In the wake of the recent permanent bans imposed by Carshalton Athletic owner Paul Dipre on six of the club’s most loyal fans, it’s a good time to reflect on the human cost of the last five years at the once-happy local football club which is well on the way to oblivion.

Popular manager Hayden Bird who took the club to the play offs of the Ryman Premier League in 2009 was sacked by Dipre soon afterwards and it’s been downhill all the way since then.

The lively support who sang their loyalty to the team week in and week out has been decimated; most have drifted away in despair or at the other extreme, been barred from entry with no reason given.

Some of those who have been singled out include people who have followed the team home and away for many years - for them it was a huge part of their lives.

Their only possible ‘crime’ was to speak out against the owner’s single-minded plans to turn the club from a football outfit to a commercial pitch hire facility.

Now they have a lifetime ban and atmosphere on match days is a thing of the past. The bans themselves are only the latest episode in a brutal war against the genuine supporters of this club which has now been going on for several years.

If Dipre gets permission to rip up the grass and replace it with a plastic pitch this will probably signal the end of Carshalton Athletic FC as we have known it for over 100 years.

The author of this letter has asked to remain anonymous.

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We wish to claridy an error in this letter. Hayden Bird resigned and was not sacked by Mr Dipre.

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