RIDLEY’S SADDENED BY FRIENDLY FARCE
Weymouth call off pre-season fixture
WEYMOUTH have pulled the plug on their friendly match with Salisbury six weeks after arranging it – because some of their board of directors remembered they don’t get on with Ian Ridley!
The Whites’ vice-chairman agreed to the July 30 warm-up after being asked by Terras player/manager Jason Matthews in mid-May – and fully expected it to go ahead.
But the goalkeeper was forced to call Ridley – the former Weymouth chairman – on Thursday and tell him they won’t be coming after instruction from above, leaving Salisbury stunned.
Journalist Ridley wrote his book Floodlit Dreams in 2006, a wartsand-all account of his time in charge at the club which was dogged by boardroom squabbles and financial problems.
It’s been suggested chairman Chris Pugsley and secretary Peter Saxby have not forgiven the author for his tell-all account and both clubs will now be forced into making alternative arrangements.
Ridley told The NLP: “I find this all very sad. I am disappointed that certain members of the Weymouth board feel this way after all this time. “It is 12 years since I worked at the club with these people. It was Weymouth who came to us for the fixture and (manager) Steve Claridge and I had no problem accommodating Jason Matthews, who is a lovely guy and an old friend. “We agreed it on purely footballing grounds. “To be fair to Jason, he was most upset and embarrassed at calling off the fixture, which obviously caused us a problem in trying to fix up an alternative friendly on the last Saturday of pre-season at late notice. “What is most baffling is why the Weymouth board didn’t do this more than six weeks ago when the fixture was organised and have let matters proceed for so long before undermining their manager.
“I even offered not to attend the game if it meant it could proceed but sadly that was not good enough for one or two people who seem to be allowing their personal agendas to get in the way of what might be best for their football club.
Forced
“It is also strange that I was invited back to be Weymouth chairman six years ago in the club’s hour of need when they were going bust and nobody else would step in.
“I did my utmost to keep the club going for six months before I had to resign after being diagnosed with cancer and needed time away to have treatment.
“Also since then and before I joined Salisbury, I have contributed sponsorship money to the club and they contact me every year to ask for more.
“But so be it.We will move on at Salisbury, where Steve and I are now doing our very best to help build a successful club as we did at Weymouth before I was forced out, Steve was sacked and those who took over then ran the club into the ground.
“I just feel sorry for the coaching staff, players and supporters of Salisbury and Weymouth who could have anticipated an interesting and valuable pre-season match between the clubs.”
Weymouth declined the opportunity to respond until chairman Pugsley returns from holiday tomorrow.