MARCELLE Lazarus has today resigned as joint chairperson of Accrington Stanley.

Lazarus was brought into the club by Dave O’Neill in the summer and became joint chairperson in July after O’Neill had taken over the running of day-to-day affairs from Eric Whalley.

O'Neill and Lazarus have taken severe criticism from fans this week after Stanley were unable to fully pay off a £308,000 tax bill in time for Wednesday's High Court hearing, having previously turned down a substantial cash offer from wealthy businessman Ilyas Khan.

The club were given a seven-day extension to pay the bill, only narrowly avoiding a winding up order, after Khan turned up at the High Court and guaranteed that he would pay the money.

Lazarus informed O'Neill of her intention to resign this morning.

She said: "I’ve decided to step down.

"It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be and enough is enough.

"I’ve decided to walk away."

Lazarus' role had been to raise the profile of the club, with O'Neill in sole charge of day-to-day affairs.

O'Neill has so far resisted calls from fans to resign.