I’ve had my tyres slashed and death threats delivered to my home address, reveals owner of UK’s biggest crisis club
I’ve had my tyres slashed and death threats delivered to my home address, reveals owner of UK’s biggest crisis club
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A NON-LEAGUE football club owner says he has been “physically attacked” and received “hand-delivered death threats” from thug fans. Farsley Celtic, who recently appointed ex-Premier League ace Neil Redfearn as boss, are in dire straits both on and off the pitch.
![[Farsley Celtic's Throstle Nest ground with unplayable pitch.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/picture-farsley-celtic-s-throstle-949199477.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The West Yorkshire outfit, who proudly boast they are the highest ranked village club in England, slipped into the National League North relegation zone after the weekend’s stalemate with Warrington Town. But they have not played a “home” game all season due to huge delays installing artificial surface at their Throstle Nest ground and have been forced to play 70 miles away at Buxton instead.
![[Overgrown, disused football pitch behind a fence.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/picture-farsley-celtic-s-throstle-949199483.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Fans, who have boycotted matches, have accused owner Paul Barthorpe of trying to “ruin” the club and believe he is more interested in trying to sell their home stadium to housing developers. However, he has insisted he has no plans to do that as he offered hope that the stadium work would finally get completed by the end of March.
![[Disrepair of Farsley Celtic's Throstle Nest ground, showing an unplayable pitch.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/picture-farsley-celtic-s-throstle-949199515.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The chief also revealed that a strict covenant exists on the land and that the stadium will not “at any point” be sold to housing developers. In a lengthy statement, Barthorpe also opened up about the physical abuse he had received as well as claiming that irate fans had damaged his property.
![[Aerial view of Buxton stadium's artificial turf pitch.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-instagram-com-p-dbrjstlnlep-967367275.jpg?strip=all&w=512)
He said: “People saying I don’t care, I’m destroying the club, I’m not investing in the club, I have ulterior motives which clearly could not be further from the truth!. "This has been my life for almost six years and anyone who owns a business and commits everything to it knows the unconditional love you have for it!.
![[The John Palmer Stand at Farsley Celtic stadium.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-instagram-com-farsleyceltic-fc-967367369_cae4f1.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
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