The vice-chairman of Silsden Athletic Football Club is furious after fans were clamped at their much-hyped FA cup replay match.

More than 400 fans descended on Cougar Park on Wednesday of last week hoping for a win against Halifax Town in the FA cup qualifier — but instead they walked away with a defeat and £90 car clamping fines.

Both Silsden and Halifax fans had parked on a private road leading to an industrial unit off Royd Ings Avenue, just yards from the ground entrance.

John Lohan, vice-chairman of Silsden AFC, said he was furious that people turning out to support their local team were being “victimised” in this way.

He said: “People came over from all over to the game on Wednesday. They were supporting their local team, which is doing something good for the area, and this is how they get treated.

“It was a terrible night and it was dark and rainy, the clamping warning signs were fairly high up and unlit so no one could see them.

“If they don’t want people to park there they should put double yellow lines down. A man in his 70s had come over from Halifax and a clamper was demanding £90 just to release his car, he was frightened to death. The clampers are really intimidating and I think it is totally out of order — they are parasites on society.

“I think the businesses which employ these people should be ashamed of themselves.”

But Parkcare Facilities Management, responsible for patrolling the area, said the cars were causing an obstruction to a lorry that had been trying to enter the industrial site.

The company sub-contracted part of the clamping work that night to Car Stoppers, owned by Gareth Evans, who was featured on the front of last week’s KN.

A spokesman for Parkcare said: “The depot is open 24 hours a day and there was a lorry parked outside which could not get in because of parked cars blocking access. The driver said that if he was late back he would be fined £2,000 and altogether he was waiting for an hour. Some people who were originally clamped were let off the fine because they had disabled parking stickers.”

Fans who were clamped are asked to get in contact with the club by emailing silsdenafc@hotmail.co.uk.