DIRECTORS at Weymouth Football Club are feeling positive about the future, following a meeting between board members, proposed administrators Benedict Mackenzie LLP and a potential buyer.

As revealed in Echosport last week, the consortium – which has “a strong Weymouth connection but no previous links to the football club” – met with the club and representatives of Benedict Mackenzie LLP.

The prospective new owners would be keen to buy Weymouth FC out of administration – which the club is not yet in – and could even be in place by the time Dorchester Town visit in the FA Trophy on November 21. The two local rivals were pulled out of the hat at FA Headquarters yesterday morning (full story on page 29).

“It was a positive meeting,” said director Paul Cocks. “It’s still the same proposal being put forward.

“The buying consortium are not in a position to take it over as it stands but are very interested after administration and the main purpose of the meeting was to find what the proposed administrator’s requirements would be.

“They now know that and are still very interested in proceeding.

“It is now looking quite likely that deal will happen.

“There are still things to be done and the proposed administrators have things to carry out.”

And with the Terras drawing rivals Dorchester at home in the FA Trophy, Cocks added: “Maybe our luck is finally beginning to turn.”

Fellow director Shaun Hennessy, who told Echosport that the consortium had a “strong Weymouth link but no previous connections to the football club” didn’t want to get carried away, but added: “I’m feeling more positive now than I have for the last month or so.”

Manager Ian Hutchinson is hoping that the better news may also ease the players’ minds as Weymouth look to improve their terrible run that has seen them lose their last eight games.

“We are going day to day not knowing what’s happening,” he said. “Hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully by the end of the week or next week there will be some news that will be positive for this football club.”

Hutchinson looks set to give a few fringe players the chance to impress when Wessex Premier side Poole Town visit the Wessex Stadium for a Dorset Senior Cup second round tie tonight (7.45pm).

Matt Groves, Nathan Loader, Rob Nicholls and Jordan Vincent are among those pushing for a rare appearance in the Terras’ starting 11.

“We will be taking the game very seriously,” said Hutchinson. “I know Tom Killick at Poole and he has a good side up there, so it’s a very tough game.

“It’s a chance to have a look at a few of the youngsters and for them to stake a claim for themselves. Every game you go into you want to win that game so we will prepare in the same way and it would be great to get a victory and breed a bit of confidence in the boys.”

Defender David Obaze and captain Kyle Critchell are both available to play, should Hutch-inson decide, with their suspensions kicking in at Bishop’s Stortford on November 14.

Poole boss Killick, who spent a month on loan as a player at Weymouth about 10 years ago, said: “Fred Davies was manager and I played alongside David Laws, Alex Browne, Simon Browne and Ian Hutchin- son, their current boss.

“Terras are so well supported. They have a loyal and strong support and it’s going to be a real tragedy for a lot of their supporters if they were to lose their club.

“It’s a shame it has come to this. There are hundreds of people who have been following Weymouth for years and years and it’s no fault of theirs the club is in the situation it is in.”

Poole are without former Terras and Dorchester Town midfielder Taffy Richardson, who injured ribs during Poole's 2-1 win at Alresford on Saturday.