IT TOOK less than a minute to wind up the affairs of Chester City in the High Court yesterday, when the club’s owners the Vaughan family – who weren’t in attendance – failed to pay an outstanding tax debt of £26,125 to HM Revenue & Customs.

An official receiver will now be appointed to recover what he can from the club’s meagre remaining assets.

Yesterday’s decision was expected, after City were booted out of the Football Conference a fortnight ago, consequently ending any remaining revenue streams.

Besides the court appointed receiver, it is expected that Chester City’s affairs will become the subject of further enquiries from the DTI.

Following relegation from the Football League, City went into administration last summer, but were promised a “bright new future” when the club was sold by Skelmersdale-based insolvency practitioners Refresh Recovery to the Vaughan family, who, coincidently, were the owners of the company that had entered administration weeks previously. Questions by the authorities are bound to be asked about why Chester City (2004) Limited descended so quickly into fiscal meltdown.

City’s hard-working secretary Tony Allan said: “Whilst not unexpected, this is a very sad day.”