What may be the earliest creature yet discovered on the evolutionary line to birds has been unearthed in China.

The fossil animal, which retains impressions of feathers, is dated to be about 160 million years old.
Scientists have given it the name Aurornis, which means "dawn bird".
The significance of the find, they tell Nature magazine, is that it helps simplify not only our understanding for how birds emerged from dinosaurs but also for how powered flight originated.
Aurornis xui, to give it its full name, is preserved in a shale slab pulled from the famous fossil beds of Liaoning Province.
About 50cm tail to beak, the animal has very primitive skeletal features that put it right at the base of the avialans - the group that includes birds and their close relatives since the divergence from other dinosaur lineages.
Pascal Godefroit from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is the lead author on the paper that describes Aurornis.
His Nature publication also reports details of an across-the-board re-analysis of how the many bird-like creatures living in Jurassic and Cretaceous times were related to each other.
This was done by comparing the detail in the shape of their bones.
The major consequence of this phylogenetic re-assessment is that it restores one of the most famous fossils ever found to the bird line.
Archaeopteryx, dubbed "the first true bird" when first identified in the 19th Century, was shunted recently into a pool of non-avian but bird-looking dinosaurs as a result of the many exquisite feathered creatures emerging in Liaoning.  The skeletal features seen in these new specimens had appeared to make Archaeopteryx less pivotal.
However, this demotion caused some consternation because Archaeopteryx, which lived roughly 150 million years ago, could clearly fly; and by re-classifying the animal it had implied also that powered flight must have evolved at least twice - once on the real line to birds and again in this parallel pool of dinosaurs that merely shared some bird features.
But the re-analysis conducted following the discovery of Aurornis has once again simplified the picture.
"Previous phylogenetic investigations were based on maybe only 200 morphological characteristics.  Here, we recognise almost 1,500 characteristics," explained Dr Godefroit.
"So it's a much bigger and more robust analysis, and according to this new investigation Archaeopteryx is again considered an ancestor of birds and the new creature we describe is also a basal bird; and in fact it is even more primitive than Archaeopteryx," he told BBC News.
As well as placing Archaeopteryx at one of the earliest points of divergence within the avialans, the study also re-shuffles the Troodontidae, a family of bird-like dinosaurs.  Dr Godefroit and colleagues now consider these to be a sister group of the avialans.
"What we're arguing over here is actually very small, esoteric features of the anatomy," commented Dr Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum, London, UK.
"We're looking at a nexus of animals around bird origins - birds themselves and a bunch of dinosaurs that are almost, but not quite, birds.
"There is a really grey, wobbly line between the two. Just one or two changes across a huge body of data can make the difference between an animal being on one side of this bird-dinosaur divide or the other.
Dr Barrett said the fossils now being unearthed were providing fascinating insights into the emergence of the bird line and the evolutionary "experimentation" that preceded it: "The beginnings of the bird line is all about fine-tuning parts of their anatomy - of their wings, of their hips, of their chest muscles and shoulder girdles, and so on - to make them flight-ready," he told BBC News.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


American president Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to be honorary chairman of golf's Presidents Cup.

The event pits America against an international team, that excludes Europe, at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey from 26 September.
"It is a great honour for me to be even a small part of the Presidents Cup," said Trump, who said he has watched the tournament since it began in 1994.
"It gets better with age. This will be the greatest of them all."
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said organisers look forward to Trump being involved "in any capacity his schedule allows".
Former American president Barack Obama twice performed the role as honorary chairman during his term in office.


Three unions representing local government and school support workers have suspended a planned strike in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Unison, GMB and Unite - which said they represented more than 1.5 million people in these roles - had organised a strike next week over pay.
But they said Tuesday's action had been suspended after the Local Government Association (LGA) made "new proposals".
The unions said they would now consult their members on the proposals.
They said the LGA's pay offer covered the period from 1 April this year to 31 March 2016.
The workers involved have the "lowest pay in the public sector and have suffered significant attacks on their conditions of work in recent years", the unions added.


Armed police will be on patrol at Stonehenge as thousands of people gather to celebrate the summer solstice.

Extra security measures have been put in place following the recent terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.
Wiltshire Police said the move was to "reassure the public that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe".
The Pagan Federation said it "sadly accepted" the need for such security measures.
About 12,000 people attended the Neolithic site last year to mark the summer solstice, which takes place tomorrow.
Visitors will only be allowed to bring small bags with them and are urged to only bring essential items.
"At Stonehenge there will be an increased number of officers and staff this year carrying out high-visibility patrols, and as a further precaution visitors may see armed police officers in the vicinity," said Supt Dave Minty from Wiltshire Police.
"I must stress that this is not due to any increase in threat or change in the intelligence picture surrounding the event or the county as a whole."
David Spofforth from the Pagan Federation said it was "very sad" that armed police were necessary.
"I am not saying I am welcoming this, I sadly accept it," he said.
"But you just have to look at the events such as at Finsbury Park, a peaceful religious gathering where people suffered so much by the actions of one hate-filled individual."
English Heritage said it hoped this year's solstice festival would be the "greenest solstice yet", by encouraging people to either car share or travel by public transport.
Parking charges of Â£15 have caused controversy though, after a senior druid challenged the fees in court.
King Arthur Pendragon lost his claim last month that the "pay to pray" rules breached his human rights.


More services in Wales to help diagnose osteoporosis could save the NHS £4.5m a year, a charity has claimed.

The National Osteoporosis Society is calling for every hospital in Wales to have such a specialist service.
It claims only half of hospitals in the country currently provide fracture liaison services for outpatients.
The Welsh Government said extra funding had been provided for more physiotherapists for a community-based approach to musculoskeletal conditions.
According to the charity one in two women over the age of 50 in Wales will break a bone because of poor bone health, and one in five men.
And, on average, people suffer one to three fractures before they are diagnosed.
Fracture liaison services at hospitals can identify if people who have broken bones have osteoporosis, of if they are at risk of the condition.
Jackie Pile, from Penarth, was diagnosed with osteoporosis six years ago and has broken a number of bones in her spine as a result of the condition.
She said: "My back aches if I stand for any length of time and I end up stooping, round shouldered.
"I can't do as much as I used to - I used to be a teacher carrying heavy boxes around. I know I can't do that now."
Ms Pile had a scan because of ongoing back pain and said it was a relief knowing the cause of it. She has lost six inches in height since her diagnosis.
"I'm a bit fed up of being short. I'm used to being 5ft 8in, standing out in a crowd. Now I have to stand on something to look in the mirror," she said.
Dr David Byfield, of the University of South Wales, said: "At the age of 30 you start to lose 1% of your bone each year. You lose 2% of the scaffolding of the bone.
"When you reach menopause that increases by about 10-fold and in the lumbar spine that increases 20-fold, so there's a massive drop in the ability for the bone to sustain itself."
The National Osteoporosis Society said if fracture liaison services were available at all hospitals, it could help diagnose people who have the condition without realising.
"There's a huge lack of provision in rural areas, particularly looking at parts of mid Wales and that makes a huge difference," said Louise Fox, the charity's development manager for Wales.
"We know these people can't access fracture liaison services so potentially their osteoporosis is going undiagnosed."
The charity said weight-bearing exercise, more calcium and vitamin D - medication if needs be - can all help build bone strength.
And experts say we should all be doing what we can to look after our bones, whatever our age.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We have provided additional funding to support extra physiotherapists as part of a community-based approach to dealing with musculoskeletal conditions.
"This is part of a £40m national primary care fund to provide care for people closer to their homes.
"This not only avoids patients waiting to be referred by a GP but enables those who need to be seen in secondary care to be seen more quickly."


A regular game of golf is likely to increase life expectancy and lead to better physical health, according to University of Edinburgh researchers.

The review of 5,000 studies on golf and wellbeing found physical benefits increased with the player's age.
The study is part of the Gold and Health Project, which is led by the World Golf Foundation.
The project plans to look at gaps in the research such as golf's links to mental health and muscle strengthening.
Executive director of the Golf and Health project Dr Roger Hawkes said the aim had been to add some "scientific rigour" to statements made about golf and wellbeing.
"For a number of years we've felt we've underplayed the likely benefits of golf on peoples' health," he said.
"We already have a scoping review, outlining what we know already, and we're going to look at that research and the gaps in knowledge so that in five years time we will have really good evidence."
Having this academically firmed up through in-depth research is going to provide real, tangible resource
Lead researcher Dr Andrew Murray said: "Evidence suggests golfers live longer than non-golfers, enjoying improvements in cholesterol levels, body composition, wellness, self-esteem and self-worth.
"Given that the sport can be played by the very young to the very old, this demonstrates a wide variety of health benefits for people of all ages."
The study suggested playing golf could help players meet and exceed minimum government recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity.
It claimed that golfers walking 18 holes could cover four to eight miles, while those using an electric golf cart typically chalked up four miles.
Players burned a minimum of 500 calories over 18 holes, it said.
World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona said the Golf and Health Project was vital to the development of the sport.
"This project is something we can all get behind, as it is universally agreed that golf is good for you," he said.
"Having this academically firmed up through in-depth research is going to provide real, tangible resources that can be used by governments and politicians, professional tours, governing bodies, golf businesses, PGA Professionals and more - all to the sport's benefit."
The research was released to coincide with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews this week.
For more information on getting into golf, take a look at the Get Inspired activity guide on the sport.


Myanmar has invited the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres to resume its work in Rakhine state, which has been plagued by sectarian violence.

