Weymouth Football Club in Dorothy Inn row (From Dorset Echo)

Weymouth Football Club in Dorothy Inn row

1:00pm Monday 13th February 2012 in News By Joanna Davis

A NIGHTCLUB owner claims Weymouth Football Club players wreaked havoc in his bar and refused to pay for the damage.

Steve Parker, owner of the Dorothy Inn on the Esplanade, branded the Terras players ‘louts’ for their behaviour on a night out in Weymouth town centre.

The players still owe money for accommodation charges and damage caused on the night out, he said.

The footballers acted thuggishly in Dorothy’s, he said, with some players going behind the bar to aim punches at barman Tom Ashe.

Mr Parker said he has chosen to speak out now following the incident, because the players still hadn’t paid the money owed despite promises they would do so.

Mr Parker said: “We’re talking about Weymouth’s Football club. A lot of people look up to those players.

“We were told to keep it quiet and they promised we would get paid.

“I’m going on the record because it’s not about the money anymore.”

Staff at the Dorothy Inn gave nine players who were staying there a discount on accommodation and waived the security deposit as a favour, Mr Parker said.

They were also given a discount at the bar.

Mr Parker said: “We would normally charge £32 a person and a £20 security deposit.

“The manager Brendon King asked me if we can do a deal for £25 per person bed and breakfast with no deposit required.

“Of the nine players that came to stay, two of them came in and paid.

“I said ‘Everyone has to pay beforehand’ and they didn’t, so I said to the barman, ‘Go find the players and get the money’.

“One of my managers went to ask them along with a doorman and told them that if they didn’t pay their kit would be thrown off site.

“The players gave the doorman and the manager a bit of verbal.

“During the night one of them ended up breaking one of the beds.”

The trouble continued in the morning, Mr Parker said, when two players tried to attack barman Tom Ashe.

“At 6am we opened up for breakfast in the upstairs of the club and two of the lads came back and had a heated exchange with the barman.

“They went behind the bar and set about hitting him.

“He does a lot of martial arts and they were lucky he didn’t respond. Four or five of our staff were sat there having breakfast. They had to jump up and grab hold of the players.”

Mr Parker said he chose not to involve the police at the time.

He added: “We decided not to go to the police and the barman chose not to press any charges.

“It wasn’t just the discounts on the drinks.

“We were going to look after them because they are our town’s football players.

“But really they are a bunch of louts.

“I put a message on my Facebook page and the Dorothy Inn Facebook page saying how outrageous it is that our town’s football players can treat us like that.

“The club have told me they would get to the bottom of it.”

He said players still owed £175 in accommodation charges and £60 for a damaged bed.

ROLLS: INCIDENT WAS INVESTIGATED

Weymouth Football Club said an investigation took place into what happened on the night of Saturday, December 17.

Spokesman George Rolls said: “An investigation took place in the club and we were happy with the situation and that all matters had been dealt with and we closed the investigation.

“It was over that something allegedly happened or didn’t happen.”

Mr Rolls added that the football club had nothing to do with organising the players’ party night out and the club told the management to have their party outside Weymouth.

Club manager Brendon King said he didn’t wish to comment on the players’ Christmas party.

He said arrangements for payment to Dorothy’s would be made over the coming week.

“It will be sorted in the next week,” he said.

Assistant manager Matt Groves added: “I was aware that everything was sorted out.

“It was something that was sorted out over two months ago. If anyone at Dorothy’s has a problem they should get in touch with the manager.”