WIGAN'S shareholders last night delayed a decision on whether to give their blessing to a marriage with soccer neighbours Wigan Athletic.

Athletic's wealthy owner Dave Whelan has offered £4M to buy Central Park and pledged up to a further £7M to redevelop the old stadium as a shared home for the two clubs.

In return, he would take an agreed cut of the gate receipts from each of the rugby club's home games.

At last night's special meeting, the Wigan chairman Jack Robinson admitted that given the club's current debts of around £3M, it would be difficult "to soldier on" alone at Central Park.

"The only realistic way out is some sort of partnership.

"On our own there is no way we can fund re-development and you would have a ground in a steady state of decline."

The board will now have further talks with Mr Whelan before reporting full details of the offer to the shareholders who will make a decision in 4-6 weeks after studying all the options.

The alternatives could include an approach to Bolton Wanderers who are building a new stadium at Horwich just over the Wigan border.

But that possibility attracted little support last night and Mr Robinson said no official overtures had been made to the Bolton board.

Euro MP Terry Wynne urged the directors, "Don't be bounced into any decision."

Mr Whelan's offer comes after his decision to pull out of the proposal to build a 20,000 all seat stadium in partnership with Wigan and the local council at Robin Park.

As part of the deal he has also offered the rugby club the use of Wigan Athletic's training facilities at Christopher Park and Springfield Park for reserve games.

If Wigan turn down the offer, he plans to go-ahead with the re-development of Springfield Park into a 12,000 seater stadium.

He said: "If we get agreement I would hope that Wigan Athletic would move to Central Park next season."

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