Cash-strapped Violet face the final whistle

Dec 24 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

STONEHOUSE Violet have pulled out of this season’s junior football campaign after deciding they would be unable to fulfil their fixtures due to financial pressures.

The struggling Tilework Park club, who were second-bottom of the Stagecoach Central League Second Division with just one point from six matches, will now have their results from this term removed from the records.

All of the players have been released and although it is hoped that the club will resume playing next season, manager Brian Martin believes the outlook is bleak.

The former Hamilton and Motherwell defender said: “We hope that we will get enough interest to start back up next season but with the way things are going, to be honest, I can’t see that happening; it’s a league nobody is interested in.

“It was costing us about £350 a month just for expenses and Alex Brown and secretary Willie Ward were paying that out of their own pockets.

“We realised that with all our postponed matches we would be playing Monday, Wednesday, Saturday for the rest of the season and we didn’t think we would be able to do that, so we folded.

“I’m confident at least that the players will stay in the game and I’ve been in contact with other managers to tell them what they can offer.

“The players have been loyal to me, so I’m trying to be loyal to them.”

Violet match secretary Alex Brown said: “It’s simply a lack of finance; people cannot afford to back us.

“I’ve spoken to the manager, Brian Martin, who knows the position we’re in and he has spoken to all of the players.

“People will know what’s happening – what is affecting everybody else right now is also affecting us.

“But we hope to get ourselves together, attract two or three sponsors, and get something sorted out.”

SJFA secretary Tom Johnston confirmed: “Stonehouse Violet have advised the SJFA that they will not be continuing and, as of last weekend, they now have non-playing membership until the end of the season.”

Former Rangers and Scotland star Tam Forsyth, who turned out for Stonehouse Violet as a 16-year-old in 1966, said: “This is really sad news. I’ve known the people who have been running the club for years and they’ve always tried really hard to keep it going, so I’m very disappointed.”