A LOCAL football club has been the victim of an arson attack.

Winton Rovers Football Club had part of its grounds set alight damaging a spectator enclosure and seating.

The club’s chairman is worried about more attacks and wants to ‘nip it in the bud’.

Pat Breen told the Herald: “I’m very disappointed. We don’t know what happened but the rear enclosure was set on fire.

“They’ve vandalised the seats, set fire to them. They’ve burned down some of the wee enclosure shelter for spectators built five years ago.

“We can’t risk it continuing. We’re a community club and then this happens to us.

“It’s not the first time. Last year, it happened but we knew had to stop it so we had patrols.

“Thanks to whoever called the fire service, they caught it in time.”

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “At 9.30pm on Sunday, December 22, 2019 police were made aware of a fire at the grounds of Ardrossan Winton Rovers Football Club, on attendance Scottish Fire and Rescue were in attendance.

“It is is being treated as a Wilful Fireraising and it is requested that anyone with information as to who set the fire is asked to contact Saltcoats Police Office on 101 citing Incident number 3671 of the 22nd.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 9.12pm on Sunday, December 22, to reports of a fire in the open in Ardrossan.

“Operations Control mobilised one fire appliance to the town’s Winton Street, where firefighters were met by a fire within a football stadium stand.

“Firefighters extinguished the fire and made the area safe before leaving the scene.

“There were no casualties.”