Atherstone match thread

[barrowfan]

http://twohundredpercent.net/?p=24158

good article

Agreed. Thanks for posting the link.

[Matty]

http://twohundredpercent.net/?p=24158

good article

Aye, well worth a read. I would be very surprised if those 'yobs' boasting on twitter won't come to regret it very soon.

[andyg]

I've only just got back from the West Midlands this evening (Sunday) but have been following the posts on my mobile with great interest. I'm not going to repeat all that's been said on here but I will give you my part of this sorry story to give you some idea of what went on and my feeling just over 24 hours after the event.

I decided to come down from Manchester to go to the game picking up my son in Brum on the way. I was delighted he was coming as he's not seen them for a while and I thought it great that he'd come and help me support the lads. He was well aware we are not having the best of seasons and driving over he did say the Atherstone fans did seem to have a bit of a reputation. We've been to a lot of games together as we follow Man United and I personally have been in say i have been in some, shall we say, dodgy situations over the years when at a United away game but I pride myself of knowing my way round group and and keeping out of trouble (particularly when going to Anfield!!)

However, nohing in all my years of going to games prepared me for what happened here. First mistake I made was letting the satnav take me to the village of Sheepy some four miles from Atherstone! We eventually made it by going through the Atherstone itself. On going past the "village square2 the locals were happilt setting off flares by the pub they were congregated at - we thought it best to leave the car well away from the ground as I slight feeling of forboding did start to play on our minds.

Went for a quick drink in a side street pub and really did feel a bit out of place. Let me put it this way we are a mixed race family and I'd certainly think twice about taking other members of my family for a meal there. Anyway we decided to walk to the ground - no problem - but the amount of police around was very significant. What was even more significant was that once in the ground there was no police presence only a few stewards - it might have been 9 as another post said. Anyway we decided to stand right by the corner flag of the goal Barrow were defending and got a very close up view of everything that unfurled some 45 minutes later. We got talking to a couple of other fans who were probaly in their forties (someten years younger than me anyway) and we noted with amusementthe flares continually going off during the half. Fireworks night come early we all thought.

At half time and in a really good mood - my son had brought some good fortune to Barrow I thought - I saw clearly 10 -15 youths walking round the back of the goal towards us (we had tried to stand there with a Barrow family earlier put told to move back into the enclosure). There was a steward behind me at the time who said O shit and moved off the confront them. I watched with a certain amount of trepidation as the group just walk straight through the two or three stewards towrds us. These guys got to the opening where we stood - it was a small opening at side towards the back of the stand we were positioned further dwn from the opening. There was some abuse shouted at us by the youths (I use the rerm very loosely) as the stewards positioned them selves at the entrance. The first of two flares were than thrown into the enclosure which, I think, hit a young lad on the chest and fell to the grounds another came in from the pitch (I was not aware they were coming from there as well. I think the father of the boy hit by the flare ran forward and threww the flare out of the stand clearly upset his son had been a target anfdthen those youths just piled threw hitting anyone in there way. I went forward slightly and something caught my eye I turned round and either Lacey og Mills were grappling with others on the pich who were clearly trying to jump into the stand to get at us - I think I was certainly a possible target I just will never know. It was surreal just a mass of bodies and red lares inside the enclosure. We got out through the entrance the youths had come in I really thought more were coming through that area. I went staright to a steward and demanded they get the police in quick - he said they already had called them. About 30 mins later they arrived but at the Atherstone enclosure - that was of great help. We stood in disbelief behind the stand hearing all sorts of commotion going on inside the stand just waiting for the police who never arrived. I think about 5 mins of so later I saw John Mackay (who was brilliant throughout the whole period from then on) and told him about events. A number of guys came round the back of the stand cut and bruised we were just lucky. After a while we went back in & I found the two guys who I'd been talking to and they both got hit. One had a sore head and neck and I went to find the first aid people but was told there was no first aid available - unbelievable! We stood around watching the second half as the Barrow fans ebbed away. john stayed with us in the stand all the time and thought it was best we did start to go. I know the two guys and the boy must have gone a bit earlier because I didn't see them as we were leaving. The first policeman I spke to on the way out was at the gate who showed me a sort cut into town - enough said! But the feeling was that Atherstne were reluctant to call them into the ground because of costs. They, i feel, will regret that decision.

We went home without incident but I really didn't sleep to well that night just thinking about what had happened - i suppose I was in some kind of shock i guess.

If I get to to speak to Lacey or Mills when I get up to Barrow i'm going to thanks them for what they did - I was lucky I was not hurt in any way nor was my son but I might have been.

If the two guys we were talking to during the first half are reading this I hope you are OK - get in touch

Lasly, I am so proud to be a Barrow fan and those Barrow players who were there. I am not overeacting when I say we conducted ourselves in such an honourable way under severe provocation. I know some of you on the forum have regretted what you first said about certain things we could have done there - don't worry about what you said - I wish in some way I could have done more when it all blew up but things happen so quickly you go on instinct.

My final regret is I wanted to stay and clap the lads off at the end we were denied that by the circumstances but I do hope this forges a closer bond between the team and supporters for the coming months ahead.

Oh and sorry this is so long but it's the only time I'm going to comment on this incident

[32mile_cul-de-sac]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... p-tie.html

[1AFC]

Still no videos emerged? Didn't the Athersone Manager say he saw a video?