The medical body, one of the biggest providers of healthcare in Rakhine, was ordered out of the state in February.
The government said all aid groups in Myanmar (Burma) could return to Rakhine but that MSF "was especially welcome".
In February the president's office accused MSF of being biased in favour of Rakhine's Muslim Rohingya minority.
The group had publicised casualties among Rohingyas who had allegedly been attacked by a Buddhist mob. Some Buddhists accused MSF staff of favouring Rohingyas.
Announcing the decision to allow MSF back into Rakhine, President's Office Minister Soe Thein promised to guarantee the safety of the group's staff in the state.
"As human beings we all commit errors and the errors usually lie on both sides," he told a press conference in Yangon.
MSF welcomed the move.
"We look forward to continuing constructive discussions with the Ministry of Health regarding how MSF can support the ministry in the immediate expansion of lifesaving medical activities for the people of Rakhine currently facing a humanitarian crisis," it said in a statement.
MSF was providing emergency assistance to tens of thousands of Rohingya people displaced by recent violence.
The United Nations has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
They are considered stateless and are rejected by both Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh.
The Rohingya have faced widespread public hostility in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
There have been several outbreaks of mass violence against them since June 2012, with tens of thousands fleeing their homes for temporary camps.


Police investigating the disappearance of Ben Needham say they have now dug up more than 800 tonnes of soil.

The search for Ben, who went missing on the Greek island of Kos 25 years ago, is in its 17th day.
Police searches have entered a third week and a second site after it emerged Ben may have been accidentally killed by a digger driver.
The toddler from Sheffield was 21 months old when he disappeared on 24 July 1991.
Det Insp Jon Cousins, of South Yorkshire Police,  said: "The calculation is that we've lifted and sifted 800 tonnes of material.
"That's 800 hours of volunteer work - the volunteers have been turning up each and every day, one of them every single day, to help us [officers]."
"Police still seem confident they are doing the right thing."
Tom Ingall, BBC reporter in Kos said: "The search is already longer than expected and looks like it will now go through to this coming weekend too."
On Monday, Ben's mother Kerry Needham said she now believed her son is likely to be found dead.
The search has been extended to a second site 750m away from where he was last seen.
About 60 items found in the search are being sent back to the UK for analysis.


More than 80% of staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust "feel frustrated" about the job they do, according to a new survey.

Two thousand members of staff completed the "pulse check" survey as part of the trust's strategy to engage staff.
In February the trust ranked in the lowest 20% in England in a national NHS staff survey.
The trust emailed the latest figures to staff, stating that "it is time for a change".
In an email to staff the trust gave a "preview of the three worst scores" from the survey, which included more than 80% of staff felt "disconnected from the decisions being made" at the hospital.
Earlier NHS campaigners including staff demonstrated outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro about expected announcements over privatisation of services.
Speaking last month the trust's chief executive, Bill Shields, said: "I don't think we've listened enough; I think we've done far too much of telling the organisation what we think they need to know.
"What we now need to do is listen to staff concerns. We probably need to look at the decisions we made in the past and if they're not good decisions, then look at if we can change them."
The trust declared a "black alert" twice this year due to "extreme" pressure on its services, and the BBC revealed that sick pay costs for cleaners at three Cornwall hospitals had reached more than Â£1m since the private firm Mitie took over.
Lynn Batson, senior officer for the Royal College of Nursing in Cornwall, said: "I think it is disappointing and these results are serious, but we are pleased that the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust are taking it seriously.
"I do believe there is a genuine want from senior management to try and improve the situation there."


Ireland's men have qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990 after beating New Zealand 1-0 in a World League 3 play-off.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Alan Sothern's goal in the final quarter in Johannesburg earned Ireland fifth place, which ensures a berth at the World Cup in India next year.
New Zealand hit the crossbar in the first half, while Ireland scored the only goal with 11 minutes left.
Sothern netted from a rebound after Neal Glassey's effort was saved.
The goal came from a rare sortie into the New Zealand half with Chris Cargo's crash ball into the circle deflected on goal by Glassey.
Kiwi goalkeeper Devin Manchester kept it out only for Sothern to calmly slot home from a tight angle.
With the two sides separated in the world rankings by just one place - Ireland are ninth and New Zealand eighth - it was a tight battle.
Ireland squandered a couple of early penalty corner chances while New Zealand were denied by the woodwork.
New Zealand had most of the possession in the second half but Irish goalkeeper Davy Harte and his defenders kept them out.
In a frenetic finish Ireland repelled further New Zealand attacks and celebrated a famous win.
"It was a tight game and it could have gone either way - it was a win built on character and defence basically won us that game," said Ireland head coach Craig Fulton.
"We wanted to come away with qualification and that's really pleasing. It was a great squad effort."
Ireland: D Harte, J Jackson, M Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, A Sothern, E Magee, S O'Donoghue, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Cole
Subs: J Carr, J Bell (capt), N Glassey, S Murray, J Duncan, S Loughrey, J McKee (Injured)
New Zealand: N Haig, N Ross, R Joyce, N Woods, B Tarrant (capt), A Panchia, S McAleese, S Jenness, H Inglis, G Muir, H Phillips
Subs: D Brydon, S Lane, M Child, J Panchia, D Manchester, K Russell, L Mitai Wells


Ali Al-Habsi's penalty save helped Reading hold promotion-chasing Burnley to a goalless draw in the Championship.

Andre Gray saw his penalty saved after he had been tripped by Al-Habsi, and Reading held out to secure a point.
Gray should have put Burnley in front early on when he scuffed Geroge Boyd's cross over from six yards out.
Tom Heaton saved from Yann Kermorgant's header at the other end, while Gray put Matt Lowton's cross wide from point-blank range after the break.
Former Brentford striker Gray, the Championship's top scorer with 18 goals this season, faced a long wait to take his penalty, with Reading winger Hal Robson-Kanu receiving a booking for scuffing up the penalty spot.
The Royals could have won it when Robson-Kanu fired well over, but they created few chances throughout and have now scored only eight goals in their last 14 matches.
Burnley remain third in the table after extending their unbeaten run in the league to eight games, while Reading stay 15th.
Reading manager Brian McDermott:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I've looked back at the penalty decision three or four times and it doesn't look like Ali's touched him.
"Then Ali made a great save from the penalty and we're delighted with that.
"Our players were incensed for a reason, but Ali's made a fabulous save and that was the right outcome."
Burnley manager Sean Dyche:
"From where I was looking, I did see their player [Robson-Kanu] dig the spot up.
"I've never seen that in my career and I hope my players never conduct themselves in that manner.
"I would not expect my players to move the ball off the spot when someone is ready to take a penalty and then kick the floor up. I think that's really poor."
Match ends, Reading 0, Burnley 0.
Second Half ends, Reading 0, Burnley 0.
Attempt missed. Sam Vokes (Burnley) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Rouwen Hennings with a cross.
Attempt blocked. Scott Arfield (Burnley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Michael Keane.
Corner,  Burnley. Conceded by Hal Robson-Kanu.
Attempt saved. Jake Cooper (Reading) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Stephen Quinn with a cross.
Deniss Rakels (Reading) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ben Mee (Burnley).
Attempt saved. Rouwen Hennings (Burnley) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Burnley. Rouwen Hennings replaces Andre Gray.
Attempt blocked. Michael Hector (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Yann Kermorgant.
Yann Kermorgant (Reading) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Keane (Burnley).
Paul McShane (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andre Gray (Burnley).
Attempt blocked. Andre Gray (Burnley) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Scott Arfield.
Substitution, Reading. Deniss Rakels replaces Oliver Norwood.
Attempt blocked. David Jones (Burnley) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Oliver Norwood with a cross.
Attempt missed. Michael Keane (Burnley) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Tom Heaton following a set piece situation.
Foul by Michael Hector (Reading).
Joey Barton (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Garath McCleary following a fast break.
Jordan Obita (Reading) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jordan Obita (Reading).
George Boyd (Burnley) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Garath McCleary (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Yann Kermorgant.
Attempt saved. Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Yann Kermorgant with a headed pass.
Joey Barton (Burnley) is shown the yellow card.
Stephen Quinn (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joey Barton (Burnley).
Attempt missed. Oliver Norwood (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Michael Hector.
Substitution, Reading. Garath McCleary replaces Lucas Piazon.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Jordan Obita (Reading) because of an injury.
Delay in match Stephen Ward (Burnley) because of an injury.
Corner,  Burnley. Conceded by Ali Al Habsi.
Penalty saved! Andre Gray (Burnley) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity,  right footed shot saved  in the bottom right corner.
Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading) is shown the yellow card.
Penalty conceded by Ali Al Habsi (Reading) after a foul in the penalty area.


Uzbek-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has made a £1bn bid to wrest control of Arsenal from majority shareholder Stan Kroenke.

But with Kroenke showing no interest, the bid has in effect been rejected, though Usmanov is yet to receive written confirmation.
The Financial Times reported Usmanov made the offer last month, and that Kroenke has yet to formally respond.
Metal magnate Usmanov owns 30% of Arsenal's shares.
He is, though, not part of the board or decision-making at the club.
Usmanov said in April that Kroenke must "bear huge responsibility" for the club's failures on the pitch.
Arsenal need other teams to slip up in Sunday's final round of matches to avoid missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 21 years.
Arsene Wenger, who has been manager since 1996, has been the target of protests from some of the club's fans.
The Frenchman's future at the club will be decided at a board meeting after Arsenal meet Chelsea in 27 May's FA Cup final.
Richard Conway, BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent
Alisher Usmanov has wanted control of Arsenal for some time.
A long-standing critic of the current board, he has attempted to curry favour with fans by calling for greater investment by Stan Kroenke. He believes the team should be performing at a much higher level.
Now, with questions swirling over Arsene Wenger's future and with a lack of Champions League football next season looking inevitable, he has made his move.
However, he has been rebuffed.
The big question is whether this was a final throw of the dice by Usmanov? And, with seemingly no prospect of Kroenke selling, will he turn his purchasing power towards another Premier League club?


