Oxford United Football Club is seeking a resolution to the public transport crisis at the Kassam Stadium by talking to bus operators in the hope of reviving the so-called Football Specials.

At the end of last season, Oxford Bus Company stopped running the service, which dropped fans off outside the ground, because it was not financially viable.

It now offers fans a special £2.50 ticket enabling them to catch a bus into Oxford and a connection to Blackbird Leys - the only snag being that they have to walk to the ground.

The club hopes to persuade commercial operators to run services.

Under a legal contract with the city council - dating back to when planning permission was given for the Kassam Stadium in 1996 - the club is obliged to provide dedicated services to and from the ground on match days, but none now exists.

As reported in Saturday's Oxford Mail, the ground could still be closed for home games if the situation ends up having to go to court - but the club is confident that will not happen.

In a message on the club website, general manager Steve Hanks said: "The bus situation is one that we all know about and is a long-term one.

"There is a very remote, long-term possibility that the ground could be closed.

"But that is something like saying the Football League could close the ground if someone came on to the pitch every game for the next 20 games. It is about as likely as that."

Attendances at the Kassam Stadium are on the slide, with 7,842 watching United's first league match at the ground in 2001 but an average of just 4,925 turning up this season.

Mr Hanks said: "The situation is that we aren't a bus operator, clearly.

"Oxford Bus Company - rather than the club - cancelled the Football Specials and put in the alternative arrangement which they thought would enable fans to get to the stadium.

"On reflection, that isn't working very well.

"But we are talking to them, fans' group Oxvox are talking to them, and we are trying to find a solution.

"Ideally that would mean reinstating the Football Specials, but we as a football club have no licence to run buses.

"We have started to look into alternatives, such as coach services, because we want to get as many fans to the ground as we possibly can.

"We will do all we can to resolve the situation - it has to be financially viable, but we will find the best way we can to get fans to matches."

City councillor Gill Sanders added: "This is one of the things we were particularly worried about because we don't want everyone driving to the stadium. I hope this situation can be resolved as soon as possible."

Our story of August 12 on the withdrawal of the match day bus service carried the headline, Bus Chiefs Broke Deal With Club. It suggested that Oxford Bus Company was under a contractural obligation to provide the service and had breached this by withdrawing it.

The agreement for a dedicated bus service was between Oxford United and Oxford City Council. Oxford Bus Company was not a party to it, and therefore did not break any deal. The company withdrew the service on the grounds that it was no longer commercially viable, as it was entitled to do.

We apologise again for any misleading impression which may have been given.