Facing oblivion... but players, staff and fans stay united to the last
Sportsmail’s ALEX BYWATER joins crisis club Worcester on a boozy, bittersweet wake
As he stood in a corner of the Alma pub in Worcester on saturday evening and contemplated his future and that of his team, steve Diamond was approached by a loyal Warriors supporter.
‘Thank you for everything you have done for us,’ said the fan, plonking a tray of Jagerbombs on the table. The drinks didn’t last long and they kept on coming.
Was this a celebration? Or more of a wake? No one was really quite sure, but it certainly felt like the end of an era and a line in the sand for a proud english club.
At 5pm today, Worcester are almost certain to be suspended from all competitions given they are unlikely to be able to meet an RFU deadline to prove they can continue as a viable business.
A thumping 39- 5 win over Newcastle on saturday may well have been their last.
As Worcester’s staff drank what was left of the beer in their sixways home, Don McLean’s American Pie played on the speaker. ‘This will be the day that I die,’ McLean sang. As lyrics go, it couldn’t have been more fitting. saturday may well have been Worcester’s point of no return. sipping on a lager, director of rugby Diamond could barely believe the lay of the land. ‘I don’t know how it’s come to this,’ he said. ‘Out with a bang, eh?’
It is difficult to emphasise the emotional toll Worcester’s plight has had on the club’s players and staff, which is why saturday’s post- Newcastle night out was a chance to let off some steam.
Today, Warriors caretaker Lee Morrow will begin searching for a new place to live as he will soon be evicted from his house on the sixways site. Diamond’s players will be unable to train there either.
Members of Worcester’s staff have already been forced to look at other jobs and many have already taken up offers. some players could soon follow them out of the exit door.
‘It’s been mental torture and torment,’ Worcester assistant coach and former england No 8 Nick easter said.
Diamond and easter poured pints for fans in the Alma before the staff and Warriors players headed to one of the city’s nightclubs. Sportsmail joined the Worcester family for the evening and as the drinks flowed and gallows humour filled the air, it was evident just how close a bond the Warriors have.
The unity is led by Diamond who has been its beating heart in extraordinary circumstances.
‘People pay a lot of money to try and manufacture mental resilience artificially, but this has happened organically for us,’ easter added. ‘What this has done for the whole community and supporters has actually made everyone very, very tight. It will be everlasting.’
That saturday evening felt like a drowning of sorrows for everyone with a passion for Worcester. Nowhere to be seen were Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham. The club’s owners have serious questions to answer.
Sportsmail revealed last week Goldring and Whittingham borrowed £500,000 from Worcester icon Cecil Duckworth in his dying days and have not repaid the debt to his family following his death in 2020.
Kim Lannie, a Worcester seasonticket holder for 10 years, told Sportsmail: ‘I cannot understand why the owners won’t do the honourable thing for the club and put it into administration. I cried when I read about the owners not repaying the loan they took from Cecil Duckworth, but I wasn’t surprised and that’s the worst thing. I don’t trust anything they say.’
Adriano Vazzoler, who has been watching Worcester for 25 years, added: ‘ The Cecil story was the final nail in the coffin for the owners as far as the people in Worcester are concerned. The level of mistrust is unbelievable. We just want them to go and not set foot in Worcester again. They’re not welcome.’
‘I’ve been a season-ticket holder for 26 years,’ said Julian Clarke. ‘I’ve loved it since day one. My dad used to come here with me. We wheeled him into sixways for his last game when he was dying of cancer six years ago. That’s what this place means to Worcester.’
so, what now for everyone connected to Worcester? Uncertainty reigns. Their resources have been so low the club’s medics have been massaging the players with cooking oil.
Diamond is understood to be hopeful a takeover will happen in the coming weeks but in the meantime, a playing and staff exodus could occur. The majority of Worcester’s staff have still only been paid 65 per cent of their August salaries and september’s packet is unlikely to arrive at all.
‘The players want this to work not for themselves, but for Worcester as a club,’ Victoria Lewis, girlfriend of flanker Cameron Neild, said.
Neild and Lewis relocated from Manchester to Worcester for this season but just a few months later, their future has been thrown up in the air. ‘Cam loves it at Worcester,’ Lewis added. ‘We bought a house in April and like all the staff, we’ve got a mortgage to pay. It’s really hard when you don’t know what the future holds.
‘Fergus Lee-Warner has moved to Worcester from Australia and his partner has only just arrived. she doesn’t know if they’re going to have to move straight back. If I could sum it up in one word, I’d say it’s stressful!’
Lewis and the wives and girlfriends of Worcester’s players gave the team an emotional guard of honour for the Newcastle game and joined them as the party went on long into the night. Worcester’s fans also donated money to top up staffing salaries. One handed over £200 worth of pub vouchers.
Worcester’s players and staff huddled together at the final whistle and applauded their loyal supporters. even the chef joined in.
‘We don’t know when we’ll be able to do this again,’ said the emotional stadium announcer. he then hopefully added: ‘The Worcester Warriors are going to be here for a long time.’
With any luck, that proves to be the case.
Resources are so low that the club’s medics have been massaging players with cooking oil