Difficulties at one of Tayside’s oldest football clubs have signalled a sad moment in the junior game.
Forfar West End JFC, founded in 1892 and based at Strathmore Park, have announced they will sit out the rest of this season.
The move, believed to be the first of its kind in the club’s history, was made ahead of a regional meeting of East Super League clubs.
West End enjoyed a relatively stable year in junior football’s top flight last year, having been promoted, demoted and promoted again in the previous years.
Despite this, the club have laboured to field a team after a number of players left and manager Jim Finlayson went to Dundee Violet.
Paul Martin who wears the unhappy mantle of being the man at the helm during the dissolution of Arbroath SC took over at that time.
A statement said the club “plan to return to action next season as one of the relegated Super League teams.”
After postponing a game at Kelty due to lack of numbers, West End were asked to guarantee their ability to fulfil the remaining games.
As they could not be sure of squad numbers, the club decided to go into abeyance, in the hope they can return again next season.
Should that be the case, they would rejoin the North League, which is the bottom tier of local junior football.
The East Super League will run for the remainder of the season with only 11 teams, relegating one instead of two.
East Region secretary John Reilly said: ”West End have been one of the prominent teams in the region over the years and recently had won the DJ Laing League Cup and had been challenging for the Super League title.
”Hopefully they, along with Scone who are also in abeyance, can come back next season. But finances all over are very tight and I fear there may be more casualties.”
West End secretary Gordon Roger said: ”It’s very disappointing but abeyance is the best way forward for the club.”