Yeovil Town apologise for players and staff's 'night out' following relegation
Yeovil's 16-year stay in the English Football League ended following a 2-2 draw against Northampton
Monday 29 April 2019 15:58, UK
Yeovil Town have apologised after images of their players and staff on a "night out" circulated on social media on Saturday night following confirmation of their relegation.
Photos of players and staff including Alex Pattison, Courtney Duffus, Daniel Ojo, first-team coach Paul Terry and analyst Yiannis Iosif were shared on the social media page of a bar in Taunton.
The images circulated a matter of hours after the club's 2-2 draw against Northampton on Saturday which confirmed their relegation down to the National League.
After investigating the incident, Yeovil say they have spoken to individuals involved and the matter has been dealt with internally.
The group involved made the following joint statement: "We feel it's important that we apologise to the club and supporters. Given the context of Saturday's result at Northampton and the painful nature of relegation, it does not show any of us involved in a good light.
"As a collective group, we were left distraught with the consequences of Saturday's draw at Northampton and, in a bid to air our frustration, a small group of us made the naïve decision to go to a bar.
"Whilst I'm sure many can understand us wanting to unwind and temporarily forget about what had been a difficult day, the photos taken especially don't portray our intentions in the right manner and we can understand how it looks.
"It pains us to think that our actions on Saturday night have brought into question our commitment and empathy, as we can assure all those in association with the club that we are gutted with the season's outcome.
"The photos were taken in the moment and without realisation of how they could appear to the fans, who would we cause no deliberate disrespect.
"We hope we can now focus on our final game of the season before working tirelessly to ensure 2019/20 can be a success."
