Slough ‘open dialogue’ with the National League
Slough Town have confirmed they’ve opened dialogue with the National League regarding the circumstances which led to Saturday’s game with Bath City being abandoned with around 20 minutes to play.
The Rebels were leading 4-2 in the 72nd minute when a Slough fan behind Josey Casa Grande's goal took ill, and the players were called from the field while the match was temporarily suspended.
Fortunately, the unwell fan recovered well from the incident, and both the Rebels and the referee were happy for the game to continue. However, the Bath City manager Jerry Gill feared for the ‘welfare’ of his players who he felt ran the risk of injury if forced to continue after the break.
At this stage, it seems most likely that the match will be replayed from the first minute, with the game likely to be staged in mid-week, however, Slough clearly feel this would be unfair on them – given the circumstances – and want to discuss if there are any possible alternatives with the league.
The club released a short statement on Tuesday saying: “We can confirm that we have opened dialogue with The National League regarding the circumstances which led to the abandonment of Saturday's match against Bath City.
“We will provide a further update for our supporters in due course.”
The Romans’ manager Jerry Gill also spoke to his club’s media following the incident to give his side of the story.
“It's very much just thinking about the gentleman behind the goal,” he said. “When it happened, our medical staff and Slough's were brilliant and went straight over there. Our thoughts go out to that gentlemen and his family tonight, and that's the most important thing, irrespective of whether the game restarted or didn't, it's totally irrelevant.”
A couple of hours after the game on Saturday evening, Slough Town gave fans an update on the health of the fan who fell unwell and thanked the 1,406 fans who attended the game for their support and for their generosity on a specially arranged fundraising day for charity partner Thames Hospice.
It read: “Regretfully, our National League South match against Bath City today was abandoned in the second half of the game, with Slough Town leading 4-2.
“A medical emergency affecting a Slough Town supporter occurred during the second half, which led to a pause in the game and the teams leaving the pitch.
“Following the pause in the game, the match officials confirmed that despite them being happy to resume the match, the Bath City management refused, which led to the abandonment.
We are pleased to confirm that the supporter is well and was sat up and already feeling much better prior to the match being abandoned as he awaited the arrival of an ambulance. We would like to thank the medical staff of both clubs for their prompt assistance.
“Our thanks also go to the supporters in attendance on a special day for the club and for our charity partner, Thames Hospice. The match attracted an attendance of 1,406 – our highest in the league so far this season and our second highest league attendance since we moved to Arbour
Park in 2016.
“We will issue a further statement on today’s events in due course.”