Farsley Celtic chairman responds to vote of no confidence

The Farsley Celtic Football Club Supporters’ Club (FCFCSC) held a meeting on Wednesday night, the details of which have been revealed by the group today.

A motion of no confidence in Barthorpe was tabled and unanimously accepted, then seconded by Supporters Club members.

The Supporters Club claim there has been no significant work on the pitch at The Citadel for five months, but Barthorpe insisted the work would be done.

Photos have appeared over the last couple of weeks on social media purporting to show the state of the pitch, much to the anger of Barthorpe, who has reiterated the fact the land is private property, so should not be trespassed upon.

The Celts have played 28 away games in a row as a result of their ground being out of action, while returns have been constantly pushed back, with the latest being given as late-December, despite a perceived lack of progress on the pitch.

Farsley Celtic's pitch would notoriously struggle after bouts of poor weather. (Image: Alex Daniel.)

The FCFCSC expressed its strong dissatisfaction with the communication over the decision to move home games to Buxton over the next few weeks, claiming more could have been done to keep players and supporters updated on the situation.

The club have also been under a National League embargo since September 23 for non-compliance with League financial regulations.

The FCFCSC state they have no confidence in the chairman or CEO Jon Wickham to improve relationships with the supporters.

The FCFCSC also cited a statement attributed to the players in an edition of the Yorkshire Post last month that “their loyalty had been pushed to breaking point”.

Finally, the FCFCSC say pitch unavailability and funding issues have resulted in the men’s senior team only being able to practice once a week.

In response, Barthorpe told the T&A: “From our point of view, the FCFCSC have no direct affiliation with the club.

“They are a supporters’ group who do pay a membership fee but it’s the same dozen or so people who’ve been posting negative content about us on social media for months.

“What they don’t seem to realise is that we’re united as a club.

“They talk about others, like players, staff and volunteers being on their side, but they’re actually upsetting players with what they’re saying.

“It’s damaging the club as suppliers and sponsors are ringing us worried, thinking the club is a mess.

“The only issue is the artificial pitch, which will be getting laid and is something I’ll happily discuss with the T&A once it is down.”