IF March 6 will forever be an infamous date in the history of Accrington Stanley, October 28 so nearly joined it last year.

Having already gone out of business once before, in 1962, the club came within a whisker of folding for a second time exactly 12 months ago.

Stanley arrived at the High Court owing £308,000 to HM Revenue and Customs but having only been able to pay £96,000 despite six weeks of fund-raising.

The Reds faced the real possibility of being wound up that morning had it not been for the last-gasp intervention Ilyas Khan, who had been blocked in his attempts to come to a rescue agreement with the club in the weeks beforehand but turned up at the court to guarantee that they would pay the debt.

That guarantee was enough to secure a week’s extension to pay the debt.

A year on, the Reds’ finances are improved and manager John Coleman is hopeful of a promotion challenge but still the remnants of the cash crisis cast a shadow over the club.

Khan paid off Stanley’s debts but it took time to stabilise the finances, with transfer embar-goes because of further money owed and late accounts.

A three-way battle for power remains, because Dave O’Neill’s takeover of former chairman Eric Whalley’s shareholding is still not complete.

Khan’s intention to unveil his formal proposal for a share issue has been delayed and despite Coleman’s pleas for Khan, O’Neill and Whalley to find a way of working together, it is currently hard to envisage that happening.

Accrington Stanley may not come so close to oblivion again, but that does not mean the drama is over.