The past came back to visit....

Albion Rovers FC play at Crindau Park, Newport.

The ground can be seen quite easily when travelling back to England along the M4. In fact it is just below the motorway and not more than 500m from the Brynglas Tunnels…..I’m sure you will remember the traffic hold ups, if you attended any of the ‘Cardiff’ Cup Finals.

Scottish coalminers who moved to Newport for work in 1937 formed the team and then named the club after Albion Rovers, who continue to play in their homeland of Coatbridge.

But I’m sure not many people outside of Newport will know that the Rovers played Abergavenny Thursdays in the first game to be played at Newport Stadium, now the home of Newport County AFC.

From the dreamland of the European Cup Winners Cup quarter final against Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany, to bankruptcy in 8 years, was a pretty spectacular collapse. But then the 1980s heralded both the brightest and darkest moments in Newport County’s history.

After relegation from the Football League to the Conference in 1988 ‘The County’ went bust on 27th February 1989.

They reformed in the same year and the new club adopted the nickname The Exiles, as a result of the need to play their inaugural season in the north Gloucestershire town of Moreton-in-Marsh.

Promotion to the Southern League in 1990 saw the club return to Wales for a brief period. The return to Somerton Park was never going to be for long, as the Borough Council had housing developments in mind. But nobody wanted to return to life in exile for a further two seasons, as the club was forced to resort to legal action to protect themselves from being evicted from the English football pyramid. The litigation proved successful, a landmark High Court judgement enabling Newport AFC to move into a permanent home at Spytty Park and the newly-built Newport Stadium (the club changed their name back to Newport County in 1999).

But desperate for any club to play at the new stadium, and with Newport in exile, the Borough Council had entered into a tenancy agreement with Albion Rovers, then of the Welsh League Div 1 (feeder to the Welsh Premier). So on their return to Wales ‘County’ found themselves ground sharing until Albion Rovers moved out to Crindau Park.

And just for the record, Rovers beat the Thursdays in that opening match…… Albion Rovers have suffered three relegations and now play in the Gwent County League Div 1.….and the Thursdays now play in the Gwent County League Div 3.

Now I’m sure all of this is more interesting than tracking the rise and fall of just about any politician. And certainly more memorable for those emotionally attached to the clubs in question. But the really fascinating thing about Crindau Park is that, it is the only senior football pitch in Wales below sea level.

And yes, it floods a lot…..

It was with this fact in the forefront of my mind, the weekend before last, that the past came back to visit me.

I pass through Newport on no less than 40 occasions every season on my way to the Recreation Ground, Aldershot and the many other exotic Conference destinations. And just above Crindau Park I always undertake the same analysis……how much water is there on the pitch? Is it playable? If yes, the Rec will be fine……

And after a week of torrential rain which brought floods to much of west and mid Wales I looked down at Crindau Park expecting the worst.

But travelling to the Forest Green Rovers game the past did indeed come back to visit…was it really fifteen years ago that my mother made the call?

The BBC news had carried the story all week. Rain. More rain. Widespread flooding. Landslides. The Rivers Severn and Wye bursting their banks covering hundreds of square miles with floodwater.

‘Are you ok?’ My mother’s voice resonating concern.

‘Yes, we are. Of course we are ok’ I reassuringly declared as I looked out of our house towards the distant Black Mountains shimmering in the early morning sunlight. Our garden wrapped up in a thick blanket of cotton wool. The cloud stretching for as far as the eye could see. Punctured only by the mountain tops. The valley of the Wye sequestered 250m below.

‘Yes, we are fine Mum’ with just a hint of ‘living in Chobham you would be the first to know if we were under water!‘

My travel arrangements tend to be pretty much the same for every home game….I leave home at 9am, pick my brother up at 1230hrs and get to the Phoenix Social Club for 1pm. Leaving two hours to unwind and prepare for the game…..

But this trip was different. The Phoenix was no more….for me. The Board had decided to use the Social Club for corporate dining with Members shifted to a ‘pub’ in the car park.

Cardiff, Newport, Second Severn Crossing, Bristol, Swindon, Reading, Hartley Wintney….plenty of time to think.

It will be ok. Yes, I was convinced.

Clearly the club had put in a lot of effort to get the new venture up and running for the opening, the night before. And the ‘big screen’ was in place so that we could watch televised football…..I’m never that interested. And with a reported 3000 pints poured into plastic pots I’m sure the brewery and all those involved will be happy.

The success of our club is of course a shared aim, but the big and ugly ‘Black Bull’ is no place for someone who travels so far to get to each and every home game.

I had grown to like the comfort of the Phoenix Club….and of course I purchased my season ticket early to receive the benefit of free membership. A benefit that has now been removed mid season.

