Pair of Aldershot Town fans slammed for alleged flag theft by Harrogate Town player who offered to help 14-year-old victim

Two flags disappeared from the Recreation Ground while the travelling contingent applauded their team off the pitch, with pictures of the items later appearing on social media accounts belonging to two men claiming to be followers of the Hampshire outfit.

One of the flags belonged to Town’s Supporters’ Club, while the other was the property of a 14-year-old boy.

The flag belonging to the young Town fan was shown on Twitter to have been stuck on a dart board by the person(s) responsible for its capture.

Having heard what happened, Fallowfield followed team-mate Alex Bradley in contacting the 14-year-old owner of the flag regarding the incident.

“Like Alex, I offered the young lad help in replacing his flag if it came to it,” the ex-Hull City defender said.

“We suggested that he contact Aldershot first, but myself and the rest of the players would have been happy to chip in to cover the cost of a new one.

“This lad is someone who has supported me a lot since I’ve been at the club, whether it be through sponsorship or interviewing me for his YouTube videos, and it’s a real shame to see this happen.

“He’s a 14-year-old kid following his team away from home, trying to enjoy himself.

“Stealing those flags a was really immature thing to do. The people who did it should be ashamed. They must be idiots.”

Town supporters reported earlier this week that Aldershot chairman Shahid Azeem had subsequently pledged to pay for replacement flags, an offer that was confirmed by Harrogate’s managing director, Garry Plant.

“It is refreshing and just demonstrates that there are some cracking people in football,” Plant said.

“Not everyone would have done that, but Shahid is a decent chap. The minute he heard what had happened he was straight on the phone to me.”