The protest, organised by the Carlisle & Cumbria United Independent Supporters' Trust (CCUIST) attracted fans from all over the country and was also supported by visiting Argyle fans, many of whom marched with home fans around the perimeter of the ground before taking up their seats. Several hundred home supporters continued to march and demonstrate during the match that was attended by barely 2,000 United fans. They are angry at the actions of Michael Knighton who has refused to sell the club to Irish businessman John Courtenay after 13 weeks of talks. The two men are now planning to take legal action against one another after a week of recriminations in the wake of the sacking of Roddy Collins. Plymouth supporters continued to applaud the marchers as they made their way round the ground in the first half. They sang "you're supposed to be outside" to embarrass the few home fans who had bothered to enter the ground. However trouble flared after the final whistle when a small group of supporters attempted to get on to the pitch. Police dogs attacked one fan who suffered a leg injury. After some fighting in the far corner of the Paddock, the police restored order. A total of nine arrests were made during the afternoon, six of them local and three from the Devon area. CCUIST secretary Alan Steel, who has been very vocal in his comdemnation of shamed owner Knighton, was delighted with the response from fans. "A tremendous turnout, " he said. "There are two objectives. One is to show the Knightons what crowds will be like next season if there's no change of ownership. Secondly, to let everybody let off steam and demonstrate their dissatisfaction in no uncertain terms. The main thing that struck me was the fantastic rapport between the Carlisle and Plymouth fans." However he admitted to being "disappointed" by the actions of a thuggish minority towards the end of the protests. CCUIST's chairman Mike Corry said the very visible and vocal demonstrations would continue to heap pressure on Knighton to sell. "Roddy Collins's sacking was the last straw and that's what resulted in the turnout today. We're at the stage where there's no way back for Knighton," he said. The trust expect an even bigger boycott of the last home game tomorrow night against Cheltenham. It then plans a "Knighton Out" day on Friday when it is planning to hang banners off bridges on the M6 motorway and put them in prominent spots around the city centre. Supporters are expected to make more protests at Mansfield in the final match of the season on Saturday. Caretaker manager Billy Barr said United's younger players may have been affected by the protestors and described the atmosphere as "odd" during Plymouth's 2-0 win, which virtually assures them of the Third Division title. 3,080 supporters paid to watch the match, although over 1,000 of those were from Plymouth. Picture from News & Star www.newsandstar.co.uk |
