A FRESH petition to "wind up" Southend United is set to be adjourned after outgoing chairman Ron Martin revealed he expects the club to be sold by "mid-May".

The Blues owner and a consortium led by Australian businessman Justin Rees exchanged contracts before Christmas, however the takeover has been held up by Southend Council’s due diligence along with the consent of "the finance partner" of Ron Martin.

The delay has led to Stewarts Law, which claimed to be a creditor of the club, issuing a winding up petition against the club with a court date set for April 17.

Today, Stewarts has announced an agreement to adjourn the hearing until May 15 - when it expects the sale "will have completed".

In a statement, a spokesman for Stewarts said: “Stewarts began acting for Southend United Football Club in respect of a petition presented by HMRC in September 2022, and a further petition presented by HMRC in March 2023.

“We have not been paid for work carried out for the club. A petition was presented for those unpaid fees in February 2024.

“We have received formal notices of intention to support the petition from two other creditors.

“Following discussions with Ron Martin we have today agreed to an adjournment of the hearing on April 17 for 4 weeks, until May 15 2024 - subject to the court’s approval - by which time we are advised the sale will have completed.”

Last week, Ron Martin told BBC Essex he believed Stewarts had "jumped the gun" but aimed to settle with them before the court hearing.