WORCESTER City chairman Anthony Hampson has vowed to take seriously a petition calling for Dave Boddy’s removal from the club’s board of directors.

Hampson was presented with the document, which has been signed by 352 supporters, by organiser Niels Eiriksson before Monday’s 2-1 defeat to Chelmsford City at St George’s Lane.

Eiriksson has been gauging opinion on the terraces in response to the former chairman’s comments that the opposition to the new stadium project at Nunnery Way was ‘a small minority making a loud noise’.

A letter submitted with the petition read: “In view of these findings I feel that you and the fellow members of your board have a duty to listen to the supporters of Worcester City Football Club and insist that Dave Boddy take responsibility for his, and his board’s, failures during his period as chairman and resigns from the board immediately.”

Hampson, who last week completed his first year as City’s chief, said: “We will consider the petition — it will be taken seriously.

“We listen to the fans and we will be discussing it at the next board meeting on November 18 which has been brought forward for various reasons.”

Boddy, who stepped down as chairman last November after five years in the role, has always defended his actions and stands by the decisions made during his tenure.

Meanwhile, City will be without Shabir Khan for the best part of a month following a call-up to the Pakistan squad.

The left-back has been selected to represent his nation for the South Asian Football Federation Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh, between December 4 and 14.

He is due to fly out next week for a training camp in Qatar ahead of group fixtures against Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Khan is available for Saturday’s Blue Square South trip to Dorchester but is expected to miss the next four games, as well as a potential FA Trophy first round match.

Skipper Tom Kemp, however, is a doubt for the weekend after aggravating a rib injury against Chelmsford.

The defender was replaced seconds before substitute Rob Davies scored the equaliser at the end of the first-half.

Manager Richard Dryden said: “He’s had a rib problem for a couple of games. He gets on with it but he wasn’t himself against Welling on Saturday.

“He did better against Chelmsford but once he went down he was in pain.

“He was a big loss and, with Mark Clyde missing as well, it left a bit of a gap.

“Craig Wilding was decent at the back but, with him not being a centre-half, we left ourselves a little bit vulnerable.”