TOM MARSHALL: A CLARIFICATION
Altrincham FC was shocked and saddened, yesterday, to read on the Daily Mirror website of the gaoling of former Altrincham central defender, Tom Marshall. At Birmingham Crown Court, Tom was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for his involvement with a drugs crime which took place before he joined The Robins.
The Mirror states that "Former Altrincham Town [sic] footballer Thomas Marshall was sentenced to two years and nine months after he was convicted of conspiracy to import and supply class B drugs, as well as criminal property offences. The court heard that Maybury [leader of the operation] began setting up a series of online websites, which purported to sell sports supplements such as protein and whey powder, in 2012. He started providing the drugs, some of which are legal in other European states, in 2013. In total he established five separate websites to sell illegal drugs, two of which he set up with Marshall".
It adds that "The court heard that Marshall, who had been best friends with Maybury at school, split from the group in December 2013 following an argument with him about money". Marshall joined Altrincham on 20 December 2013.
The Daily Mirror article says that Marshall was on bail whilst playing for Altrincham and implies that Tom was let go by Altrincham only after his conviction. In fact, Altrincham FC knew nothing of the court case or the bail arrangements and the player's release from Moss Lane came as numerous members of the 2015-16 squad were released, all for purely footballing reasons, by new manager Neil Young early this summer (2016). Tom had suffered an horrific injury early in 2015-16 season and did not play again that season.