SELBY Town have said they will give a “second chance” to striker Reece Thompson.

Selby handed Thompson a trial during pre-season, a decision that was met by fierce criticism given Thompson’s conviction for domestic abuse in 2019.

The Robins later stated that handing Thompson a trial was a “serious error of judgement” and that he would not play again for the club.

However, the club have now said that Thompson has “rightly been judged in a court of law” and that another opportunity will be handed to him.

A club statement released by Selby Town read: “A great deal of discussion has taken place within the club, and with Reece himself as to his actions, his sentence, and what comes next for him.

“As made clear in our original statement, the club does not condone Reece’s actions and we can only imagine the impact upon those involved.

“For what he has done, Reece has rightly been judged in a court of law and served his sentence.

“With that sentence now served and with the ongoing work Reece carries out to understand and learn from his behaviour, we have come to the conclusion that it is not our place to continue to further punish Reece for his actions, he has received his punishment and carried out his sentence, and with that in mind we believe that a second chance could and should be provided both in employment and in recreation.

“Further to this, we believe that being part of our club and being surrounded by the strong management team we have in place can further help Reece to overcome his past and to ensure that he learns from his actions and is able to fulfil a role within society.

“We understand there will be many that disagree with our stance, likewise there will be those who believe he has served his sentence and should be allowed to now carry on with life.”

They added: “We hope going forward Reece will be judged on his actions from this point with his knowledge that the expectations and standard of behaviour expected of him are high.”