Scarborough Athletic boss Darren Kelly slams 'despicable' abuse of T'Nique Fishley during Whitby Town clash

New Scarborough Athletic manager Darren Kelly has leapt to the defence of full-back T'Nique Fishley after he was subjected to alleged racial abuse by a Whitby Town supporter during Saturday's derby clash.
Boro's T'Nique FishleyBoro's T'Nique Fishley
Boro's T'Nique Fishley

The referee temporarily halted proceedings after being informed of the abuse midway through the first-half of Boro's 2-1 win over derby rivals Whitby Town in the BetVictor Northern Premier League.

Boro boss Kelly was quick to sing the praises of Fishley, who he insists responded to the abuse in "a professional manner".

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"In the short time I have known T'Nique he has really impressed me with his attitude and application," said Kelly.

"He responded really well to what can only be described as despicable abuse from a supporter who I believe was ejected from the ground straight away.

"There's just no place for it whatsoever in the game, or society in general for that matter - it just makes me feel sick.

"T'Nique handled himself superbly and was determined not to let this one person get the better of him and he put in a superb performance."

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Kelly doesn't believe a lifetime ban for any fan found guilty of dishing out racist abuse isn't enough to eradicate the issue from the game.

He added: "I just don't see how a lifetime ban can result in this issue being solved at all.

"It needs stamping out of the game for good and maybe stronger measures are needed to do just that."

The Boro boss has also insisted Fishley will be offered all the support he requires from both himself and Scarborough Athletic.

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"T'Nique will get all the support he needs from myself and Scarborough Athletic going forward," added Kelly.

"I will be chatting to him at training on Tuesday and seeing how he is, then we'll take it from there."

Whitby Town are investigating the allegations and released the following statement on Sunday: "The board are aware of an alleged incident during the game with Scarborough Athletic at the Flamingo Land Stadium on Saturday 30th November which involved racist language being used.

"We are investigating the full details of this incident and we will take any action accordingly.

"Racism and other discriminative behaviour has no place at Whitby Town Football Club and will not be tolerated under any circumstances."