Farsley Celtic players accuse chairman of ‘breaking trust’ as they take a stand over wage payments

The squad have banded together to issue a collective statement, alleging there have been repeated problems with late payment of wages.

"Players can't pay mortgages and bills, [or] put food on their table for their family," the statement said.

"Whilst loyalty has taken us so far, the trust has been broken by the owner and taken the players and staff to a point of no return."

In response to the allegations, Mr Barthorpe admitted there had been issues with late payments but said it was due to a bereavement and disputed how the situation has been characterised by the players.

"The players have been paid late in my absence due to the passing of my partner, it has usually been one to two days late but always before matchday," he said. "The order in which players are paid isn't down to us, as we use a third-party payroll provider. No players are owed weeks, it has only ever been one week as a maximum and again that's because I have been away on compassionate leave."

The statement from the players said they had asked for meetings with the chairman about the matter. Mr Barthorpe said he had been asked twice but had been unable to attend on both occasions. He said one time had been shortly after the passing of his partner and the second time was "after my vehicle had been damaged by fans at an away game".

The National League North club have endured a turbulent start to the 2024/25 season, parting ways with their head coach Clayton Donaldson and being placed under a transfer embargo.

According to the official National League website, the club have been placed under an embargo due to non-compliance with the league’s financial regulations.

They have also played all their fixtures away from The Citadel, their home ground, due to delays to the laying of a new artificial surface.

Issues relating to the historical use of the site were cited as the reason for delays last month, while a recent statement outlined problems with a third-party contractor.

In a statement issued on October 11, Mr Barthorpe said: “No one is more annoyed, frustrated about this than me. It's creating unnecessary issues and the delays aren't cheap.”

Fixtures early on in the season were reversed and hosted at the home of Farsley’s opponents, but recent games have been classed as home matches for the Celts.

On September 21, the club faced Leamington at Alfreton Town’s Impact Arena, nearly 70 miles from The Citadel. Subsequent home fixtures against Kettering and Spennymoor, have been played at the homes of Guiseley and Bradford (Park Avenue) respectively.

Farsley’s players, in a statement, have expressed frustration with the situation. “[Being] away from home all the time is affecting physical and mental wellbeing,” their statement said. “[We] didn’t sign to play 23 games away etc. We signed for Farsley Celtic.”

On the pitch work delays, Mr Barthorpe said: “Unfortunately we can't help the pitch situation, if we could, we would, as it's costing me a lot of money, but we are working on it as hard and as quickly as we can.”

In recent years, Farsley have been credited for punching above their weight in the National League North, on the sixth rung of the English football ladder.

The club have escaped relegation on the final day of each of the last three campaigns, retaining their place in a division littered with former EFL outfits.