For 130 years King's Lynn fans have spent Saturday afternoons at The Walks with many travelling the length and the breadth of the country in support the Linnets.

For 130 years King's Lynn fans have spent Saturday afternoons at The Walks with many travelling the length and the breadth of the country in support the Linnets.

Annabelle Dickson spoke to fan figureheads about their sadness, disappointment and anger that the clubs 130-years history had come to an end.

Fans remembered league promotion, the televised FA cup match and the friends made on the touchline as they reflected on the end of King's Lynn Football Club.

But among the sadness and reminiscence, a real anger that they had not been asked for help was evident.

The Blue and Gold Trust, a fan group formed to have a voice in the club, were set to meet to discuss what they could do next - but at the moment they are in shock.

Chairman Neil Timms said: “I'm very sad and very angry and very disappointed that the board of directors did not come to the supporters earlier and come for help.

“It's all very well blaming ex-directors, but they've had six months to do something about it. I'm not suggesting they hadn't done anything, they had, but they didn't come to the supporters.

“Seven days is an awfully short time to raise the best part of �70,000. That's just the HMRC debt, but then are we just putting money into a black hole?”

“It's too early to make any predictions about what will happen.

“It's a disgrace that it's been allowed to get to this state. I was talking to one of the guys at the match last night. He had been going since 1947, which is a lot longer than I've been going. How he must be feeling at this moment, God only knows, and there are plenty more like him that have been watching for a long time.”

Gordon Chilvers, who owns and runs the club shop and has been involved with the supporters club for many years, said: “It's a sad day. The last thing I did last night was to empty the club shop.

“A King's Lynn person just left me, he has no interest in football what so ever and he said 'it's a sad sad day'”.

“It's a big part of the town. There's over a 1,000 children involved in playing football. I don't know where that will go from here. Their facilities are part of the ground. I honestly don't know what will happen. We won't know until the dust settles.”

Like Mr Timms, he wondered why the club had not come to the fans before.

“The most important newspaper to me is the non-league club paper. There are often teams in there that are in trouble. They are going bust left, right and centre. Appeals go out and fans do things to raise the money. But no appeal has gone out here. On Sunday I posted on the internet - if 750 people come forward we could raise the money. Two people offered me �100.

“�67,000 isn't asking a lot of money but it's a lot of money right this moment. But in the big world �67,000 is not a lot of money to a business.”

He added: “I've been going to The Walks for 46 years. In the early days we use to walk to the football in the morning and then to the speedway in the evening. There have been good memories and bad memories. Possibly the saddest memory was at 9.30 last night when I was clearing the shop.”

Fan of 32-years Ray Sherring said: “The only people that suffer from this situation are the fans.”

“It's a part of my life really - I met most of my best friends going to football and going to see Lynn play. Most of the people I socialise with are through King's Lynn Football Club.

“The team and the managers come and go, but the supporters tend to stick around.

“You name a place in the country and I can name a ground that isn't far away. One of the best games was the live game on sky television. It's all a bit of a blur though because it was so surreal.

“I've seen people go off and get married and then they have kids, and then their kids come to the game.”

He said the scarf made by his daughter proudly displayed in his van said King's Lynn Football Club was founded in 1879.

“It's founded in 1879, finished in 2009 - how sad is that?”

t See Thursday's EDP for an exclusive interview with King's Lynn chairman Ken Bobbins.