Week on from Storm Eunice - Pagham on long road to recovery

Instead it’s all about gales, not goals, as the club tries to recover from devastating storm damage at the height of Storm Eunice last Friday.

The high winds ripped the roof off the main stand at Pagham’s Nyetimber Lane ground – the gust so strong it lifted the structure outside the ground, where it came to rest on a van parked in an adjoining street.

It left seats but little else of the stand, sparking a massive clear-up operation and a fundraising effort to help get the club back on its feet as it awaits an insurance assessment and payout which in time should soften the financial blow.

The plan is to demolish the sorry remains of the stand and build a new one, which will cost a significant five-figure sum.

A public appeal to raise an initial £3,000 towards the work has gone well, with the £2,000 mark being reached within four days of its launch.

And club bosses have been heartened by the big response club supporters and other locals have shown in helping them get over the devastation.

Vice-chair Kelly Heatley said as soon as they were alerted to what had happened, committee members were at the ground to survey the wreckage. The extent of the damage meant last Saturday’s Southern Combination premier division match against AFC Varndeanians was immediately called off.

Heatley said: “The stand roof landed on two parked vehicles outside the ground. We managed to clear the road but there was a lot to clear up in the ground.”

A call went out to volunteers to help the clear-up on Saturday morning and a hardy team turned out. Local butcher Gary Jordan donated bacon and sausages to help feed the troops, which was very well-received by the club.

Heatley said: “We had a great turnout. There were lots of familiar faces, some new. We managed to get a lot of the rubble and debris shifted and cleaned up.

“The support we have received has been heart-warming and we are all really grateful. We were very grateful to Gary Jordan for donating sausages and bacon too!

“We set up a funding page to try to help towards the costs of a rebuild. Any donation, however small, will our beloved football club. We’d like to thank everyone who has given up their time to help the club.”

That includes Pagham’s players, who have pitched £500 into the fundraising pot from their club fines, and oth er clubs, who have donated. Now the priority is to make sure the ground is safe for its next two games, starting with an under-18 fixture this Sunday.

To donate click here