Mainland Chinese shares rebounded on Thursday after regulators took further steps to try to calm the stock market.

The Shanghai Composite index reversed earlier losses to close up 5.76%, its biggest percentage gain since 2009.
A move to ban big investors from selling stocks may have helped to support the market, analysts said.
Meanwhile, the state-run news agency Xinhua said police were investigating "vicious short-selling" on the country's stock market.
Xinhua said authorities would "crack down" on operations that had broken the laws and regulations related to trading.
The benchmark Shanghai index closed up 202.14 points at 3,709.33.
China's market regulator has introduced a string of new rules in the past week to try to relieve pressure on Chinese shares. The Shanghai Composite has fallen by more than 30% since mid-June.
On Wednesday, the Shanghai Composite fell as much as 8.2%, leading some analysts to describe the session as 'Black Wednesday'.
In the latest efforts to try and stem the falling markets, Beijing has relaxed lending rules - making it easier for people to borrow money for investment - in the hope that they will buy more stocks. That follows a move late on Wednesday to ban investors holding stakes of more than 5% in companies from selling shares in the next six months.
Meanwhile, about 1,300 firms have halted trading in their stocks to prevent the value of their businesses falling further.
Analysis: John Sudworth, BBC News, Shanghai
The latest measure to be unveiled by the Chinese regulator is a ban on investors who hold more than 5% of any stock from selling it for six months.
It is an extraordinary restriction, but coupled with all the other government-backed efforts to shore up prices in the face of China's massive slump, it may have finally brought some stability.
That said, around half of all listed companies have voluntarily suspended trading, so it could be argued that the market is, in effect, as much seizing up as it is stabilising.
Analysts are divided over the extent to which the dramatic unwinding of China's massive lending-fuelled stock market boom poses a threat to the wider economy.
Why the volatility in Chinese markets?
China media: Negative market sentiment 'exaggerated'
The volatility in China was echoed in Hong Kong, with the benchmark Hang Seng index reversing earlier losses to close up 3.73% at 24,392.79.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index reversed earlier losses to close up 0.6% at 19,855.50.
"Tokyo markets have been affected by Chinese shares since yesterday," said SBI Securities' Hideyuki Suzuki, who is general manager of the firm's investment market research arm.
"But the Hang Seng Index and red chips which are now in positive territory are giving [a] sense of relief," he said.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index ended flat at 5,470.97, while South Korea's benchmark Kospi index closed up 0.6% at 2,027.81.


American Lexi Thompson takes a two-shot lead into the final round of the first women's major of the season after a five-under 67 took her to 13 under.

World number nine Thompson, 22, carded six birdies in the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills, California to lead Norway's Suzann Pettersen (68).
England's Charley Hull, 21, had three birdies in a one-under 71 as she slipped eight shots off the lead.
She is tied for 11th on five under par with world number one Lydia Ko.
The 19-year-old from New Zealand, who won this tournament last year to collect her second major title, bogeyed the first hole but posted two birdies and 15 pars for a one-under 71.
Seven-time major winner Inbee Park is in a group of four on 10 under that includes fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu, the 2011 US Women's Open champion.
The event is back on schedule after delays caused by stormy weather but Thompson was among 56 players who had to complete their second rounds on Saturday before playing the third.
The halfway leader, who won the 2014 title, said: "Experience always helps me out, but I'm just going to focus on one shot at a time, relax out there between shots and just focus on doing my routine."
Pettersen, winner of the Women's PGA Championship in 2007 and the 2013 Evian Championship, has been runner-up in the event on three occasions and said: "I'm driving the ball well and that's a major key on this golf course. If you do, you can kind of attack it as well.
"The leaderboard is packed behind me. You've got to expect to go out there and shoot low. There's a lot at stake, but I'm all in for it."
After two sub-70 rounds, former US Women's Open champion Michelle Wie returned a 71 and shares seventh on eight under.
England's Mel Reid, the only other Briton to make the cut, is two over par after a mixed round of five birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey saw her post a two-over 74.


A former BBC Persian journalist detained in Iran has been released from prison on bail, his friends say.

Bahman Daroshafaei, who has dual British and Iranian citizenship, was arrested at his home in Tehran on 3 February on unspecified charges.
One friend told the Reuters news agency that his release on Tuesday "was a surprise to him".
Mr Daroshafaei has been working as a translator since leaving BBC Persian around two years ago.
His family said that his passport had been seized after he returned to Iran.
Since then, he had been questioned dozens of times by the intelligence ministry about his activities as a journalist, the news website Iranwire reported.
A Twitter campaign run by his friends and colleagues, @FreeBahman, posted a photograph of Mr Daroshafaei standing outside Tehran's Evin prison on Tuesday.
"Good news: Bahman has been released on bail," said the caption.
In November, two prominent journalists were arrested as part of what appeared to be a crackdown on writers, artists and other cultural figures in Iran. Isa Saharkhiz and Ehsun Mazandarani have been accused of acting against national security.
The previous month, poets Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Mousavi and filmmaker Keywan Karimi were handed lengthy prison terms by a court after being convicted of charges including "insulting sanctities and propaganda against the state".


A 23-year-old man has been hit by a car he was allegedly attempting to hijack in Belfast.

Police said a man armed with an imitation firearm stepped in front of the car on North Street around 20:30 GMT on Monday.
The man was treated in hospital for a suspected broken leg.
He was later arrested and has been charged with attempted hijacking, disorderly behaviour and possession of a firearm or imitation firearm.
He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
In a separate incident, a woman has been assaulted by two men in a multi-storey car park in Belfast city centre.
She had just got into her car at Hardcastle Street at about 18:30 GMT on Monday when she was approached by the men, who forced her out of the vehicle and drove off in it.


YouTube has launched a $35-a-month TV subscription service that will rival US cable networks.

The live TV service will carry more than 40 channels, including some of the country's biggest networks including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.
The service will also include a "cloud DVR" that will let users record and store programming.
One analyst told the BBC that YouTube posed a real threat to traditional cable companies.
"YouTube is already an extremely well established video brand, and its apps are virtually everywhere," said Paul Verna of eMarketer.
The announcement was made at YouTube's LA-based studio, where it gives free access to the network's biggest stars to create original content.
That material will be part of the package, but the main draw, and the detail most likely to make cable companies nervous, is the inclusion of top channels - including those showing live sport.
"It's live TV designed for the YouTube generation," wrote Christian Oestlien, product management director for YouTube.
"Those who want to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, without commitments."
The service will launch later this spring in its own standalone application on smart TVs as well as mobile devices. One notable drawback, however, will be the absence of major channels such as HBO, CNN and AMC, home of the Walking Dead series.
There were no plans for a similar service outside the US.
YouTube has also been slow to get involved in the increasingly crowded market. There are already other streaming cable services offering so-called "skinny bundles" of a few main channels at a cheaper cost compared to a traditional cable TV package.
Most notably, DirectTV - owned by AT&T - offers more than 120 channels over the internet, but its cost - $70 per month - is considerably higher.
DirectTV has also come in for fierce criticism over stability. At the beginning of this month, the service went down at perhaps the worst moment imaginable - viewers missed the end of the Super Bowl, and perhaps the most dramatic moment in US sports in recent memory.
Google's vast infrastructure and expertise could give them an edge, predicted eMarketer's Mr Verna.
"YouTube has the technical know how and infrastructure but it's never a given that things will go right. It's not just about delivering the technology at scale.
"It's about the user interface - and that's something YouTube has never been particularly good at."
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook. You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: (628) 400-7370


The implementation of new rules on the movement of livestock have been delayed from 10 June to September.

Farmers said the Welsh Government's regulations were too strict and too expensive, and would be "disastrous" for agricultural shows.
Farmers would have to register a quarantine unit (QU) on their farm in order to move livestock on and off, and avoid six-day standstill rules.
The government said the system was developed with the farming industry.
Currently, if farmers bring new stock on to their farm, the whole farm is subject to a six-day lockdown, where no animals can be moved off.
But there are exemptions for seasonal events like agricultural shows.
A field or a shed separated from other livestock, known as an approved isolation unit, can be used to avoid the rules.
But these isolation units cannot be used under the new rules and farmers must apply and pay for the new quarantine units.
The Welsh Government said it was delaying implementation until after the show season, following representations from unions and industry bodies.


Alistair Brownlee's father Keith tells a revealing story about his son's first ever duathlon, aged eight, on the streets of east Leeds.

