Dear Stroud Times,

As a Forest Green fan, I want to applaud the fact that the club had the balls (pardon the pun) to admit a human error over the failure to mark Remembrance.

The biggest shock for me has been the outpouring of criticism that followed.

Negativity is infectious, and there certainly seems to be plenty of it around. Social media, in particular, has become a place where people are often much quicker to criticise than to acknowledge when someone does the right thing.

Let’s be honest, mistakes happen. Nobody is suggesting that Remembrance is unimportant – quite the opposite. It is an occasion that deserves the utmost respect, and the club has acknowledged that it got things wrong.

But what more do people want? The club admitted the mistake, took responsibility and offered an explanation. It didn’t hide behind excuses or pretend nothing had happened.

There is something to be said for having the honesty to hold your hands up when things go wrong. We are all quick to demand accountability, but perhaps we should also recognise it when it happens.

Football has enough negativity, division and criticism without adding to it at every opportunity.

I’m proud to support Forest Green, and I’m equally pleased the club was prepared to be open and honest about an unfortunate mistake.

Sometimes, a little perspective wouldn’t go amiss.