KEN Anderson offered an unreserved apology after paying Wanderers’ players and coaching staff just hours before their game against Sheffield Wednesday.

The club owner expects a takeover to be completed later this week – and was sufficiently secure to sanction the payment earlier this afternoon.

Unless there is a late twist in the tale, it appears a consortium spearheaded by Parminder Basran and Sharon Brittan will buy Anderson’s majority stake in the club.

Players had gone 12 days without their February wages, and both full and part-time staff were paid a week late as Anderson sought to sell-up.

And penning what could be his final column on the official website, the owner hinted that the deal was close.

“After a number of last-minute hitches which caused some unforeseeable delays, I can confirm that all outstanding salaries for players and coaching staff have now been paid and we can all now put our energy and focus into supporting the players for tonight’s important match,” he said.

“As I recently said, a great deal has, and no doubt will continue to be, written and said about my ownership and time at the club if the last few days are anything to go by.

“As they say, ‘you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.’ “Hopefully, the takeover will be completed later this week and the new owners will be in place and will be given the time and opportunity to take the club forward.”

Anderson also said he had not attended a games, home or away, on police advice.

The 67-year-old said of abuse he had suffered on social media: “Some people who use these sites almost dehumanise their ‘targets’ and think that any form of abuse is fair game.

“Through their perceived anonymity they launch no-holds-barred attacks on people which spread contagiously and incite others. As we have seen at the weekend, this frenzy can then enter real life which could have potentially devastating effects on people.

“My family and I have been targeted on social media and that is why I have heeded the advice from the police and reluctantly stopped attending matches both home and away in recent weeks.

“Hopefully, these social media sites find a method of stopping this uncontrolled and anonymous abuse.”