Open Letter: Crowd Trouble at Stair Park

Dear Sir,

I wish to make you aware of an incident that occurred at Stair Park, Stranraer in the SFL match between Stranraer and Berwick Rangers on Saturday 16th November 2002.

Whilst attending this match with my 9 year old son, as part of 60 or so travelling Berwick supporters, we were subjected to three separate unprovoked incidents of coins being thrown at us from a section of the Stranraer support. Several of these coins hit members of our support, although fortunately no-one to my knowledge was seriously injured. We made repeated requests, of the only two security stewards present at our side of the ground, to take action against the perpetrators but both these gentlemen, who I would guess were in their late fifties/early sixties, were unable to do anything to stop the trouble. It was not until one of our supporters phoned the Dumfries & Galloway Constabulary that several Police officers arrived and these attacks ceased.

Several of our supporters, myself included, made statements at the time to the Police and I understand that three members of this section of the Stranraer support were removed, jailed overnight and are due to appear at the local Court this week in connection with the incidents. The Dumfries & Galloway Constabulary may also be submitting a report to yourselves. I also understand that a formal complaint is to be made to Stranraer Football Club from the Berwick Rangers Football Club Board, via their match Security Officer who was present at the time.

However, I wish to draw this matter to your attention directly, as the governing body of the Scottish Football League, because I consider that you should be made aware of the inaction of the Stranraer Football Club to provide proper stewarding and to prevent this trouble from taking place.

Over the last few seasons the behaviour of a small section of the Stranraer support has become more and more antagonistic towards the visiting Berwick Rangers support. (I can only answer for the club I follow but I would be interested if similar complaints have come from other League Clubs and their supporters). On previous occasions this same group of Stranraer support have been behind the goal, whilst Berwick have been allocated the touchline terracing. Last season, however, this group were allowed to stand in the terrace section next to ours. Only verbal abuse was exchanged between the supporters then, although I and several others were threatened with violence outside the ground on the way to the station. This unchecked increase in hostility I consider has led ultimately to the incidents of coin throwing last Saturday, referred to above.

The officials at Stranraer Football Club must have been aware of this situation but made no provision for extra stewarding, or even took steps to re-deploy other stewards to the scene when the attacks started. It took one of our supporters to summon the Police and no announcements or warnings of any kind came over the PA system when the trouble began. In these circumstances, I would ask you to take up this matter formally with Stranraer Football Club and to ensure that no repetition of events occurs in the future. Our next away match there is on 5th April 2003 and I do not wish to be subjected to any further violence from this section of Stranraer's 'supporters', and I use that term very loosely. Neither will I allow myself to be prevented from lawfully attending a football match to support my chosen team by the actions of a mindless minority.

N. Vagg

[Mr. Vagg has asked me to stress the following points about the majority of Stranraer FC fans, and the hospitality of the town's residents as a whole, which he sent in a subsequent e-mail. S. Archibald

"I realise it was only the actions of a mindless few that caused the trouble and that the hospitality my son and I received in Stranraer, particularly the wee hotel bar we had pre- and post-match drinks and meals
in, was excellent. It's only a pity that, as often happens, the few idiots ruin the day for the rest and the reputation of the club they claim to support."]