In the latest part of our weekly #olympicthursday series profiling leading British hopes, BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce speaks to triathlon brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.
"His shoe came off by accident 100 metres into the run. There was glass and gravel all over the road, and we were shouting at him to stop. He refused to listen, and just carried on regardless all the way to the end. He ripped his feet to pieces."
Not many eight-year-olds would run over broken glass. But then again, not many grow up to become world champions. Even fewer have a younger brother who turns out to be equally as good.
There is very little that is average about Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. The top two triathletes in the world by some distance, they will go into the London Olympics, injury permitting, with a very real chance of winning gold and silver.
If they do, their grandfather Norman will know who deserves the initial credit: himself.
"He tells us that he is responsible for our sporting genes," says Jonny. "When he was in the merchant navy during the war his ship was sunk, but he managed to swim all the way to shore. That's the basis for his claim."
"Every time he sees me," agrees Alistair, "he says, 'You really remind me of someone. Yeah, you remind me of me, actually.'"
Norman notwithstanding, the real roots of the brothers' successes lie in the landscape of their native west Yorkshire.
Brought up by their parents to enjoy the great outdoors, they had a childhood that involved running up fells and through woods, riding through the Dales and swimming in lakes. If it sounds idyllic, it was also near-perfect preparation for the sport they would come to dominate.
Taken to swimming lessons by mother Cathy from the age of four, they would cycle the seven miles to secondary school and then, thanks to the unusually benevolent attitude of their teachers at Bradford Grammar, be allowed out of the school grounds at lunchtime to go running.
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With the exception of Jonny's early dislike of swimming lessons (he used to hide his kit-bag to get out of them) it was always all about fun, rather than training.
"We would just be going cycling with our mates at weekends for a laugh," remembers Alistair, the elder by almost exactly two years. "We were going up to the Dales on camping trips, just having fun, messing around, finding new cafes, discovering new places."
Alistair's early successes in triathlon - he was competing in the European Youth Relays aged 14, by his own admission the smallest one there - dragged Jonny away from dreams of playing for Leeds United and into the same career progression.
"I remember seeing all Al's Great Britain kit - the tri suits, the t-shirts, the bike jersey, and thinking, 'Wow, I want to be part of that,'" he says.
This season, with Alistair not expected to return to racing from his Achilles tear until the World Triathlon Series race in Kitzbuhel next month, the spoils have been Jonny's alone.
Wins in San Diego and Madrid in the last three weeks have kept the Brownlee name at the top of the world rankings. They have also changed the way their rivals now approach races.
"It used to be that you could do what you wanted on the bike leg," says Jonny. "Now we're the watched ones. If someone makes a break, everyone waits to see how we're going to react. We're the ones who have to do all the attacking."
For Alistair the change happened after the last Olympics in Beijing, when as a callow 20-year-old he led for much of the race before slipping out of the medals as heat and exhaustion began to tell.
"The following race was in Des Moines in Iowa. I tried to get off the front on the bike, got caught and couldn't understand why I'd been chased down. One of the guys next to me shrugged and said, 'Because we know who you are now'."
With London closing in fast that process has accelerated.
"The number of times we're recognised in cafes, or when you're out on long rides, has gone through the roof since Christmas," says Alistair. "I'd never previously been recognised by anyone who wasn't really into triathlon.
"As I've come back from the injury I've had people shouting, 'Good to see you running!' when I've been out. Everywhere I go I'm constantly asked how my Achilles is."
He grins. "I'm not pretending we're movie stars quite yet . I'm sure a lot of the attention was because we're on the front of all Yorkshire phone-books this year.
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"'That's those phone-book lads,' you hear people shout. People tap us on the elbow and say, 'Could you sign me phone-book please?'"
Despite their similarities in sport and success, the two are distinctly different characters.
Al is innately self-confident, seldom a worrier, liable to turn up for big races or training sessions with mere seconds to spare. Jonny, by contrast, admits to stress before races, to a need to feel in control, to a love of routine and organisation.
When training requires an early alarm call it is Jonny who is up first to pack bags and make the breakfast, Al the one squeezing every last minute out of his time in bed.
"The thing that normally wakes me up is the sound of Jonny's tea-spoon - and it is always a tea-spoon - clattering away inside a bowl," says Alistair.
"If there was one other event he could be a world-beater at, it would be speed-eating cereal. It's amazing how many Coco-Pops he can get on a spoon."
Where they share an attitude is towards pushing themselves brutally hard in both training and races. And if this increases the risk of injury, rather that than never knowing just how good they might have been.
"I could train a bit less, and I'd get less injured, but I wouldn't be as good," says Alistair, with characteristic logic. "Or I could train as much as I do, take the risk of being injured and be good.
"This isn't a job for us, or a hobby. It's our passion. It's always been about how good I can be, how much training can I do, how fast does that make me.
"I'd prefer to have three or four cracking years of winning stuff than having ten years of being average. And Jonny is exactly the same."
Broken glass, sunken ships and Coco-Pops. If it's an unusual recipe for success, it's one that appears to be working.


Ulster hooker Rory Best is "hugely deserving" of the honour of winning 100 caps for Ireland, says the Pro12 club's director of rugby Les Kiss.

Ireland captain Best, 34, is set to reach the milestone during the autumn international series in November.
He will equal Sale scrum-half Peter Stringer's 98 caps in Saturday's Test against New Zealand in Chicago, USA.
"I find him one of the toughest players who's ever been up there - he's got all the qualities you'd expect," said Kiss.
"To have passed 90 caps is special for the uncompromising way he plays the game, so to reach 100 caps would be some occasion, too.
"He's had his injuries in his time, but he's robust, resilient and just keeps coming, keeps working hard to improve each year.
"We'd love to see him hit the 100-cap milestone in the autumn, because he'd be hugely deserving of that."
Best has captained Ireland since lock Paul O'Connell's injury-enforced retirement after the World Cup in 2015.
He will lead Joe Schmidt's side in two matches in three weeks against the All Blacks, as well as Canada and Australia in the upcoming November series.
"As a leader, he just demands that you turn up and aim up - and he can back it up," added Kiss.
"You just look at what he does for any team he plays for, he's one of the most dogged, toughest guys you can play against.
"He's a leader by example. There's not always too many words - but when the words are there, they are strong, poignant and they mean something."


Johanna Konta suffered a shock defeat in the Shenzhen Open semi-finals, losing in three sets to world number 52 Katerina Siniakova.

The British number one lost 1-6 6-4 6-4 to her 20-year-old opponent in China.
Third seed Konta - the world number 10 - was the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw.
"I'm happy I got to play four really great matches in the first week of the season. I feel very fortunate to have gotten that time on court," said Konta.
The Briton won the opening set in just 22 minutes and led 4-2 in the decider, but Siniakova won four successive games to reach her third WTA final.
Konta said: "I think she definitely started slower, and me, quite well. But all credit to her, she really raised her level in the next two sets.
"She was going for every single shot and played quite freely, so it was a difficult match for me to do what I would have liked."
Czech Republic's Siniakova, who beat second seed Simona Halep in the second round, will play American Alison Riske in Saturday's final.
World number 39 Riske reached the final for the second year in a row by beating Camila Giorgi 6-3 6-3.


A senior police officer has been suspended following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.

It is understood Supt Gerry Murray, who is head of road policing in Northern Ireland, was suspended from his post last month.
The 60-year-old, who recently featured in a BBC documentary, is one of the PSNI's longest serving police officers.
Last year, he led a group of officers as they marched for the first time at the St Patrick's Parade in New York.
The officers walked alongside members of An Garda Siochana.


Leicester booked a home European Champions Cup quarter-final as they ran in seven tries in a comprehensive win over Benetton Treviso.

Michael Fitzgerald began the rout before Vereniki Goneva, Freddie Burns, Adam Thompstone and Ben Youngs scored.
Replacement Laurence Pearce crossed for the final try deep in the second half.
Centre Manu Tuilagi, making his first start in 15 months after a groin injury, lasted 51 minutes before making way for replacement Peter Betham.
Treviso, bottom of the Pro12, have lost 16 successive matches in all competitions and were behind inside two minutes as Tuilagi skipped through a tackle before sending Fitzgerald into the corner.
The Italian side barely set foot in the Tigers half, but made a rare raid tell when Andrea Pratichetti took a great pass from lock Filo Paulo and scampered clear for their only try.
The scoring slowed in the second half as the snow fell and handing became more difficult, but Burns showed lovely skill to gather his own finely weighted grubber kick and dot down.
Leicester complete their pool campaign at Stade Francais next Sunday, hoping to improve their ranking and ease their route to the 14 May final in Lyon.
Leicester: Bell, Thompstone, Tait, Tuilagi, Goneva, Burns, B. Youngs, Mulipola, T. Youngs, Cole, Barrow, Kitchener, Fitzgerald, Croft, Crane.
Replacements: Betham for Tuilagi (51), Bai for Burns (65), Kitto for B. Youngs (47), Ayerza for Mulipola (47), H. Thacker for T. Youngs (55), Balmain for Cole (45), De Chaves for Kitchener (41), Pearce for Fitzgerald (63).
Benetton Treviso: Hayward, Pratichetti, Christie, Sgarbi, Ragusi, Ambrosini, Lucchese, de Marchi, Gega, Manu, Paulo, Montauriol, Lazzaroni, Minto, Barbieri.
Replacements: Bacchin for Christie (53), Traore for de Marchi (48), Giazzon for Gega (48), Ferrari for Manu (48), Steyn for Barbieri (53).
Not Used: Fuser, Zanni, McLean.
Sin Bin: Ferrari (69).
Att: 19,076
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)


Former Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini has left the Championship club after his contract was terminated by mutual consent.

The centre-back is returning to his native Argentina to join San Lorenzo.
Coloccini, 34, made 275 appearances for the Magpies after joining from Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna in 2008.
"It is rare in football these days that a player gives such length of service to one club," managing director Lee Charnley told the Newcastle website.
"In the eight years he has been with us, Colo has become a firm friend and colleague to many players and staff, past and present, who I know will miss him.


Up to a quarter of Iraq's Christians are reported to be fleeing after Islamic militants seized the minority group's biggest town.

