COWDENBEATH'S win over Clyde on Saturday has given them light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

But they are still at the foot of the Ladbrokes League 2 and in danger of facing a relegation play-off.

So if the worst comes to the worst can the club survive if it slips into the Lowland League? was a question asked at a recent meeting the board of directors had with fans.

The Board answered the questions: "Of course it can – it would need to cut its cloth to do that. It comes back to the survive rather than thrive scenario.

"East Stirlingshire haven’t folded despite dropping down. The Lowland League isn’t as big a drop as from the Championship to League 1 or from League 1 to 2 as experienced in the last two years. There are budgets for both League 2 and the Lowland League for next season – neither are a piece of cake.

"Both will work but involve belt tightening and/or enhanced fund raising. The uptake of a scheme like Roof Fall could make all the difference.

"The real key though is having enough committed people to make up a Board and enough supporters pitching in in a tangible way. Folks who are willing to continue running and backing the club. Without that you do not have a club".

And what about the situation as regards the ownership of the ground and the club?

Added the directors: "Well we now have a stable and positive relationship with Innovate (the Brewsters/Stock car operators/owners of Central Park).

"It isn’t a them and us scenario – both parties have their own challenges. They though were willing to allow chairman Donald Findlay to purchase the club on behalf of the community last year for a very modest price. The lack of engagement via the Supporters’ Council or similar meetings though means we have been unable as yet to capitalise on this community ownership of the club.

"We don’t see any prospect of a new ground in Cowdenbeath in the near future. Discussions over the years with Fife Council have borne little fruit – indeed to our detriment the more peripheral North End Park site was given planning consent rather than a site at Central Park right in the heart of the town.

"No real encouragement or ideas have been forthcoming from Council sources. There are alternatives – relocate to another town, groundshare elsewhere, merge with another club, play junior, even close down. Are those what fans and the community want? We don’t think they are?"

So over the next few weeks answers to these questions will appear.