A VANDAL-hit football club has come together in a fight to protect their facilities.

Hay St Mary's Football Club had £1,000 worth of damage caused to their ground last month when vandals damaged their stand and dugouts.

Since then more than £1,150 has been raised in the community to protect the football ground on Brecon Road with security fencing to stop people accessing the pitch and facilities when not in use.

Club chairman Martin Tong said without the additional fencing the club's senior side face being relegated out of the third tier of Welsh football they currently play in.

"It will be done and I will make sure it is one way or another," said Mr Tong.

"It's the absolute minority who are ruining the ground which has to meet certain regulations from the Spa Mid Wales league.

"If the pitch, dugouts or stand doesn't meet a certain standard then we will be kicked out of the league.

"If we have a smashed up stand with no roof then we will fail the criteria or if somebody has kicked fencing down then we've failed the criteria.

"We get an inspection every season and if these things are broken or not there then we will be relegated."

The club are set to install a £30,000 seated stand in the coming weeks which was bought through fundraising events and local business donations.

The recent vandalism sparked concern about future damage to their new facilities land members of the women's team created a Justgiving page which has raised the money for security fencing.

"The vandalism has been a blessing in disguise and actually brought the club and community closer together," said Mr Tong.

"The girls have done really well and we have raised enough money for the fencing but are just short of paying for somebody to put it up.

"We're nearly there and have also just put in a new portacabin to serve teas, coffees and hot food. We've got the new stand going up in the next two to three weeks and by the end of September the fencing will be up as well."

The club has also wrote letters asking for donations of support from several organisations including Hay-on-Wye Town Council.

If you would like to help the club in their campaign to pay for security fencing their Justgiving page is: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Hay-Saint-Marys-FC.