Football fans who 'transgress' may be priced out

The move follows the controversial announcement of a ban on all unaccompanied under-18s without season tickets at the Feethams ground's Tin Shed end.

The director of football, Mr Luke Raine, said yesterday that he was determined to quell the recent unrest among certain sections of the crowd.

Disgruntled fans have voiced their frustrations at this season's slump from promotion contenders to 19th place in Division Three.

The club's chairman, Mr George Reynolds, left the ground after one hour of Saturday's home defeat by Chesterfield, following shouts from angry fans directed against him and team manager, Mr Gary Bennett. One fan unfurled a banner which read: "You are the Weakest Link, Reynolds - Goodbye!"

After the match about 50 fans staged a 20-minute protest at the Tin Shed end.

Mr Raine told the D&S Times yesterday: "We will not take a soft line on this; we will weed out the troublemakers and get rid of them. Should these people transgress again they will be taken out of the ground and banned for life.

"If this does not work we will put up the prices until we get the kind of people in there that we want."

Mr Peter Thorns, chairman of the supporters' club, said he would welcome moves to eradicate hooliganism and swearing, but not by banning groups of fans or by increasing prices. He said: "One of the supporters' club's main aims is to make the club family orientated, and one of the ways to do that is to stamp out swearing and abusive chants.

"If this is going to do that then we support it, but blanket banning of groups of supporters is not the way."

Mr Thorns added: "Driving people away would be a strange thing to do for a football club. Putting up prices would not necessarily drive out hooligans and would penalise a lot of decent fans who would not be able to afford to keep going to matches. It's not a good idea."

l New ground: page 13.

l Club in crisis: page 29