"If things go well tomorrow we should be able to take all the legal documentation necessary to the WRU on Tuesday.

"Hopefully then ratification will come quickly from the WRU regulatory committee and all correspondence and matters relating to the club will start coming to us.

"It does look now as though Bob Jude (formerly in charge of Pontypool RFC until his company, Pontypool Premier Rugby Ltd., were wound up last week) has conceded defeat.

"If and when everything goes through we will have to move quickly to sell season tickets and make other arrangements. But at least we have most of the squad signed up.

"Steve Jones (club coach) and Tony Clarke (team manager) have kept a hold of things superbly and we are fortunate the home-grown players who have come up through the Pooler ranks have stuck with us.

"If we are to continue to be successful in the years ahead this is the route we must continue to go down. But there remains a lot of work to be done. Whatever happens in the next couple of days will just be the start."

Meanwhile, the club have agreed an important partnership with Cwmbran-based Peter O'Neil (Services) Ltd. to enable as many players as want to learn a plumbing- related trade.

"The agreement is part of our community services initiative," said Tony Clarke. "And means any player will be able to train for a job to fall back on when their careers are over.

"We are delighted the company agreed to join with us when they might have gone elsewhere."

On the playing front, Abergavenny second row Matthew Collins and Bedwas prop Julian Viner have signed on at Pontypool Park while University of Swansea second row Craig Powell, cousin of former player Mike Powell, has agreed to join.