BARTLEY Green Football Club, which play at Illey Lane, Halesowen, is to pay a sacked stewardess nearly £19,000 after Birmingham Employment Tribunal decided she had been unfairly dismissed.

Mrs Julie Isham had made her unfair dismissal claim against the club after eight years as stewardess.

She was dismissed following a dispute over changes in her contract.

The club opposed Mrs Isham’s legal claim at a previous hearing after Mr Martin Thomas, representing the claimant, accused the club of previously failing to adequately respond to the legal process.

Tribunal judge Miss Helen Harding said at the previous hearing she would make a decision at a later date.

Now Miss Harding has decided that Mrs Isham was unfairly dismissed and awarded her a total of £18,832.

Some of the award included holiday pay.

The football club did not attend the latest hearing and was not represented.

Miss Harding said at the latest hearing that the club had declared it was facing financial problems but she said there had been no positive evidence about its situation.

“Mrs Isham had complained she had not been treated fairly,” said Miss Harding. “Her hours had been reduced and there had been changes in her contract.

“She had been told to sign the new contract or there would be no job. She was eventually told she would be losing her job while she was serving in the bar.”

Mrs Isham told Miss Harding she had since applied for 100 jobs without success.

Miss Harding said that Mr Thomas would provide legal advice about what county court action Mrs Isham could take if the respondents failed to pay the award.

But Miss Harding warned that the respondents might considering appealing against the award decision.

Bartley Green Football Club was formed in the 1950s as a Saturday team and joined the Midland Combination in 2005-6 winning the Division Two championship.

The club went on to win promotion to the Midland Combination Premier League and transferred to the West Midlands Regional League Premier division after the 2011-12 season.

The club installed floodlighting during the 2008-9 season.

The club are known as “The Owls” and play in black and yellow stripes.