Angry Generals hit back at Redditch claims

Jan 13 2012 By Greg Burns

CHESHAM United have angrily hit back at claims made by Redditch United chairman Chris Swan about their controversial abandoned game.

The game between the two sides was notoriously abandoned in October after Redditch striker Josh McKenzie struck the referee after being sent-off on 52 minutes.

Evo-Stik League bosses ordered the game be replayed but Chesham successfully appealed to the FA and were awarded a 1-0 win – the score of the game when it was called off.

But Redditch refuse to let the issue lie and launching their own bid for a FA hearing and claim intimidation by Generals fans stopped the referee re-starting the game.

Chairman Swan told the Redditch Advertiser: “There was more than one reason why the game was called off, I felt the referee received no protection from Chesham.

“After the incident with Josh McKenzie, the referee went to his room but there was not adequate stewarding to prevent fans from congregating outside and banging on his door.

“When you've just been knocked to the ground and there's a melee outside your door it would take a strong man to go back out there again.”

Swan's comments have left the Chesham board seething at the accusations and they issued a strong statement in response this afternoon.

It said: “For the avoidance of doubt, Chesham United FC would like to make it abundantly clear that at no point did any fans have access to the changing room area at The Meadow, and any statement or insinuation to the contrary is entirely without foundation.

“Indeed, after the incident we received communication from the match official commending Chesham United FC on the stewarding of this unfortunate incident and the protection given to the referee and his assistants.

“As well as our own stewards members of the local constabulary were ensuring that access to the changing room area was completely controlled during their own investigations.

“We are extremely disappointed that a fellow member of the football family should choose to attempt to sully the name of another club in this way, and feel obliged to set the record straight and express our absolute dismay, that someone is prepared to suggest that the reason the game was abandoned, when a Redditch United player struck the referee, was in anyway the fault of Chesham United Football Club.