TROUBLED Darwen Football Club have been offered a last-minute reprieve after being threatened with closure by a brewery.

A cash wrangle between the club and brewery Carlsberg-Tetley was due to reach the High Court today after the brewery submitted a winding-up application.

The move could see the 128-year-old club forced out of business.

Carlsberg-Tetley said an outstanding debt owed to the company by Darwen Football and Social Club had been put into the hands of its solicitors. But the two parties have begun talks which have thrown a lifeline to the club.

Chairman Kath Marah said: "We have been speaking to the brewery and the action is being postponed while we work out our differences."

The trouble is said to have begun after the club began buying its beer from a wholesale firm instead of dealing directly with the brewery.

The brewery says that two options could now save the club, to pay off the debt in full -- said by the club to amount to a 'few thousand pounds' -- or to buy beer from them, and have the loan written off against the purchase.

A spokesman for the brewery confirmed the court hearing, due to take place in Manchester, has been adjourned to a later date.

She said: "Carlsberg-Tetley confirms that Mrs Marah, the chairperson of Darwen Football Club, has contacted the company's solicitors and requested a meeting with a view to resolving the issue.

"Carlsberg-Tetley is hopeful that she will take us up on the option to re-trade which should remove the need to continue with legal action."

Mrs Marah has told fans not to panic, and says she is confident that the Anchor Road club has a future.

She said: "Some of this is down to a certain amount of misunderstanding and lost mail. Now we have made proper contact by phone then we can resolve this problem."