The Islamic State (IS) group captured Qaraqosh overnight after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces.
IS has been gaining ground in northern Iraq since June, and also controls some of Syria.
The US has warned that the situation for Iraq's minority groups threatens to become a "humanitarian catastrophe".
``We are gravely concerned for their health and safety," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
But he refused to confirm a New York Times report that the US is considering air strikes to help the Yazidi community, another minority group in northern Iraq that has been targeted by IS.
About 50,000 Yazidis are thought to have been trapped in the mountains after fleeing the town of Sinjar - although the UN says some of them have now been rescued.
The United Nations Security Council is due to meet in emergency session later on Thursday to discuss the situation.
Tens of thousands of religious minorities have been forced to flee since IS, a Sunni Muslim group formerly known as Isis, launched its onslaught.
IS says it has created an Islamic state in the territory it controls.
In other developments:
A majority of Nineveh inhabitants left their homes overnight, according to Fraternite en Irak, an international Christian organisation based in Paris.
As many as 100,000 people are believed to be fleeing toward the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
Pope Francis has made an impassioned appeal to the international community to do much more to address the crisis.
A Vatican statement said the Pope had appealed for "all necessary help" to be given to those forced to flee their homes, "whose fate depends entirely on the solidarity of others".
And Minority Rights Group International has warned that Iraq's multi-ethnic future is now at grave risk.
Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, have been fighting the IS militants' advance for weeks.
The Peshmerga's commander in Qaraqosh reportedly told the town's archbishop late on Wednesday that the forces were abandoning their posts.
Several senior clergymen in Nineveh confirmed the town had fallen.
"It's a catastrophe, a tragic situation: tens of thousands of terrified people are being displaced as we speak," said Joseph Thomas, the Chaldean archbishop of the northern city of Kirkuk.
Eyewitnesses in Qaraqosh said IS militants were taking down crosses in churches and burning religious manuscripts.
The town - referred to as Iraq's Christian capital - is located 30km (19 miles) south-east of the city of Mosul, which was captured by IS in June.
Last month, hundreds of Christian families fled Mosul after the Islamist rebels gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a special tax or be executed.
Iraq is home to one of the world's most ancient Christian communities, but numbers have dwindled amid growing sectarian violence since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Christians
Yazidis
Iraq: The minorities of Nineveh
Yazidi eyewitness: 'They want to slaughter us'
Meanwhile, the UN said it was mobilising resources to assist Yazidis rescued from Mount Sinjar over the past 24 hours.
Members of the ancient Kurdish ethno-religious community sought refuge there at the weekend.
Almost 200,000 civilians have been displaced from Sinjar town, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned.
Those trapped on the mountain are facing dehydration, and 40 children are reported to have died already.
"This is a tragedy of immense proportions, impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people," said UN spokesman David Swanson.
"Many of the displaced are in immediate need of essential life-saving humanitarian items, including water, food, shelter and medicine."


Oliver Turton grabbed a late equaliser for Crewe Alexandra as they came from two down to draw with Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

Crewe started brightly but Blackpool struck after eight minutes when Brad Potts crossed for Nathan Delfouneso, who headed past Ben Garratt from six yards.
But Garratt was on hand two minutes later to prevent the hosts doubling the lead as he denied Kyle Vassell from close range.
The Seasiders were two to the good after 27 minutes, as the ball broke to centre-back Tom Aldred 12 yards out, and he thumped it into the bottom corner.
The Alex continued to threaten and should have scored after 44 minutes, when Chris Dagnall failed to turn home Callum Cooke's cross from a yard out.
David Artell's side did halve the deficit after 62 minutes. A fast counter-attack cut Blackpool open and Dagnall bundled home the rebound after Sam Slocombe saved from George Cooper.
And Crewe snatched their equaliser with two minutes remaining as Jordan Bowery nodded down for Turton to volley past Slocombe from 12 yards.
Match report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, Blackpool 2, Crewe Alexandra 2.
Second Half ends, Blackpool 2, Crewe Alexandra 2.
Jamille Matt (Blackpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by George Ray (Crewe Alexandra).
Foul by Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool).
Callum Ainley (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Callum Cooke (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Sam Slocombe.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Sam Slocombe.
Attempt saved. Alex Kiwomya (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Alex Kiwomya replaces Chris Dagnall.
Goal!  Blackpool 2, Crewe Alexandra 2. Oliver Turton (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jordan Bowery.
Jamille Matt (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by George Ray (Crewe Alexandra).
Attempt saved. Jamille Matt (Blackpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Blackpool. Bright Samuel replaces Colin Daniel.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jamille Matt.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Eddie Nolan.
Will Aimson (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by James Jones (Crewe Alexandra).
Attempt missed. George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Attempt missed. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
Hand ball by Colin Daniel (Blackpool).
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Callum Ainley replaces Ryan Wintle.
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Zoumana Bakayogo replaces Jon Guthrie.
Foul by Eddie Nolan (Blackpool).
Ryan Wintle (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Blackpool. Conceded by Ben Nugent.
Corner,  Blackpool. Conceded by Ryan Wintle.
Attempt blocked. Brad Potts (Blackpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. George Ray (Crewe Alexandra) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Eddie Nolan.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Nathan Delfouneso.
Attempt saved. Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Substitution, Blackpool. Jamille Matt replaces Kyle Vassell because of an injury.
Corner,  Blackpool. Conceded by George Ray.
Goal!  Blackpool 2, Crewe Alexandra 1. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Colin Daniel.


It is the football club that has been without a home for 15 years.

The nomadic existence Ards FC has led over the most recent part of its 116-year history has been one of the longest-running sagas in Northern Irish football.
Crushing lows and glorious highs have punctuated the tale along the way.
Earlier this month, the County Down outfit gained promotion to the Irish Premiership, Northern Ireland's top flight, after a two-year absence.
But the many seasons spent playing home games at grounds miles away from the club's birthplace in Newtownards have taken their toll, and the campaign to return the club to the town has been a lengthy one.
While ground-sharing is not uncommon in Northern Irish football, the Ards scenario is somewhat unique.
The club's Castlereagh Park home was sold in the late-1990s to raise money to pay off debts and the club played its last game at the ground in 2001.
Ground-shares were then agreed, firstly with Cliftonville, then Carrick Rangers and, in later years, with Bangor.
But the sale failed to solve the money problems and Ards were in dire straits when Brian Adams became chairman 12 years ago.
"One man stopped me in the street and said: 'Ards has been my life and I'm now in my 70s - don't let it die'," Brian said. "I thought: 'Yes, I have to do this.'
"When I arrived I found not only had they no ground but they were Â£200,000 in debt and there were several court cases over players and managers that hadn't been paid."
He pulled together a rescue committee to pay the club's debts, keep it in business and get its "integrity back on a better footing".
That process was long, arduous and led to relegation, and the prospect of a return to Newtownards looked distant.
"Some critics would've said we'd forgotten about the ground, but we hadn't," Brian said.
"We were working away trying to get a ground and it was the most frustrating bit."
Brian said the number of sites the club has tried to secure over the years is well into double figures.
Each has fallen through for various reasons, with one collapse ending in a dispute with Ards Borough Council and a blame game played out in full public view.
"We had given up hope of anybody helping us, it was just knockback after knockback," Brian added.
Ground-sharing continued, with attendances dropping to about 80 when the club played at the home of Ballyclare Comrades, almost 30 miles away.
A return to Bangor, a much more manageable 15-minute drive, saw numbers rise again and that arrangement exists to this day.
With every game effectively being an away day, the club has unsurprisingly "suffered", according to Keith Bailie.
The lifelong Ards supporter has watched the ups and downs around the grounds and now writes about them as a journalist with the Newtownards Chronicle.
Crowds of as many as 2,000 would have watched the club play at Castlereagh Park, he said, but that figure is closer to the 300-mark now.
"Irish League football attendances have declined in that time as well, but certainly Ards would've had a much bigger support if they'd stayed in Newtownards," he added.
"It's definitely affected the reputation of the club, the amount of supporters coming through the gates and the success of the team.
"Ards had spent almost their entire existence in the top flight, and then post-ground sale, they've spent the majority of their time in the second tier.
"It's definitely taken a lot out of the club."
But, in spite of that, a sense of optimism remains.
On-field success gradually returned after the club's debts were finally paid and it was able to recruit manager Niall Currie.
He has led Ards to promotion twice and to several cup semi-finals and finals.
"In many ways the struggle has brought people closer together, having to fight for things," Keith said.
"It has almost unified those supporters who stuck by the club and kept going to games even when they were in Carrickfergus or in Ballyclare."
But can a team really thrive when it has no home of its own?
Well, there could be a reason for hope among fans on that front as Ards begin another attempt to end their exile.
The club is moving closer to an agreement with Movilla High School in Newtownards over building a ground on two of its pitches that are no longer in use.
It is, of course, early days, but Brian said it would be a win-win for both parties, providing the club with a return to the town while the school would have use of the facilities.
Plans have been drawn up by the architects that worked on the redevelopment of Northern Ireland's national football stadium Windsor Park and a public meeting will be held next week to discuss the project.
"Movilla want it, we want it and a lot of the people in Newtownards are saying: 'We would like to see Ards come back'," Brian said.
"I think the majority of people would prefer to have it than not have it."
The site is in a residential area and the lease of the school's land to the club would need approval from the Education Authority.
A scepticism therefore exists among Ards supporters over whether the project will succeed, according to Keith - they have been here before.
But Brian thinks it is Ards's most realistic prospect yet of a return to its roots and the heights achieved in decades past.
"Ards was a premier club for 74 years but a couple of generations have missed out," he said.
"It's our big goal to get back in Newtownards and my thinking is we should be able to double our crowd there.
"That generates more money and in the long term we stay in the Premiership, stabilise and try to work our way into the top six."
Ards hope these first few tentative steps will finally lead them along the road home.


Warrington half-back Chris Sandow put in a "world-class" kicking performance after his late drop-goal beat Salford, says Wolves head coach Tony Smith.

The Australian half-back, 27, secured the win with the last kick of the game at the AJ Bell Stadium to win 31-30.
It completed a remarkable comeback from Wire after trailing 30-12 at half-time to the Red Devils.
"That was probably as convincing a kicking game I've seen since Sean Long was in his pomp," Smith said.
"It was not just his field goal but some of his tactical kicks in the second half were world class.
"To come up with a field goal like that, you've got to pinch yourself sometimes. It was a phenomenal kick in those conditions and under that pressure."
Warrington have won all four of their Super League games so far this season and sit top of the table.
But Smith also confirmed that centre Gary Wheeler was taken off with a suspected Achilles injury that could keep him out for five months.
"I've got to say I'm very, very proud of my boys to dig their way out of an uncomfortable hole," Smith told BBC Radio Merseyside about his side's performance.
"We talked about it at half-time and we felt if we just dug ourselves in for that first 20 minutes of the second half we might come home with some points.
"It wasn't a plan to do it that way but we just felt that we could come home strong as long as we could stop leaking soft tries."


