Smurthwaite to act after turnstile problems
Chairman Norman Smurthwaite has said that “common sense did not prevail” after some supporters suffered long delays trying to enter the ground on Saturday.
Due to a problem with the electronic scanners at some turnstiles, fans were forced to wait in long queues before they could enter the stadium.
I was not made aware of the problem until after the game. Sadly common sense did not prevail…
Some fans complained that the situation could have been handled better. The OVF forum has several comments on the situation with one fan complaining that the turnstile operator was “rude and dismissive” while another commented that “I queued in what was a much longer queue than usual to be to be told that as I had a season ticket I couldn’t use that turnstile. I’d queued past several stewards… perhaps letting me know as I queued past them would have been good…”
Now, owner Norman Smurthwaite has promised swift action following the incident. Posting on the OVF forum, he commented: “I was not made aware of the problem until after the game. Sadly common sense did not prevail, the operators should have just let season ticker holders in and torn off the stub on the tickets as the turnstile monitors would have recorded the numbers going through the turnstiles.”
He added that: “The staff in question will be dealt with Monday.”