ST MIRREN’s long search for new owners could soon be over if a proposal submitted by their supporters trust is accepted first by the selling consortium and then by the trust’s members. The majority shareholding held by a coterie of directors at the Paisley club has been on the market without a buyer since September 2009, despite several parties showing an interest in the subsequent six years.

Now the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMiSA), in conjunction with former director Gordon Scott, have forwarded a fresh conditional offer to chairman Stewart Gilmour and his group for their 52% shareholding. Should that prove acceptable to the selling party then SMiSA will ballot their members for approval before submitting a formal bid to buy the club. The trust plan on following the model deployed by the Foundation of Hearts in their takeover of the Tynecastle club, with Scott filling the Ann Budge benefactor role by taking initial control and the fans gradually buying him out over a period of five to 10 years.

“We have sent an email to the selling consortium outlining our conditional proposal and now we are waiting to hear back from them,” said George Adam MSP, the SMiSA chairman. “We’ve been working for a year to get to this stage and now we think we are now too far away. It wasn’t an offer as such, more an outline proposal, because we couldn’t do anything more formal without speaking to our members first. When we go to our members, we want to make sure we have a robust case to make.

"Our plan is very similar to the model Hearts have employed to great success. Gordon already has a shareholding and plans to buy more, while we will also buy a stake and between us we will own a majority.

"Then over five to 10 years we will buy up Gordon's shares, and from that point is where I believe it will get exciting as the fans will be in charge. They will have a say in how the club is run. Fan ownership and community trusts are the future for Scottish football.”