TRUSTEES of a social centre and bosses of a junior soccer team have fallen out over the use of a football pitch.

The grandfather of one of the club’s players, who does not wish to be named, contacted the Leader to say he was “disgusted” that the people who run Llay Miners’ Welfare Club had failed to honour promises to allow teams from Llay United Youth FC to use the pitch at its premises.

But one of the trustees has accused football club officials of not being willing to reach a compromise agreement and said he did not believe there was now any way forward.

Llay United YFC chairman Paul Crewe said the Miners’ Welfare had sub-sections for various sporting groups and a number of years ago had requested the football club to formally become one of these.

He said the club had declined because it felt it did not fit into the welfare’s set-up.

Because of this the footballers are not allowed to use the soccer pitch.

He added: “They have said there is no place for us as we do not fit their criteria.”

Mr Crewe said that the club, which has nine teams for players aged six-16, now has only one local pitch to play its 11-a-side matches, at Shones Lane in Llay, and otherwise has to play at either Bradley or Hope.

The player’s grandfather who contacted the Leader said: “These trustees would do well to remember Llay Miners’ Welfare is a members’ club, which was built and paid for by the local miners like my father, for the benefit of the local community and I am sure that those men who gave up their hard earned wages would not approve of their actions.”

One of the Miners’ Welfare trustees, Paul Evans, said: “The football club was asked to become a sub-section about six years ago and we promised them the use of the pitch.

“We could not meet the demands they made and they stopped using the hall for their functions.

“We had a meeting recently at which both sides aired their views but we could not reach a compromise and we thought it better that we parted company.”