A MYSTERIOUS letter from a football fan in France has foxed bosses at Wycombe Wanderers.

The handwritten note, signed by a Monsieur Jol Secard, was sent to the home of Vince Crump whose late father was the secretary general at the club during the 1970s.

In the note, written in French, Mr Secard explains he is a huge fan of the Chairboys and lost his leg in a car accident and asks if the club can send him the autographs of all the players.

Mr Crump, of Rectory Avenue, High Wycombe, does not speak French but was able to translate snippets of the note with the help of his wife before passing it on to the Midweek.

He said: "I don't understand how this has happened and why this was posted to my father. It's maybe that Wycombe Wanderers went on tour somewhere in France. It's certainly a mystery."

The letter, postmarked April 17, was sent from Mr Secard's home in Grandquevilly, France.

Frenchman Alain Thibault, a director at Wycombe Wanderers, fully translated the message written in blue ink but said he could not be sure if it was from a genuine Frenchman or whether it was a wind-up.

Nevertheless, he took a copy of the letter to Adams Park on Saturday and passed it around to older club members to see if Mr Secard's name rang any bells but it did not.

Mr Thibault said: "Nobody knew anything about him. I've checked everywhere. We do sometimes get this sort of thing but it is very difficult to know if it is genuine or not. I checked with all of the people who have known the club for some years and they knew nothing."

He added: "I must admit it did cross my mind a little bit that it could be an Englishman mucking about, but there's no way of telling."

However, Mr Thibault will be passing on the mystery letter to the players and their autographs will be sent to France in the near future.

Were you a fan of Wycombe Wanderers in the 1970s? Did you hear of a Frenchman called Joel Secard? Call reporter James Cox on (01494) 755086