Ciara Mageean clinched the 800m title at the Irish Championships as Emma Mitchell completed the 5000m/1500m double at Santry.

After a fast first lap Mageean tired in the closing stages as her time of 2:04.16 left her only 0.17 seconds ahead of Naas's Claire Mooney.
Queen's athlete Mitchell earned a dominant 1500m win in 4:31.56 after her 5,000m victory on Saturday.
Other NI winners included Amy Foster, Kerry O'Flaherty and Adam McMullen.
Foster ended an emotional week as she took the women's 100m title in 11.43 following the death of her grandmother.
Her time - only 0.03 outside the Irish record she jointly holds with Ailish McSweeney - left the City of Lisburn athlete 0.26 ahead of Niamh Whelan.
O'Flaherty won her first Irish senior outdoor title since 2011 as a potentially exciting duel with fellow Rio Olympian Michelle Finn petered out when the Leevale athlete took a tumble over one of the barriers with 700m left.
Finn had forged a 10-metre lead with three laps to go but appeared to be beginning to struggle when she hit the deck on the second last lap.
O'Flaherty crossed the line in 10:01.40 with Finn almost half a minute back in second place after getting back on her feet.
Mageean's race was her final outing before her 1500m challenge at the World Championships in London.
"I ran a little bit too fast over the opening 200m - 28 seconds instead of 30 which I had been told by Jerry (Kiernan)," Mageean told RTE.
"I felt comfortable. I just wanted to go and have a good hard race," although the Portaferry woman acknowledged after watching the race replay that she was unaware Mooney had been quite so close at the finish.
After arriving at the championships having never won an Irish senior title, Mitchell headed back home to Banbridge with two gold medals as she continued her brilliant summer.
The closing stages were a carbon copy of Saturday's 5,000m as Mitchell put her foot down with 600m to storm well clear.
Amy O'Donoghue reduced Mitchell's lead in the closing stages but the Commonwealth Games contender still maintained her form sufficiently to have 1.03 seconds in hand at the finish.
"It's been a great season. I've got the Commonwealth Games consideration times in both the 5,000m and 10,000m and I know that I'm strong, fit and fast," added the Queen's student, who will represent Ireland at the World University Games in Taipei next month.
County Londonderry long jumper McMullen continued his consistent summer form as he took victory in 7.74m, with his series also including a 7.70m leap.
Letterkenny man Mark English won the men's 800m title in 1:50.89 ahead of Kieran Kelly (1:52.07) and Karl Griffin (1:52.44).
Dubliner Brian Gregan continued his impressive summer by winning the 400m title in 45.74 seconds while Rio Olympics fourth placer Thomas Barr showed encouraging form after injury as he won the 400m hurdles in 49.79.
Both Paul Byrne and Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games athlete Jason Harvey put it up to Barr but the Waterford man pulled clear in the closing stages.
Frustratingly, Byrne was again outside 50 seconds as he clocked 50.24 while Harvey took third in 51.19.


Plans to expand the Liberty Stadium could cost Swansea City more than £50m, the club's chairman has revealed.

The Swans are in talks with Swansea council over planning issues and could eventually buy the stadium outright from the local authority.
But Huw Jenkins said it could take four to five months to work through the conditions before the club can "weigh up our options".
Expansion plans were approved by councillors in January 2014.
Jenkins was questioned at a meeting of the Swansea City Supporters Trust.
"There are many options open to us and we are working closely with the council to find a solution that suits all parties," he said.
"Our main objective is to make sure our team is competitive on the pitch," he added.
"We all know there is more funding coming into the Premier League next season.
"We have to make sure we're part of that and that will allow us to address issues and move forward."


The number of people waiting for a first outpatient appointment in Northern Ireland has increased by nearly 37% in a year.

In December 2015 there were 236,365 people on waiting lists, compared to 171,866 the year before.
The number of people waiting more than 18 weeks for a first outpatient appointment has more than doubled.
At the end of December 2015, 122,771 were waiting - that's more than half of those on the waiting list.
The equivalent number in the previous year was 48,579.
The targets for diagnostic waiting times were also breached.
They state that no patient should wait longer than nine weeks for test results.
Department figures show that at the end of last year 35.7% of patients - more than 33,000 people -  were waiting longer than nine weeks for their results. That's 30% more than the year before.
In November, Health Minister Simon Hamilton said he planned to use Â£40m given to his department in the last reallocation of funds to tackle waiting lists.
On Thursday he said that the journey to restore waiting times was under way.
"Improving waiting times continues to be one of my key priorities and the vast majority of additional resources made available by the executive in November are going directly towards tackling waiting times.
"This is expected to benefit some 60,000 to 70,000 patients who would otherwise be waiting for assessments, diagnostics and treatments, and is not yet reflected in December figures but will impact on the next set of official statistics.


Drugs used to treat weak bones in elderly patients suffering from osteoporosis may actually make them weaker, research suggests.

Scientists at Imperial College London examined the bone structure of hip-fracture patients who had been treated with bisphosphonates.
They found evidence the drugs were linked to microscopic cracks, making bones more fragile and prone to break.
Osteoporosis affects three million people in the UK.
What is osteoporosis?
Losing bone is a normal part of the ageing process, but some people lose bone density much faster than normal. This can lead to osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures.
Bisphosphonates - the main treatment for osteoporosis - are an extremely successful and commonly prescribed class of drugs that slow down the natural processes by which the body removes ageing or damaged bone.
But doctors have raised concerns about the number of fractures occurring among elderly patients who have been taking the drugs for a long time.
To find out why, the team led by Dr Richie Abel took samples of bone from 16 hip-fracture patients and studied them at the Diamond Light Source - the massive doughnut-shaped Syncatron or particle accelerator at the Harwell campus in south Oxfordshire.
"What we wanted to see was whether the bone from bisphosphonate patients was weaker or stronger than bone from untreated controls," Dr Abel explained.
"Rather startlingly, we found the bone from the bisphosphonate patients was weaker. That's a conundrum because the bone should be stronger."
By bombarding the samples with X-rays 10 billion times brighter than the Sun, the team were able to generate images of the internal structure of the bones in unprecedented detail.
These showed microscopic cracks building up in the bones of patients treated with bisphosphonates.
Dr Abel said: "The drug is clearly working, but it also leads to the build-up of micro-cracks in the bone and that could increase the likelihood of a fracture."
It's a surprising result, but the study was small and the work is at an early stage.
Even so, Prof Justin Cobb, a co-author on the paper, says the discovery raises important questions about how we prescribe bisphosphonates for long-term conditions such as osteoporosis.
"There's no hurry, but we should think about how long people are taking them for, and how we might monitor the development of these micro-cracks," he said.
In the meantime the researchers say people should continue to take medications prescribed by their doctor.
If you answered: "Yes," to more than one of these questions, then you may be more at risk of developing osteoporosis:
•Has anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with osteoporosis?
•Have you ever broken a bone after a minor bump or fall?
•Are you female and aged over 50?
•Do you drink more than three units of alcohol a day?
•Do you miss out on summer sunlight (through being housebound, avoiding the sun, always covering your skin or wearing sunscreen)?
•Do you miss out on doing at least 30 minutes of activity five times a week?
Source: National Osteoporosis Society


A policy which could make it easier for community groups in Wales to take over facilities like swimming pools and pubs when they are put up for sale has been abandoned by ministers.

Community assets in England must all be kept on a list by councils who give local groups first refusal if they are sold.
But ministers want to develop an approach "better suited" to Wales.
Critics say they cannot understand the decision.
Under the Localism Act, councils in England keep a register of "assets of community value".
These could include libraries, playing fields and shops.
If they come up for sale, community groups or parish councils are given a six month window to put together a bid to buy them on behalf of local people.
There is a scheme in Scotland too.
The Welsh government's communities minister had been considering enacting the legislation in Wales but last month she decided against the idea because she wants to spend time developing "an approach which is better suited to the Welsh context".
In a statement, Lesley Griffiths told the BBC Sunday Politics Wales that the resource requirements could not be underestimated "including the need for adequate provision for monitoring and evaluation".
Ms Griffiths also said she was mindful "of the legislative time pressures on the Welsh government currently" and she's concerned there could be "unrealistic expectations public funding will be provided to enable community organisations to purchase assets".
Tim Hartley, a director of Supporters Direct, has been helping community groups in England to have sports grounds and stadia listed as assets of community value since the Localism Act came into force.
Mr Hartley told the BBC Sunday Politics Wales: "This is not expensive, it's not a hassle.
"I don't understand why the Welsh government won't bring in these elements of the Localism Act which will allow communities across Wales not only to safeguard but also to take ownership of these assets which they've been playing on for years and years."
Mr Hartley said listing sports grounds and pitches as community assets  made "absolute sense" when councils were cutting back on their budgets.
Mick Antoniw, Labour AM for Pontypridd said he was disappointed but had received some assurance from the minister that she was going to look at a "more effective and better way of supporting community trusts".
Ms Griffiths said the government "greatly values the contribution key community facilities" but conceded it was unlikely any new approach will be implemented before the next Assembly elections in 2016.
Sunday Politics Wales is broadcast on BBC One Wales at 12:25 GMT on Sunday 9 November


Indonesia has summoned foreign embassy officials to the prison where 10 convicted drug smugglers, including the Bali Nine pair, will be executed.

