Following recent matches against Telford and Chorley, the club wants to update supporters fully on the situation regarding the David Miles Stand (DMS).

As many of you will be aware, our celebrations of Morgan Wigley’s equaliser against Telford resulted in a crowd surge in the corner of the David Miles Stand. Sadly, this caused a perimeter barrier to buckle and shift in the concrete, leaving that bay of the DMS temporarily unsafe. More worryingly it also resulted in a young supporter being injured. Thankfully the injuries were not serious, but the incident highlighted how much worse it could have been.

Further to this incident, a compulsory safety review has taken place to ensure we are able to keep all supporters safe. The David Miles Stand contains nine viewing bays; however, it is the middle four seated areas that determine the stand’s capacity. While these bays provide seating for 181 supporters, the safety certification issued to the club reduces this to an official capacity of 173. Therefore, in order to keep the stand open, the club has no choice but to restrict current numbers to this certified capacity, with any supporters who choose to access the DMS required to be seated within the middle four bays. To assist further, the non-seated bays immediately after the entry will be taped off. We appreciate this news is disappointing to everyone at the club. Also, during this period - since the sealed off section includes the car park exit gate - any emergency invacuation will take place via the pitch.

For the Macclesfield game on Saturday 5th September, entry to the DMS will be first come, first served, with a Steward managing numbers. Once in the stand, supporters will be able to temporarily leave the stand to use the toilet or to buy a drink. If you intend to return to the stand you can collect a wristband from the steward which will allow re-entry; if you don’t intend to return, please don’t take a wristband so another fan may use the space. This will be reviewed on a match-by-match basis, along with any legitimate options that could increase the capacity in the stand.

Looking further ahead, the club is desperate to bring the DMS back to life, safely and with a bigger capacity as soon as possible. The club intends to consult supporters on the possible options, which include:

•Converting the stand fully to safe standing by installing crash barriers and re-configuring the layout to meet modern regulations.

•Convert the stand to an all seater stand with seating through all nine bays.

We know this update will disappoint many - supporters, players and management alike - the atmosphere in that area is special, but as a club the safety of everyone attending the ground is paramount. Penydarren Park is a historic and characterful ground, built long before today’s safety standards, and retrofitting older structures is not always straightforward. We ask supporters to work with us and please follow any guidance given, which is in place to keep everyone safe.

In closing, if you would like to support the Martyrs further and help us keep the ground safe for everyone, we’d encourage you to join our fantastic community of volunteers, who make such a difference to the club.

Thank you for your understanding - we simply want everyone to have the fullest picture possible.

#UTT