Bassett officially open Chris Kirkland Stand

Royal Wootton Bassett Town officially opened the new Chris Kirkland Stand in a ceremony ahead of Saturday's Hellenic League Premier Division fixture against Hartpury University. The stand, whose purchase was self-funded by the club, has been named in memory of Chris as a lasting gesture of thanks for all that he did for the club and local sporting community. The club were delighted to be joined by a number of members of the Kirkland family for the official opening, with Chris' wife Maureen cutting the ribbon to open the stand alongside Swindon Town legend Don Rogers. Chris' daughter Jo then delivered a heartfelt speech in which she talked fondly about her late father and his love for football, and thanked the club for the gesture. It was great to see the support received from across the football club as well as the wider Wootton Bassett community to celebrate the occasion and pay their respects to Chris. Admission for the fixture was by donation, with the Kirkland family deciding to donate the £923 that was raised to the football club to help its youth section and the annual Holland Tour - an event Chris established in 1988. The club are extremely grateful to the family for deciding to donate the money raised in this way. The club would again also like to extend their sincere thanks to Bristol City forward Scott Twine (who started his football career with Bassett's youth section before making his breakthrough in the professional game with Swindon Town) and his father - and long-time club sponsor Steve Twine - for their generous support which funded the whole cost of the foundations and base of the stand.