BRISTOL Rovers are due back in court tomorrow to seek permission to appeal against a judge's ruling in favour of Sainsbury's which pulled out of an agreement to buy the club' s stadium.

Rovers’ plans to build a new 21,700-seater stadium, on University of the West of England (UWE) land at Stoke Gifford, hinged on the deal made with the supermarket chain in 2011 for the company to buy the Memorial Stadium and turn it into a store.

Following a six-day hearing in May at the High Court, Mrs Justice Proudman found in favour of Saindbury's, agreeing that the conditional contract between the supermarket and Bristol Rovers was lawfully terminated in November 2014. 

If the club wins leave to appeal, then the legal dispute is likely to continue until at least Christmas.

A spokesman for Bristol Rovers Football Club described the outcome of the hearing as ‘a kick in the teeth for Bristol.’

A spokesman for Sainbury’s said: “We understand that this is a sensitive issue locally and that there will also be disappointment as a result of the court’s decision.

"We will continue to work with the local community via our existing Bristol stores which employ over 800 people, and are extremely popular with customers."

The supermarket giant wanted to pull out of the contract with the club when it found out that larger supermarkets were becoming less profitable, leading to Bristol Rovers taking them to court.