A WINDING-up order hanging over AFC Bournemouth was formally struck out by the High Court on Wednesday.

The football club successfully applied to the court to quash the winding-up order brought by former company secretary Andrew Noonan.

The Cherries have already paid Mr Noonan £81,198 as ordered by the judge at a court hearing two weeks ago.

But the club needed to get the court order struck out in order to go on with vital refinancing plans, either by selling redevelopment land behind the stadium or by selling the stadium to a Supporters' Pension Scheme and leasing it back.

Cherries' chairman Peter Phillips said he was pleased to see the end of the case.

"It should never have got to court in the first place and I still don't understand his motives in trying to close down the football club when he professes to be a lifelong fan, but thankfully it has now been chucked out," he said.

"Hopefully we can now get back to more normal business. It's been deeply, deeply disruptive for the whole football club and it's been very difficult to live under this uncertainty."

Mr Noonan was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

First published: August 11