Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Pre-Season

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

HUST On Sunshine


Sunshine Radio played an interview with HUST vice-chairman Martin Watson yesterday.

Below is a flavour of that interview.

Clare Harris started by asking Watson what was 'the supporters trust stance on things' at Hereford United.

"Ever since the club changed hands at the end of May there have been repeated promises to pay players wages, staff wages and debts to the Council and clear the outstanding winding up petition," said Watson.

"That hasn't happened yet.

"The supporters trust is on a boycott until the club meets those terms, pays those debts.

"There have been repeated promises but we are still yet to see everyone of them settled.

"The current management have made it clear time after time that they have got the money but very little of that has been seen.

"I was talking to some former staff last night who are still waiting for some payments and their P45's four months after they finished working for the club.

"This is basic stuff that the club should have done and they simply haven't.

"If the club fails then the future is very much down to the Council. The Council are the landowners of Edgar Street and it's down to them who they sign a new lease with.

"HUST have supported the Jon Hale business group in their plans for a future club and they've had some very positive discussions along with our chairman Chris Williams with the Council.

"The Council have made it very clear they want football to continue at Edgar Street."

Watson was asked about supporters who continue to go to games.

"A lot of the people who still go to games, they admit they are not interested in the politics or the business side of it, they just want to go and watch football.

"That's fine, that's their decision. There's no abuse coming from me nor from HUST's board about that.

"There are a few individuals at the extremes on both sides but at the end of the day we are one fan base, we are Hereford United supporters whether you go to games or not.

"At the end of the day once this is all resolved one way or the other we all need to stick together.

"We are the future of this club. Owners come and go. Fans will still be there."

A question about the bills not being paid, was the boycott affecting the club's income?

"Andy Lonsdale stated quite clearly last Friday that the club has the investment in place to cover the bills and that they didn't need it."

Another question why did the Trust refuse to meet the Chairman?

"The offer of a meeting was under the case of a confidentiality agreement something we couldn't do.

"In order for our members to make a decision to end the boycott they would have to know what that meeting was about.

"If they had lifted the confidentiality clause we could have talked and then everybody would have known what the situation was.

"Until that happens it's going to be very difficult for us to talk."