Support for new football stadium expressed with signatures

2:01pm Wednesday 27th February 2008

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In support of a new stadium for their club hundreds of Braintree Town fans signed a petition at Saturday's successful home game.

Gordon Humphris, chairman of the supporters' club, said over 320 people had backed the club's desire for a 6, 000-capacity stadium complex by putting their names down on paper at the match which saw The Iron beat Havant & Waterlooville 1-0.

He said the whole thing was a "great success" and he was "very pleased" with the response, adding everyone who was in the stadium signed the petition.

Lee Harding, club chairman, said Havant & Waterlooville supporters had included their names as they thought it was good the club was trying to improve its facilities.

He said: "We have a lot of support and not just locally as well, also from the league and the Football Association. All these people are looking at what we are trying to do."

He added Saturday's match was a big win for the team putting them in the top half of the table and there was no reason why they could not get into the playoffs this year.

"The lads are playing well and if it keeps going we could find ourselves in the situation where we need to do something quite urgently with the ground."

Paula Scott, 33, a Braintree Town fan of Wheatley Avenue, Braintree, who was at the game with her family, said she supported the proposals "totally."

She said: "Before people start giving their opinion on the side they don't want this ground they should see their local team."

Robin Peters, 48, a mechanic who lives in Cressing Road near the current stadium, said there was "no problem whatsoever," in terms of traffic, parking and light pollution, with having the current ground so close and people who would be situated by the proposed new ground did not need to worry.

He said: "The further they go up the football league the bigger the ground obviously, but it would be good for the town if they did do well."