Darlington Football Club chef in fight for his wages

Jan 31 2010 by Liz Walker, Sunday Sun

A FORMER football club chef is set to launch legal action to win back wages he claims he is still owed by bosses.

Dad Neil Rowntree, 44, agreed to take half-pay on a deferred wages deal as cash-strapped Darlington Football Club struggled against bankruptcy before its takeover last year.

He claims he and other staff were promised they would be reimbursed once the buy-out had taken place.

It’s now six months since the sale was finalised and he is still battling for the cash he worked for while both the administrators for the old club and lawyers for the new owner deny responsibility - each blaming the other.

Now Mr Rowntree, who worked for the club for over a year as the chef at their Chester-le-Street training ground, before being made redundant in May, says he has no choice but to take legal action.

“I’m not asking for anything I haven’t earned,” said Mr Rowntree, of Meadow Terrace, Houghton- le-Spring.

“We were promised that if we took half-pay while the club was struggling to help keep it going, we would be reimbursed by the new owners. But now no one will take responsibility.”

This is a battle that Mr Rowntree and wife Carol, have not got time to fight.

For the last eight months they have been constantly at the hospital bedside of their son, Connor, who suffered life-threatening burns in a house fire in May.

The 15-year-old Houghton Kepier pupil has nearly died several times and is still undergoing rehabilitation in Newcastle’s RVI.

“Getting Connor through this has been my main aim for the last eight months, I haven’t had time to take legal action.

“But now he is getting better, I am going to fight it.

“It is not a lot of money, but we should be paid what we are owed and we need all the money we can get to help Connor.”