FORMER Gillingham FC fan Malcolm Scott thought he had found his dream home when he purchased a terraced house overlooking Priestfield Stadium.
It allowed him to watch every match from the comfort of his loft conversion.
But years later he was not only banned from attending games, he was also arrested following a bitter falling out with the club’s owner Paul Scally.
At the centre of the dispute was the decision to erect the huge new Medway stand that blocked his view of the pitch, and led to a long-running battle over planning permission.
For Malcolm, the conflict got so ugly that he stopped supporting his beloved Gills and has taken up gardening instead.
Pensioner Malcolm, 90, told The Sun – who visited as part of our summer series, Life’s a Pitch, which looks at life next to Britain’s weirdest and most wonderful stadiums: “I moved here 54 years ago because I wanted to go to the games.
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“My wife was less keen and kept asking to move, but I refused because I fell in love with the area.
“One of the best things was that we could see the pitch from the top room in the loft conversion.
“My grandson would come round and sit on the roof to watch the games on the weekends.
“The view was fantastic and you could see everything – until they built the new stand.
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“Residents including myself objected because we did not like the way they were doing it.
“We raised a number of issues with the council and it was the way the club treated us that got us so upset.
“There was no respect and Scally even put a new nightclub in there. He claimed it was a social club, but people were coming out of there at 1am.
“One day there was a meeting about the new stand and Scally threw me out after I said a few things.
I didn’t know anything about his car being scratched but someone accused me and about a year later the police arrested me. There was no evidence so they had to let me go, but it was horrendous
Malcolm Scott
“Later that night, someone scratched his car while it was parked on double yellow lines.
“I didn’t know anything about it but someone accused me and about a year later the police arrested me.
“There was no evidence so they had to let me go, but it was horrendous.
“I was also given a lifetime ban by the club and I stopped supporting them after that.
“My son-in-law still goes to games, but I’ve lost interest.”
Malcolm’s wife Margaret raised their four children in the same house, which is a 10-minute walk from Gillingham train station in Kent.
She has a different take on the decision to demolish the old main stand in 1999, which included a section housing away fans.
She grimaces when she recalls how the previous low-rise structure would provide an unobstructed view of their garden.
Margaret, 86, said: “The away fans used to call to me when I was outside, singing ‘We can see you!’
“They would wolf-whistle at my daughters when they were in the garden.
The away fans used to call to me when I was outside, singing ‘We can see you!’ They would wolf-whistle at my daughters when they were in the garden
Margaret Scott
“We didn’t think anything of it as it was just banter and I don’t have any problems now.
“I have double glazed windows, so I don’t hear all the noise during games.”
Father-of-seven Scally, 66, has become a controversial figure since taking over the club in 1995.
For some he is the saviour that rescued Gillingham FC from bankruptcy and kick-started an era of unprecedented success.
For others he is a bully who threw his weight around and threatened the identity of the club.
The London-born businessman, who made his fortune through the Metronote photocopier company, took on debts of up to £2million when he snapped up Gillingham FC for just £1.
The club was about to be expelled from the Football League but he saved it from being liquidated and closed down.
Scally’s shrewd managerial appointments – bringing in first Tony Pulis before he was sacked and then Peter Taylor, who went on to manage Leicester City – paved the way for glory on the pitch.
His tenure has overseen three promotions, three Wembley play-off finals and four FA Cup victories over top division opponents.
The Gills also achieved their highest league finish of 11th in the Championship during the 2002/03 season.
Three stands including the Medway were demolished and rebuilt between 1995 and 2000, while a fourth called Town End was knocked down as part of a redevelopment in 2003.
A temporary stand named after legendary footie commentator Brian Moore was erected the same year.
However, the scaffolding-like structure remains in place today despite the fact it has reportedly been damaged by years of exposure to the elements.
Rebuilding was supposed to take place in 2004 but financial issues and Scally’s fiercely contested proposal to move the club to a different part of Kent put the plans on hold.
Reporters with the Kent Messenger Group and Alan Liptrott, chairman of the Gills Independent Supporters Club, were all banned from attending games for a time after criticising the chairman.
In the meantime, the Brian Moore stand became an embarrassment for locals and a sore point for away fans forced to stand out in the pouring rain.
Retired BP refinery worker Ted Towner, 78, is another resident that has clashed with former Millwall fan Scally.
He said: “No one likes him because he doesn’t listen.
“I fought him as part of the residents association and he doesn’t like people criticising him.
“I only met him at the meetings and I can tell you, he always has to get his own way.
“The temporary stand is an embarrassment for us and it is also an eyesore as people dump rubbish next to it all the time. I don’t know how they’ve gotten away with it for so many years.”
Gills fan Rick Turner is much more upbeat about the club, despite the fact they were relegated from League One in 2022.
He has been a supporter since the 1960s and continued watching games even after a new £2m Gordon Road Stand was erected opposite his house in 1997.
Father-of-three Rick, 69, said: “I’ve lived here for 30 years and at one point, for about two seasons, you could see the entire pitch from my top bedroom.
I’ve lived here for 30 years and at one point, for about two seasons, you could see the entire pitch from my top bedroom
Rick Turner, local resident
“It was fantastic and saved me about £150 a year on a season ticket.
“The atmosphere wasn’t as good at home, but the kids would have their friends over and my eldest became a big Gills fan.
“Supporting this club has its ups and downs but I absolutely love it.
“I used to follow the Premier League. I lost interest as it’s all about money now, while players at my club actually care about the fans.”
Gillingham FC is now owned by American property tycoon Brad Galinson and his wife Shannon.
They are promising to revive the club just like Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have turned things around at Wrexham FC in Wales.
Last year the couple purchased a majority share from Scally, who is now based in Dubai and retains a minority share.
Last year it was reported that Scally was subjected to intense harassment following the club’s relegation. He took an enforced break from club duty after some fans trespassed on his property, damaged his car and intimidated his family.
He said the group of fans in question had “crossed a line” with their “relentless and personal” abuse.
Scally told talkSPORT’s Jim White in an interview: “I’ve fallen out of love with Gillingham and I’ve fallen out of love with football and that’s why I’ve decided that I need to take this break and step away to try and get my life back a bit and try to get some normality back in my life for me and my family.”
Liz Shearer’s home backs on to the Rainham End stand and she is excited by the prospect of the Gills playing Wrexham in League Two this season.
Mum-of-one Liz, 50, said: “I think Scally did well for us until the money ran out – and the future is bright now we’ve got new investors.
“The Galinsons have worked wonders already and every match is going to be a sell-out next season, especially the one against Wrexham.
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“I want to say to Ryan Reynolds, if he is reading this, that he is very welcome to pop over for a cup of tea.”
The Sun reached out to Paul Scally for comment.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
