WORK on Oxford United's new stadium faces yet another long delay.

The new complex at Minchery Farm, Littlemore, is now unlikely to be restarted until early next year.

The club's managing director Keith Cox has virtually ruled out any hope of United moving to their new home at the start of next season.

Building work on the site has been halted for more than a year because of cash problems.

Mr Cox told supporters at an open meeting last month significant progress would have to be made by the end of February for any chance of a move to Minchery Farm by August.

But he admitted today such prospects were "looking under pressure". Even if the finance and multitude of legal issues were sorted out overnight, Christmas would appear a more likely start time.

Mr Cox said progress had been made with the new stadium, and with attempts to sell the Manor Ground.

"A contract for the sale of the Manor is with an interested party at present."

But he added that cash for the new stadium had still to be sorted out.

"We're not there yet, but not far off. We are closer than we were at the time of the open meeting but this is a very complicated situation and there are lots of banks and lots of interested parties involved."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.