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The following appears in the Exeter Express and Echo:
Exeter City fear the trouble caused at Hereford at the weekend could cost the club thousands of pounds.
Curtains in a pub where City fans were drinking before the game were set on fire and there was further trouble after the final whistle, with police making three arrests. Now there are concerns that the problems caused by a minority of City fans could result in a hike in police costs for the return fixture on December 30.
The Grecians have already been told police costs to attend the Boxing Day clash with Aldershot might stretch to £30,000, with the Hereford game potentially being hit with a similar sized bill. The match is ranked a category B game, which means the police - who charge £3,300 for seven officers - can insist on having a presence if they believe problems could arise.
Matchday safety officer Jim Eastment, who is launching a recruitment drive for new stewards to help cut police costs, fears Saturday's violence may sting the club financially. He said: "After the events in Hereford it's going to give the police all the ammunition they need to come in and say this is what we are going to have to pay. It's another arrow in their bow and at the end of the day it's a minority of people who are going to cost the club thousands."
Each game at the start of the season is ranked as a police-free game or as a category A, B or C match. City's vice-chairman Julian Tagg condemned the violence and claimed the hooligan element were disrupting the progress of the club. He said: "The club have made massive efforts to ensure football at Exeter City is trouble-free. We don't regard these people as supporters of Exeter City. They attach themselves to football but, of course, they are nothing to do with football. At home we have had no problems whatsoever. But problems at other grounds mean there will be more interest from the police, which will make life more and more difficult for Exeter City. Given the financial constraints and the huge amounts of money it costs to have games policed, this might be the thing that prevents the club progressing as it is."
A Devon & Cornwall Police spokesman said: "We will monitor the intelligence and see what we get back. If the risks are there and we can foresee problems then will have a uniformed presence at the ground."
City are in talks with police over whether the clash with Aldershot needs a police presence. The game is the only one in the fixture calendar to receive the high-security risk C classification, following problems dating back to an ill-tempered FA Cup match in 1999. But City officials are hoping to convince the police to limit their numbers and in turn soften the cash blow.
