I WOULD like Bury Times readers to see extracts from a letter I have sent to Mr Richard Boland, chief executive of Birthdays. In part it reads . . .

"I support a little football club. It is not Arsenal, Newcastle, QPR, or even Rochdale. My club is Bury. It has its own identity which I am proud to be associated with.

"However, this identity is being threatened by one of its own. Over the years, Birthdays have gone out of their way to help and support our club, something the club and myself are very grateful for.

"But after watching my club lose 2-1 to QPR I felt sick, bewildered and, most of all, let down. Not by the result but by a Judas within . . . Birthdays. To see Manchester United merchandise being sold in Bury's club shop is a disgrace, so much so that I turned round and walked back out when I saw it.

"I understand that you run a business but what I don't think you understand is what it means to have your identity taken away. Would Birthdays sell the products of Clinton Cards in their shops? I think not.

"Your company has let down the fans, the club and themselves. You are making my club the laughing stock of the Football League.

"As far as I am personally concerned you should either remove the goods or stop supporting the club. We don't need sponsors who let us down; we need people who are committed to helping the club maintain its identity, its respect and its dignity.

CARL MASON,

Meadowcroft,

Radcliffe.