It is with great regret that the club confirms the death of supporter, Les Barker, who passed away last weekend following a suspected heart attack. 

Les came to Park Hall on Saturday afternoon to watch The New Saints defeat Newtown 7-0 in the JD Welsh Cup, but unfortunately, he never made it home. 

On Sunday morning at approximately 8:45am, he was found unresponsive in his car by a member of the building’s cleaning staff who promptly notified the emergency services. 

Both the police and paramedics were quickly on the scene, but despite their best efforts to revive him, he was sadly pronounced dead in the car park shortly after. 

Manchester-born Barker was a much-loved poet, authoring more than 70 books and releasing 20 albums over a successful career. 

Famous for his comedic poetry and parodies of popular songs, he relocated to Bwlchgwyn in North Wales in the mid-2000s and it was at that point he began to follow the fortunes of The New Saints. 

Throughout his distinguished career, he performed in numerous countries across the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, before announcing his retirement in late September 2022.

Upon hearing the news, the club’s chairman, Mike Harris, paid tribute, saying: 

“Everyone at The New Saints FC was incredibly saddened to hear the news about Les on Sunday. 

“On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to all of his family and friends at this extremely sad time. 

“He will be dearly missed and we would like to dedicate Saturday’s 7-0 win to him.”

There will be a minute’s silence in Les’ memory ahead of tomorrow’s Genero Adran Premier fixture between The New Saints Women and Abergavenny Women, and Saturday’s JD Cymru Premier match between The New Saints and Bala Town. 

Lead image: Les Barker performing at the Ely Folk Festival in 2010