The Wimbledon relocation saga took a turn for the absurd over the weekend when Scottish second division outfit Clydebank announced that they had commissioned a report into the feasibility of moving to Dublin.
Colm McCarthy, an economist who had previously been involved in a consortium which made a bid to gain entry for a new club, Dublin City, in the Scottish league, confirmed over the weekend that such a move was being contemplated.
Clydebank have been without a home of their own since their ground, Kilbowie Park, was sold for redevelopment last season. Since then the club has been bought by American-based Scot Dr John Hall, who has set his sights on winning a place for the club in the new breakaway Scottish Premier league.
At present they play their home games at Dumbarton's Boghead Park where all of 137 people turned up to see their recent Cup clash with Montrose. "We're looking at all the possibilities," said acting Clydebank chairman, Sandy Moffat, last night, "and we have commissioned a report on the possibility of moving to Dublin, although there is still a great deal to be worked out at this stage."
Moffat confirmed that McCarthy, who told a Sunday paper that Morton Stadium was being eyed up as a new home, owns a significant stake in the club but denied that the Santry venue was being seriously considered.
The Scots, who are currently leading the second division, were hinting last night that they could be in place by the autumn, but Moffat admitted that he expected there to be considerable opposition from the football authorities in both Ireland and Scotland to the move. The fact that a move to Belfast had been actively considered will hardly endear the IFA to the proposal either.
He made it clear, however, that the club is following closely the attempt by Wimbledon to win support for a similar move. "If they won a legal case on the issue, then it wouldn't take much work on our part to follow suit," he concluded.
Ironically this latest announcement may prove to be a considerable blow to Wimbledon's cause providing, as it does, a glimpse of the great footballing fiasco which is likely to follow a successful move by them to Clondalkin.
In the wake of the Dons and Clydebank, who could tell which club would be next? Would Inter Cable-Tel, for instance, really want to continue to settle for being Cardiff's second team when they could be Dublin's 10th instead?
Clubs traditionally based here, meanwhile, may feel that the market has become flooded. St Francis may be first to crack and make what many have always felt to be the logical move for the 1990 cup finalists - a switch to Italian town Assisi.
