Sean Kitson

I have heard the very sad news that Sean passed away earlier today. Supporters will not have seen him at a match for a couple of seasons due to his worsening condition but he continued to follow our fortunes. Up until then he watched all our home matches from his usual spot next to the home dugout alongside the Gibbons family and he was a permanent fixture on the coach to away games.

Sean was always willing to help out and for a couple of seasons sat on the Supporters Club committee and served in the shop.

He used to be a regular poster on the old forum and took over as host following Simon's decision to stand down. Without Sean's expertise in IT I very much doubt if the forum would have survived. His sense of humour was often revealed in his numerous posts and he was a very popular member.

Unfortunately the old forum became a place for arguments and feuds which was very much against Sean's kind nature and it was no surprise when he stepped down. However he continued to support the various forum competitions in the new version.

I'm sure all supporters will want to pass on their commiserations to Sean's wife, Claire, and his parents in law, Alison and Paul Gibbons.

RIP Sean

Really sad news. Condolences to all his family.

I was so sad to hear this news. I remember when Sean went on the coach with us to away matches as well as home matches. You are right Martin . . . . he had quite a sense of humour. My heart goes out to Claire as well as Alison and Paul. You are all in my thoughts and prayers .

I am very sorry to hear this

Truly shocking news - I hope the club will be able to mark his passing in some way. A genuinely kind and gentle soul.

I shared filming with Sean a couple of times in the late 2000s and had regular conversations with him then. We were both keen listeners of the old Danny Baker midweek show on 5Live, I think he had a humorous message read out on it before.

I was delighted to attend his and Claire’s wedding five years ago and did an article about it in the programme.

In all the time I knew Sean I can’t remember him voicing any criticism of the team, management or member of staff. He always wanted to help and never complained. We’ve lost a lovely person and supporters. Condolences to all his other friends and family.

Very sad news indeed - I engaged in conversation with him on numerous occasions, especially on away trips. As you have suggested Martin, please pass on my sincere condolences to Claire, Paul and Alison.

Lovely memories there, Junior. Wasn’t it Sean filming that day at Cambridge City when I got clouted by the ball? Luckily he missed the incident but he was very quick to snap me near some Liverpool fans at a service station - within hours it was on the forum with the caption 'Look who’s joined the Liverpool Supporters Club!’

Unlike the poisonous rivalry between the fans of Leeds and Millwall we used to wind each other up over our second clubs and I regularly came off second best to his witty asides. It was nice that he saw his club finally return to the top level last season.

comrade powell wrote:Lovely memories there, Junior. Wasn’t it Sean filming that day at Cambridge City when I got clouted by the ball? Luckily he missed the incident but he was very quick to snap me near some Liverpool fans at a service station - within hours it was on the forum with the caption 'Look who’s joined the Liverpool Supporters Club!’

Unlike the poisonous rivalry between the fans of Leeds and Millwall we used to wind each other up over our second clubs and I regularly came off second best to his witty asides. It was nice that he saw his club finally return to the top level last season.

Yes, that was the game. We travelled up on the team coach together for it.

This was the article I wrote in collaboration with Claire and Sean five years ago:

On 20th June 2015, two of our loyal supporters tied the knot. The wedding, which took place at St. Michael’s Church, Weston, on a beautiful summer’s day, was attended by several City fans, attired somewhat smarter than how they’d dress at Twerton Park! The new Mr Sean and Mrs Claire Kitson were delighted to celebrate their big day in amongst so many from the football club which took place just over seven years after they’d become an official couple.
The bride and groom have a shared love of Bath City as well as each other, and talk us through their two relationships:

Did you meet each other through the football?
We first started going to Bath City in 2005/06, the season before we won the league. We met at the club two seasons later. The first game we remember watching together was a 1-1 draw with Lewes at Twerton Park.

What was the first City game after you'd become a couple?
Our first game as a couple was Bishop’s Stortford away in April 2008. A week earlier, we became boyfriend and girlfriend, following a meal out at The Boathouse. This was on the night of a surprise defeat to already relegated Sutton United, who all but ended our play-off hopes. So while all Bath City fans were depressed that night, we were all smiles as we had just become a couple.

You must have been delighted to see so many city fans/staff at the wedding?
We felt honoured and overwhelmed to see so many friends from the club at our wedding. Bath City is a big part of both our lives, so to have fans and staff at our big day was very special.

What are your hopes for this season?
Our biggest hope for the season would involve off the field activities. We would love the Big Bath City Bid to be a success as it is crucial to the club’s future. There are a lot of wealthy clubs in our league, so it will be a tough season, but a push for the play-offs would be nice. We are long overdue a cup run, so drawing and hopefully beating a Football League team would be fantastic!

Sean's wife Claire has asked me to post the following...

Whilst Sean had many health conditions, what he died from came completely out of the blue. He was diagnosed with a Sarcoma which had spread. It was in his chest and stomach. We only got told this on the Saturday night (19th Sept) and also got told that time was short for Sean and we were looking at days rather than weeks or months. The hospital worked wonders to get Sean home on Sunday afternoon(20th Sept) and he passed away peacefully next to me in our bed in the early hours of Mon morning (21st Sept).

Sean's funeral is being held on Friday 9th October. Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions we are limited with numbers at his funeral and all spaces are allocated. Bath City was a big part of his life so on our journey to the cemetery, we will be stopping at Twerton Park. If anybody would like to pay their respects to Sean, please be in the car park at Twerton Park. We anticipate to be there between 11.30-11.45am. Please if you do come remember to social distance.

Thank you

Claire Kitson

Rest in peace Sean.

Claire has asked me to bring this post back to the top of the forum to remind everyone that Sean's funeral is being held tomorrow (Friday 9th October). Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions we are limited with numbers at his funeral and all spaces are allocated. Bath City was a big part of his life so on our journey to the cemetery, we will be stopping at Twerton Park. If anybody would like to pay their respects to Sean, please be in the car park at Twerton Park. We anticipate to be there between 11.30-11.45am. Please if you do come remember to social distance.

Thank you

Alison Gibbons

Hi,

I just wanted to thank all those who came to pay their respects to Sean yesterday. It was overwhelming to see so many of you there. Apologies that I didn't acknowledge you all, yesterday was an emotionally difficult day for me, in fact most of it is a blur. Thank you.