Letter from Hednesford Town Supporters' Association
The Brakes Trust has received the following letter from Mr Gareth Davies, Joint Vice-Chairman of the Hednesford Town FC Supporters’ Association:
12 May 2011
Dear Supporters of Leamington F.C.
HEDNESFORD TOWN F.C. –V – LEAMINGTON F.C. (PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL) – THURSDAY 28 APRIL 2011
Further to the above fixture at the end of last season I write on behalf of the Hednesford Town Supporters Association to offer an apology for the behaviour of a small element of our “followers” who staged a pitch invasion and I understand, were abusive and threatening to some of your players and after the match to yourselves.
Firstly, I would take this opportunity to assure you that this is not the kind of behaviour we have seen at Keys Park in the past, that the perpetrators are not regular visitors to our ground whom we would consider to be “supporters” in any sense of the word. I know that amongst the Supporters Association here at Keys Park there is great disappointment that the image of our club has been impacted in this manner.
The Hednesford Town Supporters Association was formed earlier this season with the primary objective of improving the match day experience at Keys Park for both home supporters and away fans alike. We feel that in this instance we have been let down by a small number of individuals who clearly do not share the ethos of the vast majority of our supporters, who enjoy a cordial relationship with opposition fans both at Keys Park and away from home.
As we promote our club in the wider community we consider one of the main “selling-points” of non-league football to be that whilst the game is competitive on the field, the atmosphere off the pitch is friendly and constructive, maintaining the non-league community spirit. Whilst clearly this was not the case at the end of our recent game, I am aware that the Club have already taken action regarding the individuals involved, with the result that a number of people were prevented from attending the play-off final the following Monday.
I hope that your supporters will accept our apology in the spirit that it is presented and, despite our disappointment at not achieving promotion this season, we look forward to you visiting us here at Keys Park next season, where you can be assured of a warm welcome from both the Club and our Supporters Association members.
In order to encourage a spirit of continuing goodwill between our supporters I would be grateful if you would give consideration to publishing this letter either on your web-site or within your matchday programme.
May I take this opportunity to wish you well for the forthcoming season when we will look forward to welcoming you to Keys Park.
Yours Sincerely
Gareth Davies
Joint Vice-Chairman
On behalf of Hednesford Town FC Supporters Association
In response, Brakes Trust Chairman Peter Davis wrote the following:
Hi Gareth,
I really appreciate this letter and will pass it onto everyone. The majority of fans knew the situation was nothing to do with your regular fans and its just ‘one of those things’. The ‘trouble makers’ in question added a lot to the occasion with their brilliant noise, maybe good can come from this and they can be harnessed for some positive Hednesford support.
Aside from that, it was a great night where I thought Leamington performed brilliantly and we have come so far in a short period of time. I look forward to our visit to Keys park next season because it shows the progress we have made competing at venues like yours and meeting your excellent supporters.
See you in 2011/12 and maybe worth having a few soft drinks at both fixtures next season.