Diplomats confirmed to the BBC that they had been told to go to the island prison of Nusakambangan on Saturday.
The request could suggest that the executions of the mainly foreign prisoners are imminent, but no official execution date has yet been set.
The prisoners must be given a final notice 72 hours before their execution.
The group includes people from Brazil, France, Nigeria and the two convicted Australian ringleaders of the Bali Nine heroin-smuggling ring, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
The 10th death row prisoner, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso from the Philippines, was being transferred to Nusakambangan prison on Friday.
"We have been told to be there on Saturday," an unnamed diplomat told Reuters news agency.
"We still don't know when the actual date of execution will happen but we expect that it will be in days."
Who are the 10 people on death row?
Earlier, a spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general's office said that prosecutors had been told to begin making their preparations for the executions.
"This order has been issued so that the officials make preparations concerning their role," said spokesman Tony Spontana, as quoted by AFP.
Local media reported that all the prisoners except for the sole Indonesian convict had exhausted their appeals in the Supreme Court, though appeals are continuing for others in lesser courts.
Leonard Arpan, an Indonesian lawyer for the Bali Nine pair, expressed concern over the latest developments.
"I am hoping that the Indonesian government will respect the ongoing legal proceedings and not make a decision on executions until these proceedings have finished," he told the BBC.
"We've filed the constitutional court challenge for the Bali Nine and we are waiting for a result on the court from that."
Mr Arpan said he had spoken to the two Australians - who were sentenced to death in 2006 - earlier in the week.
"They are in good spirits, they are well. We understand that their families are on their way to Indonesia."
Indonesia has faced heavy criticism from the countries whose nationals are facing execution.
Australia has mounted a strong diplomatic campaign on behalf of Chan and Sukumaran, while their families have argued that they are reformed characters and should be shown mercy.
The pair have already had clemency appeals rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo earlier this year.
Mr Widodo, who took office in 2014, has a policy of denying clemency to drug offenders, saying the drug trade has caused huge damage to Indonesia.


Dixons Carphone  is to close 134 stores as part of  its merger process.

It plans to combine its remaining PC World and Currys stores and install a Carphone Warehouse outlet into each of them.
However, the move is not expected to result in any job losses, in fact some new posts may be created.
"We are very confident that the impact on sales and colleague numbers will be neutral or better", according to group chief executive, Seb James.
He told BBC Radio 5live: "When we build one beautiful, refitted new 3-in-1 superstore and we have one great Carphone Warehouse in town... sales go up and also we end up usually needing more colleagues to work on the shop floor."
About £50m will be invested in refitting the stores and there will be a £70m provision to cover shop closures and other costs. However, the company expects the changes to result in an extra £20m a year profit from 2017 onwards.
The announcement came as the mobile phone and electrical goods firm announced a record Black Friday amid strong Christmas trading.
Like-for-like sales, which strip out new store openings, rose 5% for the group as a whole in the 10 weeks to 9 January.
On Black Friday the group took £140m, with a big rise in sales online. "I think that's quite sensible," said Mr James.
"Customers saw the scenes that were quite disruptive in some supermarkets last year and decided, I'll play it safe this year and just shop online".
The group continued to increase its market share across all the territories it trades in - the UK and Ireland, the Nordic region and southern Europe - and especially UK mobile.


A main road into a city was sealed off after an electrical fault triggered an underground explosion.

A manhole cover was blown off as two people walked by on the pavement in Norwich at about 13:30 GMT.
They were treated for shock and asthma attacks by paramedics after the blast which happened in Dereham Road at a link junction between two sub-stations.
The road has now partially reopened at the junction with Old Palace Road and work is under way to restore power.
UK Power Networks said it had to "temporarily" turn off electricity to 65 properties, including Tesco Express.
Police and two fire crews were originally called to reports of a suspected gas leak.
Rob Burling, watch manager at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service's North Earlham station, said: "Something failed which caused a power outage.
"There was then a power surge, something exploded and blew three covers from a manhole.
"We cordoned off the area and waited for UK Power Networks and they are now digging out the link junction."
Mr Burling said two pedestrians were treated at the scene for panic and asthma attacks after the exploding manhole cover caused them a "shock".
A spokesman for UK Power Networks said it wanted to "reassure customers affected that we will turn their power back on as soon as it is safe to do so".


Regulator Ofgem is launching a review of energy firms' communications with customers in debt amid concerns over potentially misleading letters.

The regulator has been studying some firms' tactics of using alternative branding on letters chasing those who fail to pay bills.
It said some of the letters, exposed in an investigation by BBC Radio 4's You and Yours, had been "unacceptable".
But it added that firms had now changed the wording on correspondence.
"We're concerned about text in the letters which tends to say things like 'your energy supplier has passed your case to us for resolution' implying that it is a different organisation and that it has reached a different stage of the process," said Philip Cullum, of Ofgem.
"We're going to be writing a letter to the companies in the next day or two setting out some of the examples of the things that we've found that we think are unacceptable".
The regulator said that customers must not be misled, pressured or scared into making payments they could not afford. It will review firms' communications with customers in debt this autumn.
It told You & Yours that it could fine companies or make them compensate customers if it decided the energy firms acted unfairly.
Five of the UK's big six energy companies have sent out letters to indebted customers headed with alternative names, with the exception of SSE.
They said they were designed to encourage people to pay up or seek their help.
British Gas wrote to customers in debt using the names Debt Recovery Services and Central Recoveries but says it stopped doing so in 2012. EDF says it ceased using the name Knight Debt Recovery in 2009 to allow "complete transparency for customers".
Npower still sends final demands from Collections Direct. It says the letters are only issued after it has made four attempts to communicate with a customer itself, and the letters are clear, including branding, that Collections Direct is a trading name of Npower.
E.On has a separate company registered for the purpose: Utility Debt Services. It has also suspended use of the name whilst it conducts a review.
Scottish Power suspended the use of its alternative name Sterling Collections earlier this year. It has now decided to stop using it altogether.
Similar branding to collect unpaid debts have been used by banks and the Student Loans Company.


An orphaned otter cub has been found on the side of the road in mid Wales.

The tired animal was spotted by a man at 21:30 BST last Friday at Glanhafren, Cyfronydd, near Welshpool.
When it was still there three hours later, he took it home in a box and contacted the RSPCA.
RSPCA inspector Phil Lewis said the uninjured cub was doing well and had been taken to the charity's Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire for rehabilitation.
He advised anyone who sees a wild baby animal to check they are genuinely orphaned or abandoned before moving them, as the mother could be nearby.


Apple's Italian subsidiary has agreed to pay €318m (£235m; $348m) following an investigation into tax fraud allegations, Italy's tax office says.

Italy's tax authorities say the company failed to pay €880m in tax between 2008 and 2013, according to La Repubblica.
The settlement follows an investigation by prosecutors in Milan.
The US tech giant has not commented on the deal. It has previously denied attempting to escape paying tax owed on profits made around the world.
Apple Italia is part of the company's European operation which is headquartered in Ireland, a country with one of the lowest levels of corporation tax in the EU.
A spokesman for the tax agency confirmed the newspaper's report was  accurate but would not divulge further details.
Ireland taxes corporate earnings from normal business activities at a rate  of 12.5% compared with 27.5% in Italy.
Investigators in Italy say they found a huge gap between the company's revenues in Italy of over €1bn between 2008 and 2013 and the €30m that was paid in tax in the country.
The settlement comes amid a European Commission investigation into the tax arrangements of numerous multinational companies accused of using cross-border structures to reduce their tax bills, sometimes with the help of secret and potentially illegal "sweetheart" deals.
The issue of Apple's Irish arrangements is separate from but related to the broader one of multinational companies "parking" revenues and profits in  low-tax countries.
Apple's activities in the Republic of Ireland are currently subject to that investigation, which is due to announce soon whether tax breaks designed to secure the company's extensive investment in Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.
Apple's European operations have been headquartered in Cork since 1980.
The company is expanding its workforce there to 6,000 and it has been joined in Ireland by other US tech firms including Twitter, Microsoft and Google.
The company's chief executive, Tim Cook, has rejected accusations that the firm has been sidestepping US taxes by stashing cash overseas, insisting: "We pay every tax dollar we owe."
Mr Cook said on a visit to Ireland in November that he was confident the Dublin government and his company would be found to have done nothing wrong.


Two of four crew members rescued after a US Navy Helicopter crashed off Norfolk, Virginia, have died, officials say, while a fifth is still missing.

The US Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon was on a routine training mission.
US Coast Guard officials said they responded to a downed aircraft report at about 11:00 (16:00 GMT).
In a bizarre coincidence, the incident came a day after another US military helicopter crashed in the county of Norfolk, England, killing four people.
The helicopter involved in Tuesday's crash in the UK was a HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter that belonged to the US Air Force.
The aircraft in Wednesday's incident went down 18 nautical miles (33km) east of the Virginia coast. The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Two of the four people rescued and flown to a local hospital later died.
Petty Officer David Weydert said that the missing fifth person was still being sought.
The Coast Guard cutter Shearwater and two MH-60S helicopters are taking part in the search.
The downed helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14), the commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic said in a statement.
Norfolk, Virginia, is an important hub for the US military, and is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval complex in the world.
The water temperature there is about 6C (42F), according to US weather officials.
The helicopter is typically used in deliveries and in mine countermeasures.
The same model of helicopter crashed in 2012 in Oman, killing two Navy crew members.


An orthodox Jewish newspaper has digitally removed German chancellor Angela Merkel and other women from a photo it printed of the Unity March in Paris on Sunday.

