Cambridge United chairman Paul Barry and new director Terry Baker have settled their differences

Ex-chairman rejoins as director

FORMER club chairman Terry Baker has returned to Cambridge United’s board of directors.

Baker resigned as a director of the U’s in August 2009, but was voted back on to the board at last night’s club annual general meeting.

His departure two and a half years ago came after a disagreement with chairman Paul Barry, but Barry told shareholders at the meeting that the pair had settled their differences.

Barry said: “We’ve got to put the football club first. There was a bit of tension but that was three years ago and it’s more important that the football club survives and that we work together.

“People want us to fall apart but that’s not going to happen.”

This is Baker’s third spell as a United director. He had been chairman up until 2006, but stepped down in the wake of the failed “Abbey Aid” pop concerts which ended up losing the U’s a substantial sum of money.

Earlier in the meeting Barry announced that United’s losses this year amounted to £385,000, but the chairman said £250,000 of this was “extraordinary expense” relating to the sacking of Martin Ling and coach John Schofield last February and the departure of several highly paid members of the playing squad.

He added that thanks to the cost-cutting measures implemented by the board and new manager Jez George, they are expecting losses in 2012/13 to be just £99,000. Because of this, Barry said United do not need to sell star players such as Harrison Dunk or Luke Berry.

“We’re not in a situation where we need to sell to survive, which wasn’t the case in the last few years with Scott Rendell, Chris Holroyd and Robbie Willmott,” he said. “We’re not in that situation this year and we don’t intend to be next year either.”