Wingate & Finchley Have Perspective And Concrete Wall Altered After Vigar’s Death

A persistent pug many times nudges a shot nether nan feet of group queuing successful nan clubhouse for a half-time refreshment: intoxicant and soft drinks from nan bar; tea, java and Bovril from nan hatch. “We’re a very bully counterattacking team,” says 1 of nan patrons. “But we person to return it to them.”

Outside, nan elephantine timepiece supra nan Jack Fisk Stand stands incorrectly stiff astatine 6pm, continuing nan resolute neglect of its sole work that it has exhibited for nan past 2 seasons. “It’s arsenic overmuch of a normal Saturday arsenic it tin be,” says Wingate & Finchley vice-chair, Joe Sharpe. “But I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate joy.”

Exactly 8 weeks person passed since nan nine past played a location crippled – an Isthmian Premier League fixture abandoned aft conscionable 13 minutes erstwhile Chichester City guardant Billy Vigar collided pinch a actual wall that ran astir nan full Maurice Rebak Stadium transportation perimeter, and was airlifted to hospital. Five days later, nan 21-year-old Arsenal academy postgraduate tragically mislaid his life owed to a “significant encephalon injury”. While nan charismatic origin of decease remains unconfirmed, it is expected to beryllium attributed to nan on-field collision.

The incident prompted an outpouring of condolences and anger crossed nan sport, pinch nan Football Association launching “an contiguous review… that will attraction connected nan information of perimeter walls and boundaries astir pitches successful nan National League System” – from nan 5th to nan 10th tier. A fundraiser for Vigar’s family, group up by 1 of his Chichester City teammates, has raised much than £18,000.

Floodlights were required to illuminate nan precocious autumn gloom good earlier kick-off connected football’s return to nan segment of sporting tragedy. More than 300 spectators were successful attendance for Saturday’s sojourn of Lewes to northbound London – importantly higher than mean for 1 of nan lowest-watched clubs successful nan division.

More than 300 spectators were successful attendance astatine Maurice Rebak Stadium. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian

In nan contiguous aftermath of Vigar’s death, Wingate & Finchley hastily confirmed location was “currently nary appetite” for shot astatine their stadium. Home matches were switched to away, and nan squad played their adjacent 7 convention games connected nan road, improbably going unbeaten successful each of them.

Significant alterations were made for Saturday’s return. Although nan crushed had ever met stadium regulations, nan offending perimeter wall was knocked down and replaced pinch nan type of rebound mesh fencing commonly seen astir sports pitches nationwide. Players person been provided pinch other run-off abstraction connected nan touchline. There are, says Sharpe, “mixed feelings” astir a playing return nan nine had been observant not to beforehand aliases observe successful immoderate form.

“It’s really important ne'er to hide what happened, and what will hopefully ne'er hap again astatine immoderate club,” he says. “It’s evidently been difficult for us, but first and foremost we person to carnivore successful mind that a young man mislaid his life. His parents person mislaid a son, and his family and friends, and everyone successful football, are devastated astir what happened. When you put it into perspective, shot doesn’t mean much.”

In these little reaches (the seventh tier) of nan English shot pyramid, clubs for illustration Wingate & Finchley run wholly connected nan bully will of nan volunteers who tally them. Outside of nan first-team’s players and coaches, nary person payment, nor do they ever expect to woody pinch world sum of specified a calamity occurring connected their watch; immoderate of nan much persistent sections of nan media attempted to usage telephoto lenses to spot complete nan ground’s locked gates aft Vigar’s death.

Extra tally disconnected abstraction has been provided down nan touchlines. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian

“You tin spot there’s not galore group here, truthful to spot our club’s sanction successful nan news was strange,” says protagonist Luke Tebbutt. “The truth that it’s a nine everybody knew nan sanction of was very odd. It was an atrocious event. A existent tragedy.”

In specified a context, it is possibly understandable that those astatine nan helm harbour a reticence to talk nan specifics of an incident that has near its people connected each who witnessed it – nan efforts of medically-trained fans who hurdled nan wall to thief Vigar, nan velocity of nan first paramedics to get connected scene, and nan aerial ambulance that landed connected nan pitch. “For those of america location that time it’s thing we person to unrecorded pinch forever,” says 1 Wingate & Finchley supporter, likening nan sound of nan offending collision pinch nan wall to a shotgun going off.

The Professional Footballers’ Association swiftly held a shop pinch players progressive successful nan match, while Wingate & Finchley offered backstage counselling to each unit members who required it.

That Vigar’s Chichester City teammates did not suffer immoderate of their adjacent 5 convention games was small short of remarkable, while Wingate & Finchley’s 3-0 homecoming triumph complete Lewes connected Saturday extended their unbeaten convention tally to 9 matches. Tragedies tin unite, but Sharpe is wished not to suffer show of priorities.

“It’s not astir Wingate & Finchley,” he says. “It’s astir nan lasting representation and bequest of Billy. It’s important that it ne'er happens again to immoderate player.”