Bognor FC fire - Close to tears, Rocks fans offer their help

Sarah Warwick said everyone who watched the club was upset over the loss of the fans' gathering place at Nyewood Lane.

"I wanted to cry when I saw the damage done to the clubhouse," she said.

"It was absolutely gutted and the stench on Friday was unbelievable. Everybody just stopped dead when they saw the complete and utter devastation.

"I've celebrated many personal occasions there," said Mrs Warwick, the chairman of the group of some 200 members for three years. "There's been my husband's birthday and our 25th wedding anniversary among them.

"We've had plenty of celebrations, commiserations and post mortems after games in there as well.

"It's also the only place where we can meet the players and have a drink with them and talk about the games.

"People are now being relatively philosophical about the fire and saying we will get a new clubhouse out of it.

"But it is such a huge loss of revenue for the football club in the meantime."

She said the supporters' club had offered whatever help was needed by the football club to ensure a new clubhouse was opened.

But it was too early to know what assistance would be required.

There was talk of the club's brewer, Carlsberg, arranging temporary bars around the ground. But Mrs Warwick said nothing would match the snugness of the clubhouse after an evening game on a cold Tuesday in winter.

A Rocks supporter since 1995, she said news of the clubhouse fire had attracted sympathy from the Wimbledon fans at last Saturday's away match and in a friendly cricket match with Worthing the next day.

"The only good thing about the fire is that at least the football isn't affected," she added. "What we need now is a nice cup run to cheer everyone up and bring in some money.

"If ever there was a time for the people of Bognor to get behind their football club, it is now."