Following Saturday’s home match against Queen of the South, we once again sadly find ourselves dealing with the results of anti-social behaviour from a small section of our younger fan base.

As a Club, we work very hard to make Links Park a safe and welcoming place, and an enjoyable day out for both home and visiting fans.

However, the recent escalation of anti-social behaviour from a small group of our supporters is increasingly damaging the club on a number of fronts.

First and foremost, our reputation as a community based and family focussed Club is being tarnished and criticised more and more widely.

Our stewarding and safety costs remain higher than necessary due to the ongoing requirement for segregation within the ground as a result of the continued risk posed by this small section of fans.

Many people behind the scenes are having to spend an increasing amount of time dealing with the aftermath of each game, instead of focussing their efforts on more positive activities that would take the Club forward.

And finally, supporters of visiting clubs are being put off from travelling to Montrose, reducing our matchday attendances, impacting our matchday income and as a result effecting the ongoing financial stability of our business.

That all said, we fully understand that amongst the youth of today are the lifelong fans of tomorrow, who will provide the lifeblood to the Club in years to come and that is why we have tried to work closely with this group to educate and encourage them in recent times to keep them affiliated with their team instead of distancing them from the Club at such an early age.

However, persistent anti-social behaviour from certain individuals has sadly led to the issuing, for the first time in recent memory, of two Club Bans, preventing these fans from attending both home and away games and from travelling on Supporters Club busses.

Having been reluctantly forced to take this strong action, and with investigations still ongoing into the most recent incidents, it is highly probable that further Club Bans will follow.

Looking forward, and at such a vital point in the season, we would encourage all our fans to refrain from any form of anti-social behaviour and instead get right behind the team we all love so much in a positive manner, giving our Manager Stewart Petrie and all the boys, the backing they deserve as we push together to finish the campaign as strongly as possible.