31 Years Ago - Hereford's Supporters Club Was Burnt Down.

A look back to reports from October 2nd 1995:

Pictures From Ron Parrott's Collection

Football club bosses last night pledged to play on despite an arson attack which caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage at Hereford United's Edgar Street ground.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak in the early hours yesterday.

The Third Division club is now in a race against time to make the ground safe for its game against Torquay United on Saturday.

Structural engineers have been called in to assess any damage to the main stand and the Football League will have to be satisfied with the safety of the ground before the game can go ahead.

The blaze started shortly after midnight on Sunday and gutted the Sportsman's Social Club and then swept into the second floor Starlite Rooms above.

Severe damage was caused to offices and the bootroom with footballs distorted out of shape by the heat.

Police believe an accelerant was used to start the fire.

The club will have to assess damage to the electrical systems, computers, phones, security TV, public address systems, photocopiers and other machines.

Arsonists are believed to have struck at the club last Tuesday but petrol poured through a door failed to set it alight.

Managing director Robin Fry, dressed in a tracksuit as he cleaned up said "We have had two years of vandalism - this is the ulitimate."

But he reassured fans everything would be done to make the ground useable for Saturday.

Director and club secretary David Vaughan stressed "The main business of football goes on.

"Assuming the fire was started deliberately I fail to understand the mentality of people who do that sort of thing."

To add to the problem of the fire it was later revealed that there had been problems with the insurance.

The club was built in 1973/74 at a cost of £200,000. It was officially opened by Joe Mercer in a special ceremony in 1974.

And for the next 21 years it became a much loved part of Edgar Street. 

Fireman Dave Pascoe later told the Hereford Times it was one of the biggest fires he had ever attended.

"When we got into the building to tackle the fire we had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen – difficult to define but somehow the crackling noise sounded 'different – we got back out really fast and seconds later the ceiling caved in."