November 2, 2020 3.09 pm This story is over 40 months old

Horncastle football boss claims he was racially abused by fan

An unpleasant episode
The then Horncastle Town FC manager Allan Ross said he was subjected to racial abuse when he attended a match between Pinchbeck United and Lutterworth Town.

Horncastle Town FC manager Allan Ross claims he was subjected to racial abuse and called a “wog” by another club’s supporter during an incident at a match over the weekend.

Horncastle’s match against Lincoln Moorlands Railway was postponed on Saturday, October 31 due to four players with positive cases of coronavirus and a further seven or eight self-isolating.

Allan decided to use his free time to go and watch his former club Pinchbeck United, where he had spent over four years. Pinchbeck United were in action against Lutterworth Town on Saturday, but Ross was left shocked by what happened during the match.

He told The Lincolnite: “I was stood with the Pinchbeck United chairman as I was assistant there for many years. A well known supporter who is always at the games came through the turnstiles to talk to the chairman.

“He looked at me direct in the eye and said to him ‘I see you’ve let a wog into the stadium’.

“I confronted him verbally and he denied saying it, but the chairman heard it. I spoke to the chairman and pleaded with him to eject the supporter out of the stadium before I filmed it and made the incident go viral.

“I didn’t want to do that because of the love I have for Pinchbeck United.

“The chairman turned his back on me and went to order a burger from the burger van. Up until that moment in time I classed him as a friend, but I felt embarrassed, worthless, ashamed, upset and angry.”

Allan left the stadium and called the police to report the incident. He also said that Troy Townsend from football’s quality and inclusion organisation Kick It Out, has offered support to him.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: “Incident 285 of October 31 refers to a report of racist comments being made following a local football match being held at the Sir Halley Stewart playing field.

“The investigation is ongoing. No-one has been arrested at this time.”

Pinchbeck United’s chairman was contacted for a response, but there was no reply by the time of publication.

Allan added: “In the game and in society I have been subjected to this all my life. I have mixed emotions from over the weekend, but after speaking to people who have reached out to me I want to speak up about this.

“This is real life society and also I feel I have to somehow make people aware that this is not just a local issue. I am a father and need to show my children how to handle this.

“It won’t put me off football as I feel in my local amateur career I have a lot to give and have had a lot of success, not just on the football coaching side representing black coaches, but also developing some good young footballers, which I wouldn’t want to ever stop.

“Opportunities are few and far between for black coaches professionally and there is still a stigma, and I feel that is why I haven’t progressed up from amateur level coaching.”