Non league club reveal they have been tricked into a pre-season friendly hoax

Non league club Daventry Town reveal they have been tricked into a pre-season friendly hoax, thinking they were going to play Ilkeston Town.

We’ve heard some random stories in our time but this one is quite the unusual one. Daventry Town had tweeted that they were set to take on Ilkeston Town on Tuesday night (18 July), only to find out from their planned opponents that wasn’t actually happening.

The Northamptonshire outfit had an email with it claimed that the match with Ilkeston Town was to go ahead in place of the game against Rugby Town was postponed.

But after Daventry announced the fixture to their followers on Twitter, Ilkeston got in touch and said someone had tricked them.

Daventry Town thought they were set to face Ilkeston Town at short notice – but not all was as it seemed https://t.co/L5fPiehz4Z

— BBC East Midlands (@bbcemt) July 18, 2023

🟣🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨🟣
NO GAME ON TUESDAY

Unfortunately someone has pretended to be from Ilkeston Town & arranged a friendly with us that would have replaced our cancelled game on Tuesday 18th July

We would like to thank @ilkestontown_fc for their understanding in this matter pic.twitter.com/4YPQVACJBj

— Daventry Town FC (@DaventryTownFC) July 16, 2023

The ‘Ilkeston Town FC Away Travel | Zane’ account tweeted: “You are aware that this isnt booked in with us?”

Daventry replied in a tweet: “I believe this was arranged this morning after we had a game cancelled on Tuesday? I have replied to a message from your main account.”

Since this, the clubs have both definitely now agreed to play each other in pre-season next summer.

“Somebody was impersonating someone from Ilkeston Town,” Daventry’s chairman Steve Tubb said to BBC Radio Northampton, as per BBC Sport.

“In all senses it seemed genuine. We wanted to get a game on for Tuesday or Wednesday night, and if there is any team who wants to get a game on then we’d love them to get in touch.”

Daventry announced after that they would play a friendly against Irchester United on the Tuesday night, making it third time lucky, hoping that this one will go ahead dependant on the weather as rain sweeps the country.

Here’s how fans reacted as the non league club reveal they have been tricked into a pre-season friendly hoax…

@Gazwarrington: Something good has come out of all this & credit to Ilkeston Town FC. Some have come out professional, and some haven’t. Ilkeston have and will be welcomed in the future 👍🏻

@agrinham2: Non league at its finest. Will there be a normal day on twitter? Some mad things happening recently..

@DarenY3267: Clearly has a sad and lonely life with nothing better to do. Thank you for wasting your time on us 😜

@aaronleemma: There are some strange people out there 🤯 the mind boggles too much time 🤡

@gavinfoster1989: Like on Phoenix nights when Den Perry rings up Dougie Hayes pretending to be Jerry from the pheonix club and cancels stars in their eyes! 😂 @PhoenixNightsNC

@Coops_Colin: Alexa, please give me a definition of “what comes around, goes around” 😭😭😭 Maybe Clint Torres arranged the fixture? 😬

@PaulSkillington:
Well that’s a new one on me.
Why in gods name would anyone do that?
They didn’t have a Scunthorpe accent by any chance did they?

@blundenm8: Brilliant 🤣🤣🤣

@JackWOsborne: Mad how people move like this in Non League… 🤯

@DaventryTownFC: I can understand the mick taking, and have to have a little laugh at ourselves however the club has lost out on revenue after a friendly being cancelled on us, and now this which would have replaced it.

@JackWOsborne: I wasn’t taking the mick or having a laugh, just saying it’s mad how someone can be so cynical minded to do such a thing. A few people commenting from non-league clubs who should know better.

@DaventryTownFC: I know you weren’t 👍 It’s a mad situation and expect some engagement on it, but interesting on who and which clubs they are connected with and how they have commented.

@JackWOsborne: Unfortunately a few people will get a bit over excited but that’s Non League fans for you, it’s a shame you weren’t able to get another fixture arranged after being informed at short notice. Surprised that Rugby cancelled tbh.

@DaventryTownFC: Fans \ supporters is fair enough. It’s those directly connected to clubs who have felt the need to comment – Suppose that’s all for another day though. Was a shame Rugby was cancelled as would have been a good attendance for the club, that said totally understand their reasoning

@DanielPowell97: Oh the irony 😂😂😂😂

@PL2NL: Non league in 2023

@tommmjonesss: This pre season is getting better and better 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@KlCKASSCANTONA: I’m sorry but that’s hilarious 😂🙈

@CraigHumphries6: Where can I read said comments as I feel like doing some serious trolling

@foreverayellow: blimey theres been some random non league stories but this really is up there with the most bizarre. imagine someone actually going to the lengths of fooling a club into having a pre-season friendly booked only for it to be fake.

Rod Stoddard: Nutters about.

Daren Young: Unbelievable. Thank you for wasting your time on us 😜