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RAYNES PARK VALE 23|24 UP THE VALE

Scunthorpe United is dependent
on this support that we have seen
throughout the past few weeks
continuing for many months and
years to come, through high times
and hopefully not so many low times.”
Sadly, not all clubs are as blessed as
Southend and Scunthorpe when it
comes to powerful fanbases and this
AFTER months of uncertainty, angst spiralled to the brink of abyss. week it wasn’t such great news for
and sheer agony at times, the long- Protests have been held outside his Step 4 Hamworthy United.
suffering supporters of Southend house, marches through the coastal The Hammers have been hamstrung
United and Scunthorpe United were town before matches and games since the closure of the only seated
finally given some reason to cheer even held up when toy rats were stand at their County Ground home,
last week.
thrown on the pitch in a desperate bid the headquarters the club leases from
Two proud, but horribly mistreated, to get him to sell-up. the Dorset FA, following a structural
football clubs in the throes of crisis Fan power also won the day 230 report in February this year.
and teetering perilously on the brink miles further up the east coast An on-off deal to replace it was
of non-existence, while generations when a bumper crowd of 5,063 eventually struck and with a short-
of fans lined the streets in a desperate
Ever thought of volunteering to attempt to force the boardroom attended Scunthorpe United game term groundshare at Weymouth
secured at the 11th hour, United got
with Brackley Town last Saturday to
change necessary to keep their clubs
celebrate the dawn of a new era for
the green light to remain at Step 4 this
alive.
the Iron.
season.
help your local football club? In Southend United’s case, it was A takeover deal with former However, with demolition work now
about as serious as it could get.
commercial director Michelle Harness paused following the discovery of
unexpected asbestos, officials felt
A winding-up petition to the High
Hilton’s turbulent nine-month tenure
Court over a £275,000 tax debt finally brought an end to David they had no choice than to quit the
threatened to bring an end to the in charge. Southern League and pull the plug on
There are many different volunteer roles in non-league football Shrimpers’ 116-year history with Hilton had replaced Peter Swann in the first team to safeguard the club’s
long-term future.
much maligned owner Ron Martin
the Glanford Park hotseat in January
and Isthmian League football clubs need your help with them. at the centre of the protests for his amid an FA investigation. Last week, “We didn’t want the club to go
refusal to sell up.
he confirmed that he had withdrawn bankrupt,” chairman Steve Mitchener
But at 4.40pm last Tuesday afternoon, his funding from the club and was told us with the reserves now taking
The Trident Leagues and Pitching In’s online Volunteer Hub the loyal faithful finally got the news actively trying to sell the club. on first-team responsibilities in the
Step 7 Dorset Premier League.
is the place where you can find opportunities and contact your they had waited so long for after a On Wednesday, however, it was “I have been associated with the club
three-man consortium of supporters,
announced that, despite a looming
local football club. led by Australian businessman Justin eviction from Glanford Park, winding for 51 years and despite our recent
Rees, announced they had finally got
the deal over the line. up petitions, county court judgements success, it is just so disappointing
and players and staff not being paid,
that we won’t have the opportunity
“We can confirm that an agreement Harness had agreed to take over a 75 to continue with a team that I felt was
Please visit for the sale of the club has been per cent share of the club, while fans capable of not only playing at this
level but achieving more.
did their bit by clubbing together to
reached with a consortium led by
Pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk Justin Rees,” a club statement read. raise more than £68,000 to help pay “The decision was not taken lightly
the staff in their hour of need.
to find out more “We recognise that this has been a Saturday’s game with Brackley but we had to do this to preserve the
stressful time for all associated with
club and the business.”
the club. We would like to thank our Town was emotional for another At the end of the day, fan power
staff for their incredible loyalty and reason as Scunthorpe’s last at played a massive part in rescuing
also thank all our stakeholders for their famous Glanford Park home Southend and Scunthorpe from
their patience.” “for the foreseeable future” with a oblivion, while Hamworthy weren’t
groundshare in place at Gainsborough
Stressful is one way of putting it. quite so fortunate.
Indeed, as Judge Sebastian Prentis Trinity 17 miles away. As drastic and as sad as it was
said when concluding at a previously But Simon Elliott, who was on the for Mitchener to pull the plug on
adjourned winding up hearing “if cusp of taking over from then- the Hammers’ season, it’s a prime
this were not a football club, with the chairman Swann in December 2022 example of responsible club
particular attachment to its fans, I only for the deal to collapse prior ownership, something that the
would be winding them up today,” to Hilton’s arrival, says talks were higher-profile pair would have given
underway with landowner Swann.
Martin, who took over the club in anything for.
1998, has been the target for all the “Negotiations have already started,”
fans’ ire for how the situation has Elliott said. “The sustainability of
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