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A Cardiff City fan has paid £12.99 to end any possibility of the Premier League-chasing club being renamed Cardiff City Dragons.

Paul Woodman, from Caerphilly, yesterday formally registered a limited company of that name with himself as the sole director.

His move means that no-one else could use the name without buying it from him – something he has no intention whatsoever of letting happen.

Cardiff’s Malaysian owner Vincent Tan had to issue a statement last week insisting the club’ s name would not change after BBC Wales reported he was not ruling out the move.

Bluebirds boss Malky Mackay also had to go on record to criticise the BBC reports and insist Tan had no intention of altering the club brand.

Season ticket holder Woodman, 28, says he has put an end to the debate anyway by registering his new firm with Companies House.

“I work in an office in Swansea and since this story about changing the name to the Dragons has come out, I’ve had the mickey taken out of me constantly by my colleagues,” he said.

“I’ve been a Cardiff City season ticket holder for many years and don’t like the idea of the name change.

“I don’t like the way they changed the name of some Rugby League clubs to make them more jazzy.

“They did likewise with the rugby regions in Wales, though I guess that because I’m not a great rugby fan that doesn’t worry me too much.

“But I definitely don’t want it to happen to Cardiff City.

“I decided I had to do something about it, and found that for only £12.99 I could register a company name online.

“Mr Tan says he doesn’t intend to change the name, but I guess he could change his mind. I also suppose that there are several name combinations he could use if he really wanted to.

“But I do know that by spending the money to register Cardiff City Dragons as a company owned by me I have prevented any future question of that name being used.

“I’ve no interest whatever in selling the name to anyone else, no matter what the price, so they can forget it.”

Meanwhile the registration of a further company called Cardiff Dragons Football Club Ltd is an “entrepreneurial gamble” and has nothing to do with the Championship leaders.

A registration was filed with Companies House under that title, fuelling further speculation among concerned Cardiff supporters that this was a step towards renaming their football club.

But after hearing rumours about a possible renaming of the side, a Lincolnshire businessman with no links to the club confirmed he had decided to register a company called Cardiff Dragons Football Club Ltd.

Management consultant Ryan King, 31 , of Bourne, a market town in Lincolnshire, said: “Obviously there were the rumours they were going to start a new name.

“So, as I’m a bit of an entrepreneur, I thought ’Well, if they’re going to do that then I will get the registered name, the company name, for that and if they wanted it they can have it off me.

“I’ve got a few mates who are Cardiff fans but other than that I’ve got no involvement with the club. It’s a bit of a laugh, it’s a bit of joke to be honest.”

A spokesman for the Bluebirds confirmed the registration of that name has nothing to do with the club and any speculation is unwarranted and incorrect.

Cardiff owner Tan said last week: “I can assure supporters that we will not be changing our name from Cardiff City Football Club, a club I am very proud to be a part of.”

Last May a third individual, accountant Mike Georgiou, 43, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, registered companies called Cardiff Bluebirds Ltd, Cardiff City Bluebirds Ltd and AFC Cardiff.

He could not be contacted for comment.