The original picture shows both male and female world leaders.
Some of them linking arms, ready to march at the rally, which was attended by millions after the terror attacks.
But their version printed in Israeli paper HaMevaser has no women in the line-up despite them being there.
HaMevaser abides by the rules of Haredi Judaism, an ultra-Orthodox sect which is defined by its modesty and rejection of modern culture.
It's known for its distinctive clothing of black hats, sidelocks for men and long skirts and sleeves for women.
While traditional Jewish rules respect gender separation in certain situations, Haredi Jewish rules are much stricter and the divide spills over into public places.
There are even bus routes in some areas of New York which separate men and women by a curtain.
Photos of women and girls generally don't appear in the Haredi press as it is viewed as a violation of female modesty.
It's not the first time a Haredi paper has doctored photos for publication.
In 2009 two Israeli papers removed two female ministers from a photo of Israel's new cabinet.
One of the publications blacked them out, the other replaced them with pictures of men.
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A total of 720 jobs are set to be lost at Morrisons' head office in Bradford.

The supermarket said it was beginning a consultation about a "simplified management structure" at its West Yorkshire base, which currently employs 2,300 people.
Morrisons said it had also begun recruiting 5,000 shop floor staff for its stores across the country.
Chief Executive David Potts said the business had made "tough but necessary decisions".
The supermarket said it would be offering opportunities for voluntary redundancy and staff would be offered a role in Morrisons stores, with some redeployed in other parts of the business.
Morrisons said it would not "rule in or out" the possibility that head office managers would offered new roles on checkouts or stacking shelves.
"They could be made redundant but they will certainly be made the offer of a job within the business," said a spokesman.
By Danni Hewson, Business Correspondent, BBC Yorkshire
It's almost unheard of for a new chief executive to come into a business and not make changes. David Potts jumped into the hot seat last month and has already created waves.
The biggest loser in this latest shake-up must be Bradford. The head office on Gain Lane employs 2,300 people. The cuts announced today will cut that by almost a third.
Although affected staff are being offered the chance to find alternate positions within the company, the reality is many are unlikely to take up that offer.  Geographically many of the stores may be too distant without relocation and the positions on offer there and across the rest of the business may be unsuitable.
In recent months Bradford's unemployment rate has been falling but it is still well above the national average of 2.1% and the loss of such a large number of jobs can't fail to register.
It was a tough decision says the company, an even tougher decision is likely to face those staff who've been given the bad news today.
Mr Potts added: "We are focusing on the things that matter to our customers.
"That means having more of our staff in our stores, improving product availability and helping customers at our checkouts.
"To support this, we need a simpler, faster and cost-conscious head office and that requires some tough but necessary decisions."
In March Morrisons reported profits down by 52% to £345m, its worst results in eight years.
Mr Potts joined the business in March to replace Dalton Philips who left after five years at the helm of the firm.
Meanwhile, the company has started on the closure programme of the M local stores that it has earmarked for the axe.
Last month it announced that it would close 23 M local stores during the year, resulting in the loss of 380 jobs.
It said four stores have been closed, with the remaining 19 to shut over the next few months.


There is still no evidence mobile phones harm human health, says a major safety review for the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Scientists looked at hundreds of studies of mobile exposure and found no conclusive links to cancer risk, brain function or infertility.
However, they said monitoring should continue because little was known about long-term effects.
The HPA said children should still avoid excessive use of mobiles.
It is the biggest ever review of the evidence surrounding the safety of mobile phones.
There are now an estimated 80 million mobiles in the UK, and because of TV and radio broadcasting, Wi-Fi, and other technological developments, the study said exposure to low-level radio frequency fields was almost universal and continuous.
A group of experts working for the HPA looked at all significant research into the effects of low-level radio frequency.
They concluded that people who were not exposed above UK guideline levels did not experience any detectable symptoms.
That included people who reported being sensitive to radio frequency.
They also said there was no evidence that exposure caused brain tumours, other types of cancer, or harm to fertility or cardiovascular health.
But they said very little was known about risks beyond 15 years, because most people did not use mobile phones until the late 1990s.
Prof Anthony Swerdlow, who chaired the review group, said it was important to continue monitoring research.
"Even though it's relatively reassuring, I also think it's important that we keep an eye on the rates of brain tumours and other cancers," he said.
"One can't know what the long-term consequences are of something that has been around for only a short period."
There has been speculation about the health effects of using mobile phones for years.
The HPA conducted a previous review in 2003, which also concluded that there was no evidence of harm. But there is now far more research into the subject.
Advice on children
The experts said more work was needed on the effect of radio frequency fields on brain activity, and on the possible association with behavioural problems in children.
They also called for more investigation into the effects of new technology which emits radio frequency, such as smart meters in homes and airport security scanners.
The HPA said it was not changing its advice about mobile phone use by children.
"As this is a relatively new technology, the HPA will continue to advise a precautionary approach," said Dr John Cooper, director of the HPA's centre for radiation, chemical and environmental hazards.
"The HPA recommends that excessive use of mobile phones by children should be discouraged."


Benjamin Mendy has completed his £52m transfer from Monaco to Manchester City to become the world's most expensive defender.

The 23-year-old France left-back has signed a five-year deal.
Mendy is City's fifth major signing of the summer, taking their spending to more than £200m.
"He is undoubtedly one of the world's best full-backs, our number one target in this position," said director of football Txiki Begiristain.
Mendy played 34 times for Monaco last season and helped them to their first Ligue 1 title in 17 years after joining them from Marseille last summer.
City have already signed England right-back Kyle Walker for £45m, plus a potential £5m of add-ons, Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva (£43m), Brazilian keeper Ederson Moraes (£35m) and defender Danilo from Real Madrid (£26.5m).
They have sold left-back Aleksandar Kolarov, 31, to Roma for £4.5m.
The arrival of Mendy leaves Manchester City with the most expensive defensive line-up in world football.
When Ederson moved to the club from Benfica earlier this summer, his move was a world record for a keeper in sterling, although not in euros.
Mendy and Walker have been added to a backline which also includes centre-back John Stones, who was bought for £47.5m from Everton last summer, with the trio making up three of the world's five most expensive defenders.
Central defenders Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala, who spent last season on loan at Valencia, also joined City for fees believed to be in the region of £32m.
Monaco beat Paris-St Germain to the French title last season and also reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Their players have subsequently been in demand, and Mendy is the third major departure from the Ligue 1 club so far this summer.
Silva and Mendy have both joined City, while Chelsea signed midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.
They could yet lose more players, with striker Kylian Mbappe, winger Thomas Lemar and defender Fabinho linked with moves.
Julien Laurens, French football expert
What can City fans expect? Very much what they saw when he faced him in the Champions League. That really was the time where people at City saw how good he was. He had an incredible last 18 months, especially last season with Monaco.
He's still young and he's got the engine to go up and down the left-hand side through the whole match. The quality of his crossing is fantastic. He is such a strong and quick player.
Defensively he needs to improve his positioning. Sometimes he tends to switch off a little bit - but I think Pep can sort that out.
Defensively, you won't see the amazing tackles Mats Hummels did for Bayern, or some great positioning play. That's not him.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A Facebook Live video purporting to show a mesmerising storm has been outed by social media users as a fake.

The moving image of the circling clouds began appearing in social media timelines earlier this week.
But it was a Facebook Live posted by New York-based NewsFeed on Wednesday where it built momentum - racking up a staggering 18 million views within five hours of being broadcast.
Although storms like this are not uncommon, many Facebook users were quick to point out that the four hours of footage was not real.
One user commented: "The recording is being played over and over. The cloud on the right isn't moving. There are no cars on the road. The lightning on right is in the same spot and not moving. Please do better next time."
BBC weather presenter Nick Miller says: "This clearly looks like footage on a loop. Although not completely impossible the blue light coming from inside the cloud is odd. We would expect it to be more of an orange colour.
"Cloud formations like this are known as rotating thunderstorms or super cell thunderstorms but this looks like it's been added on top of an image. We cannot say which part of it is real or fake. The image, the storm or both."
Another giveaway is the lack of information offered by the supposed news page. We don't know where the storm took place, or when.
Many Facebook commentators also pointed out the sound of booming thunder and crackling lightning which accompany the video were in fact sound effects played on a loop.
Shortly after the live, another Facebook page  The Cherry Orchard, which also claims to be a news company in Los Angeles, broadcast the storm footage as a Facebook Live to more unsuspecting viewers.
"Wow that's awesome," posted one Facebook user. Another commented: "It's beautiful."
Although attracting fewer views than the NewsFeed live, many Facebook users jumped into the comments again to question the video's authenticity.
An eagle-eyed Facebook user commented: "It's not true, because the sound is just repeating and the image below is a photograph, because you can not even notice the plants moving."
Some mentioned the lights from traffic in the image were the same throughout the broadcast, while others claimed it was a three second gif or screensaver.
A frustrated Facebook user posted: "This is not live. I shared this picture yesterday! It's on a loop with sound added. I can't believe so many of you are so gullible lol."
Although Facebook has promised to crack down on so called fake news, it is not the first time a Facebook Live has claimed to be something it wasn't.
Last October, Facebook Live viewers were duped into believing they were watching a live broadcast from Space posted by Unilad and USA Viral.
Seventeen million believed thought they were looking at live pictures of astronauts in space suits apparently working outside the International Space Station with amazing images of Earth in the background.
In fact the footage was old with part of it being filmed by astronaut Terry Virts in 2015 and another part from a spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts in 2013.
In May, Facebook broadened its campaign to raise awareness about fake news, by publishing adverts for social media users. They include tips for spotting fake news, including checking the article date and website address, as well as making sure it the news isn't intended as satire.
The platform says it has already removed "tens of thousands" of fake Facebook accounts and that systems were now monitoring the repeated posting of the same content.
By Rozina Sini, BBC's UGC and Social News Team