[HenneysKnee]

On one of those pictures they've got their bloody beers stacked up on the dug out....prepared correctly for the game my arse

[Si_Nichols]

That is a well written article and covers things quite well.

I echo Chief's comments about the "professional" stewarding. They did not have a clue. The statement from Atherstone stinks of being nothing but damage limitation in the face of some very poor decisions made both before and during the match. Even their own turnstile operators and other workers at the ground seemed to have the opinion that Atherstone's directors/chairman were willing to accept this behaviour as the norm for these bigger games for them.

I will certainly be contacting Warwickshire police referencing the incident number and giving them any information I can. I urge others to do the same and/or to mail Pete about what happened which I have already done. Well done to our BOD by the way. They have taken some criticism but if anything good can possibly come out of something like this then maybe it may help us move forward stronger.

I worry that this incident may be swept under the carpet and/or the individuals involved plus the culpability of Atherstone and possibly local police may not get the action it needs. I hope our club (supporters and officials) ensure that the FA and law enforcement do the necessary

[geobarrovian]

I wasn't there but after reading through the thread rather cynically I feel that the police might have been in on the act here and could have purposefully turned a blind eye to the game, otherwise there is no explanation or excuse for them not being allowed in the ground which is inconceivable and downright ridiculous. Combined with reports of the stewards (!) reportedly trying to shift the blame on to the Barrow supporters, I feel there could have been an attempt at a cover-up.

Also I hope the identities of the utter scum identified in that 200% article have been passed on to the police, I am very tempted to do this myself if it has not already been done, they deserve to have the book thrown at them.

[boyliegladbach]

On one of those pictures they've got their bloody beers stacked up on the dug out....prepared correctly for the game my arse

I noticed that and emaied it to the FA last night

[Hadrian]

I hope everyone has recovered from their traumas yesterday and that the youngsters will not be put off football by their experience.

What happens yesterday goes beyond football disorder and a football banning order does not suffice. I urge anyone (especially the elders) to try and identify people and put legal pressure on them and persue a criminal conviction.

Fully agree. If you have anything to contribute: Warwickshire Police: 01926 415000

[Ste Story]

0178-12/10/13 is the crime reference number for yesterday's incidents if anyone wants to email or ring them. I'd urge everyone who's posted here and who was there to at least contact them and stress the points about atherstone officials potential culpability as well as any evidence or statements they wish to make.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk.

[Casualobserver]

There are always a few idiots at big games, but normally steps are taken by those in charge to minimize serious trouble. The difference with Saturday's game would appear that the actions of those responsible for keeping order actually served to increase the likelihood of major incident.

Having read the reports online and heard them on the radio I had a lot of questions, some of which have already been asked, but I thought I'd sum them up in one post.

Questions for Atherstone Town FC -

Why was it considered appropriate for their to be only nine stewards and no police present at a game with high potential for crowd trouble?

Why weren't home supporters searched thoroughly, particularly when it was apparent that flares were going to be used?

Why was it considered appropriate to pen the away fans into a small caged-off area?

Why did your stewards allow leave the gate to the away fans area open and allow the home fans in to cause mayhem?

Why were the police apparently turned away at the gate after 999 calls were made by the away fans?

Why did your stewards not intervene to prevent any of the home fans approaching and subsequently attack the away fans?

Why did your stewards apparently escort the perpetrators back to the home stand, rather than ejecting them from the ground?

Why did your stewards allow flares to be persistently used and alcohol to be blatantly consumed in the ground in contravention of the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol Etc.) Act?

n.b. Ultimately it is the club's responsibility to ensure that the stewards are doing their jobs and, once it became apparent that they were unwilling or unable to carry it out, either they should have been reminded what they're supposed to be doing and told to get a grip of the situation or called the police in.


Questions for Warwickshire Police -

Why were flares allowed to be let off both before the game in the town and inside the ground before and during the game?

Why was alcohol allowed to be blatantly consumed during the game?

Once 999 calls were made from the ground, why did you not insist on entering the ground when the club initially refused you entry?

Warwickshire Police should take a long, hard look at themselves. If what has been alleged turns out to be true then this is either incompetence or malfeasance.


A question for the Match Officials -

Why did you ignore the flares being thrown onto the field during the game?


Travelling Barrow fans, you're all a credit to Barrow AFC. I hope no lasting damage is done. Well done for keeping your heads, if you had not, perhaps things would have turned out significantly worse.

[Andy]

Hope we aren't charged for the police and stewarding because it is my belief that the costs are normally shared. I certainly hope this isn't true.

[Ste Story]

Hope we aren't charged for the police and stewarding because it is my belief that the costs are normally shared. I certainly hope this isn't true.

9 stewards can't cost too much... The policing was called for by a 999 call rather then requested by atherstone so shouldn't be deductible.

Looking forward to seeing the fine atherstone get though...

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[Ste Story]

Having read the reports online and heard them on the radio I had a lot of questions, some of which have already been asked, but I thought I'd sum them up in one post.

A very good post that. Anyone there prepared to put there name to it could do much worse then emailing that exact post to both atherstone and Warwickshire Police...

Are you a barrow fan or neutral then Casualobserver?

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