|
They said that all Burnley supporters there were admitted but that is not the case and some Burnley fans did not get inside the ground and took in the match via radio commentary in a pub close to the ground.
Bradford City managing director Shaun Harvey said: "The intelligence prior to the game told us there were between 2,000 and 2,200 fans travelling across the Pennines and as such, arrangements were put in place. Circumstances saw 3,350 supporters turn up and admitted to a seating area with a capacity of 3,700.
"We do apologise for the delay in some fans getting into the match. However, we wanted to ensure as we admitted them to the stadium that their safety and the safety of those already inside was not compromised."
This I am afraid won’t wash. For a start I think just about any Burnley supporter could have told them days before that the numbers were going to be considerably more than the 2,000 to 2,200 they had estimated. Clearly the intelligence was very wide of the mark.
More worrying is that Harvey believes that safety was not compromised. That is not so and was not helped by totally inadequate and disinterested stewarding and with policing that at best can be described as eccentric.
In all seated areas many had to remain standing throughout the game and exits were blocked by these standing supporters which made access in and out considerably more difficult and a safety hazard.
It really takes some believing that at this particular ground this was allowed to happen. The whole afternoon was run like an amateur shambles and at least thankfully there was no trouble from the supporters of either side.
Certainly from my seat in the stand down the side it was apparent that there were major problems in the stand behind the goal which appeared to be considerably more populated than it should have been.
Bradford City need to be apologising for their inept approach to this fixture. All last week Burnley supporters were predicting that it was going to be chaotic yet nothing was done until it was too late resulting in Saturday’s ridiculous situation.
The apology would have been more acceptable if they had admitted their mistakes but to be quite honest it appears to be nothing more than a quote to a newspaper.
Today the Clarets Independent Supporters’ Association took steps to try and avoid any repetition at the Bescot Stadium in two weeks time. Walsall too have chosen not to issue tickets, a decision taken solely to rip off the Burnley fans.
There is a £3 reduction on prices at their ground if you buy a ticket in advance but they ensure that visiting supporters don’t benefit from this offer by preventing them from getting advanced tickets. We are set to be charged £16 whilst at the other end in the equivalent accommodation home supporters can get in for £9.
Again though safety could be put at risk given the size of the ground and the number of Burnley supporters who could be travelling. That is the important factor and that is why CISA today have spoken to our own club, to the Football Supporters Federation and to the Football League.
It could be that they have had some success too and that there could be a change of decision by the West Midlands club to provide tickets for the game and presumably with the reduction in price.
We do not want another Bradford situation.