A FAN has hit out at Rugby Town FC after the club’s 34-year stay in the higher echelons of the non-league football pyramid came to an end.
The club was relegated from the Northern Premier League Division One South last month after a season which saw them record just eight league victories.
But with some of the best facilities of any non-league club, Rugby Town has been criticised for not capitalising on its huge potential fanbase.
And an Observer reader who did not wish to be named accused the club of going down without a fight.
He said: “It’s a mystery why the club’s owners seem totally devoid of any ambition and reluctant to remind anyone of the team’s existence.
“You’ll be hard pushed to find a shred of evidence around about Rugby Town FC – not even a small flyer in your local fish ‘n chip shop.”
He said it was ’embarrassing’ to record average crowds of less than 200 in a borough with a population over 100,000.
He added: “With an excellent stadium, it’s certainly not the facilities that put people off from attending, but what a shame that next season, the average home attendance could wither below 100.
“There is a huge gap in this town for a nice little football club that people could feel part of, win or lose, promotion or relegation.”
With a capacity of over 5,000 and covering on all four sides of the ground, the club’s Butlin Road stadium is one of the best in non-league football.
Having spent many years as the region’s top non-league team, Rugby has now fallen behind local rivals such as Nuneaton Town and Leamington FC, who both play in the sixth tier of English football.
Rugby will now most likely line up in the Premier Division of the Midland Football League – the ninth tier – in 2017/18.
Town Director Neil Melvin said: “We are naturally very disappointed by how things have turned out this season. However come the end of a campaign the table usually doesn’t lie and we have to accept the consequences of this.
“We now have to do all we can to ensure we bounce straight back up the pyramid again and return the club to a level that is worthy of its infrastructure, history and supporter base.”
- GARY Moran has resigned from his role as Rugby Town manager. Click here for more.
