Article in todays Sunday times re STFC

By allen b26/6/2022 11:45Sun Jun 26 11:45:51 2022

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FOOTBALL | ROD LIDDLE
Derby fans should count their blessings — supporters of Staines Town are even worse off than you
Rod Liddle
Sunday June 26 2022, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
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How’s your club’s pre-season coming along? Are you watching, slack-jawed as all your rivals break transfer records to land vibrant young talent, while your lot have just offered Darren Bent a six-month contract “to fill the hole up front and give us much needed goals”? Don’t worry, this column exists to let you know that there is always someone worse off than you. And there is, unless you’re a supporter of Staines Town. Then there isn’t.

Staines, who competed in the Ryman League South Central division last season (and finished bottom) will not be competing at all this time around. There are many reasons for this, but not least among them is that the owners have latterly discovered (they say) that most of one half of their pitch is actually owned by a local resident who might be very interested in building houses on it. This disconcerting state of affairs was just one surprising element of the club’s last — probably last ever — press statement. It seems that Staines Town — or rather its landlords, The Thames Club (TTC) — kind of acquired this land either by accident or otherwise. That’s the allegation, anyway. It is not, however, the only allegation, because Staines Town have accused the investment fund Downing LLP, who manage TTC’s funds, of certain misdemeanours — including, er, murder and slavery. Escalated quickly, no?

Needless to say, Downing LLP rather wearily reject all of Staines’s accusations which, they say — perhaps with an element of truth — are merely a distraction from the parlous manner in which the football club has been run of late. Whatever, Staines — founded in 1892 — are toast.