A statement has been issued on trouble in the stands during Chorley v Hereford at the weekend as footage emerges on social media.
Chorley’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Dootson, spoke about the unfortunate and the anti-social behaviour that took place during the National League North fixture, which wasn’t segregated.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw on Saturday, but fans could be seen chucking bottles and cups, stewards soon tried to diffuse the situation, as more and more fans got involved.
Chorley vs Hereford yesterday… 🏴👊 pic.twitter.com/mvLGAOgJPB
— Football Fights (@footbalIfights) August 18, 2024
A club statement from our Chief Operating Officer, Craig Dootson, regarding the unfortunate and the anti-social behaviour that took place during today’s match against @HerefordFC.
— Chorley FC (@chorleyfc) August 17, 2024
STATEMENT:
DEAR supporters,
On behalf of myself and everyone at Chorley FC, I want to extend our sincere apologies for the unfortunate and the anti-social behaviour that took place during today’s match against Hereford FC.
At Chorley FC, we take immense pride in fostering a family-friendly environment where our supporters can enjoy the game in a positive and welcoming atmosphere. We deeply regret that this standard was not fully upheld today.
Our decision not to segregate the match was based on the anticipated low attendance, a decision made with the intent of promoting unity and shared enjoyment of the game.
Regrettably, the actions of a few have marred this experience for many. Please be assured that we will take every necessary step to ensure such scenes are not repeated in any future matches and, where needed, segregation is key to this.
We value the feedback of our fans and community. If you would like to share your thoughts or have any further comments regarding today, I encourage you to reach out to me directly at craig.dootson@chorleyfc.com.
Thank you for your continued support and together, let’s work to maintain the high standards that Chorley FC is known for.
Sincerely,
Craig Dootson
Chief Operating Officer
Chorley FC
Chorley: Urwin, Henley, Ellis, Wilson, Blakeman, Calveley, Horbury, Nolan (Bird 87), Hewitt, Carr (Touray, 74), Hall.
Unused subs: Clarke, Rice, Smith.
Hereford: Chapman, Hudson, Campbell, Preston, D’Ath (Rose, 63), Gibson, Babos, Williams, Ceesay (Teixeira, 63), Robinson, Howkins.
Unused subs: Skinner, Bitemo, Matwasa.
Chorley broke the deadlock around the half hour mark. The hosts describing it as an absolute corker from Adam Blakeman with his “weaker”, right-foot. Chapman had no chance as it sailed into the far-right corner from 20-yards.
Hereford got one back on the 77th minute, Akeem Rose bundled it in from close range for the visitors, who almost took the lead on the 80th minute, a ball into Williams but the Hereford striker couldn’t find the target.
It was a penalty to Hereford on 84 minutes. Henley pushed over his man inside the box and was sent off. Urwin however saved Williams’ spot kick to keep it at 1-1.
Then Chorley went on the break and forced a mistake, Hall then went for goal from range and rattled the woodwork.
As the game came to a close, Sammy Robinson was booked for a blatant pull-back on Hall while Blakeman and Gibson were booked for an off the ball incident.
Here’s how fans reacted online following a statement issued on trouble in the stands during Chorley v Hereford as footage emerges…
@bcb1878: Scumbags the lot!
joep940: It’s was all the soft Chorley lot kicking off!!
leeryanlatest: Lucky those invisible walls were there to stop them lads from getting any closer to that bloke
_bruno.c3lla: The invisible wall is unstoppable 👏👏
Rhys Rothwell: Poor setup today always should’ve been segregated and makes us look like dickheads cos we can’t control our fans, was a fair result on the performance was a relief to hear that final whistle as they were pushing hard
Martin Hill: Rhys Rothwell not our fans Rhys! Hereford middle aged half wits caused the trouble!
Rhys Rothwell: Martin Hill exactly and makes the club look bad cos they’ve not properly planned for it
Martin Hill: Rhys Rothwell Totally agree with you. The problem is that clubs liaise with each other on how many fans will be travelling.Unfortunately a lot came from Hereford on the train or unaffical coaches.
Mick Brotherton: Martin Hill I feel that at this level segregation should always be the last resort. There are obvious reasons such as Chester and Southport, and logistical reasons such as Scunthorpe. It’s such a shame that this fixture will now be added to the list thanks to a few dickheads from Hereford.

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