ILYAS Khan has been appointed non-executive chairman of Accrington Stanley — as the club said its unpaid tax bill had been settled.

The Reds appear before the High Court in London tomorrow morning over their £308,000 debt where it is expected the news will be confirmed.

It means the threat of a winding up order forcing the closure of the club appears to have been averted.

The club released an official statement last night which named merchant banker Mr Khan as the board’s new non-executive chairman and said the full £308,000 owed to HMRC had been paid.

Former vice chairman Peter Marsden is listed as the club’s president, with David O Neill’s position changing from chairman to ‘managing director and head of operations’. The club have outlined that both chief executive Rob Heys and manager John Coleman will continue to report to Mr O’Neill.

Mr Khan last week saved the club from closure when he guaranteed in the High Court to meet any shortfall in paying off the bill.

It has not yet been revealed how much the club paid and how much Mr Khan had to contribute.

Mr O’Neill, who had faced calls to quit over his handling of the crisis, said: “I am very pleased the new board has come together, and the future of Accrington Stanley Football Club is assured.

“The positive changes effected on the field, and the day to day management of the club can now be supported by a stronger financial backing and a board with the requisite experience and strength to move forward.”

Ilyas Khan and Peter Marsden’s joint statement said: “We believe the town, the community and the supporters should now link arms with the team and the management to forge a stronger and vibrant partnership that will be a credit to this wonderful wonderful football club.

“Whilst there have been clear differences of opinion between David and ourselves, these are not only resolved, but put behind us.

"The three new directors will concentrate on their areas of expertise, and jointly, bring their collective endeavours to actions that are exclusively in the best interests of the club. “