But don’t worry Chairman. I won’t be asking for a refund.

The Severn Bridge ‘sharks’ hit me for £200 in toll charges each season so I guess the membership fee would be no more than loose change ‘jingling in the pocket’.

On the other hand a claim in respect of my season ticket…..

So it’s the Crimea for me, before the Oxford United game on Tuesday night…..an opportunity to get the season back on track, after the disappointing defeat at York City.

I couldn’t get to the game, last Saturday, so what can I say other than….I have every confidence that Gary and Martin will; learn from the setback and prepare effectively for an encounter with a team who have much to prove.

Aldershot Town will play with power and pace……..

Disappointment.......

I'm disappointed that I have no time to post properly…..sorry.


The week started badly…

We lost to Forest Green Rovers, on Saturday.

And my beloved Phoenix Club is no more…..

I have been away all week…..and my wife has grounded me. So I’m missing the long haul to York….now that is a disappointment

But spare a thought for Jerome Kerviel…..disappointed that he lost Societe Generale £3.7 billion or disappointed that he got caught?

And spare a thought for Daniel Boulton, the Chairman and chief executive of Societe Generale….it’s probably his last weekend on expenses.

And poor old Peter Hain…..well at least he will have time to read my blog for himself, allowing his constituency officers to keep track of any future donations to his political fund.

But the upside in this week of disappointment is, we are still five points clear at the top of the Blue Square Premier…..and JJB shares have risen 15% since Jan 15th. ……Jerome should have read my blog.

It's 'absurd'.....

David Whelan was born in Bradford in 1936, raised in Wigan, is a former professional footballer and the current owner of Wigan Athletic FC. He was a successful businessman; after the acquisition of Wigan fishing and sports store JJ Bradburns in 1977.….Whelan turned JJB Sports into the leading UK sports retailer.

In 2007 he stepped down as Chairman of JJB Sports and sold his remaining stake in the company in 2007.

But the new Chairman surely doesn’t need the help of the Government, despite shares in JJB standing at only 97.75 against a 12 month high of 302.

Yes, the impending nationalisation of Northern Rock may just add a few pence to the share price.

How long will it be before Newcastle United FC have to use black and white tape to cover up their sponsors logo and start the search for a new benefactor? Not even Labour would fail to see that if the Government were to sponsor one Club then perhaps 91 others may come calling…..

And being such a ‘big’ club, with support across the UK and beyond, a few hundred thousand replica shirts could be sold between now and the end of the season.

With so much time spent travelling across the UK in support of Aldershot Town, the car radio can be a great friend. Sports Report, live football, travel news and Radio 4, a gentle respite from Radio 5’s 6-0-6 with Alan Green.

But last Saturday I travelled to Kingfield, Woking, with a business colleague and suffered the pain that often follows a few minutes of Green’s comment and pronouncements.

6-0-6 was dominated by the aftershock of ‘Big Sam’s’ departure, and the 6v0 drubbing by United. The seamless stream of public comment massaged by Green’s obvious dislike of all things Allardyce. And at the summit of pomposity Green decreed that only the Toon Army could articulate opinion on the demise of Sam. It was ridiculous for the unconnected to suggest that perhaps Allardyce should have been given a bit more time….that perhaps the ‘Big Club’ needed radical surgery and that recovery would take more than a few months.

Yes, at this suggestion old Greenie displayed his true colours….the colours that don’t fly that high at Old Trafford, the Reebok and a few other grounds around the country. ‘Look, if you haven’t got the shirt you can have no opinion’.

But hang on a minute Alan…..isn’t it about £50billion of loans and underwriting that is keeping Northern Rock afloat. Without my money how could Northern Rock make their monthly payments to Newcastle United?

I’m sorry Alan but we all have an interest in St James’ Park.

And I’m just a bit worried about the impending nationalisation of Northern Rock. You see it is going to be Peter Hain and his administrative mates that will take charge of the Company in the future.

Peter insisted this week that he would get on with his job and that it was ‘absurd’ to suggest he had tried to cover up undeclared donations of £103,000 to his recent deputy Labour leadership campaign.

I agree.

The affair, as currently reported, suggests incompetence and not deceit.

Now what did I do with that big fat fee received in December…….?

Gosh, if Peter finds it difficult to keep track of £103,000 how on earth can we have any confidence that our billions will be safe under a nationalised Northern Rock.

The incompetence illuminated by recent events and played out in our newspapers every morning only serves to confirm the arrogance of government. An arrogance fuelled by power and aged in the oak cask of Westminster.

As for Greenie……he is easily dealt with.

I simply turn to Radio 4.

The visit to Woking for the FA Trophy game was like most other trips this season.

An excellent turnout by Shots fans, plenty of noise, a controlled performance and a win.

For much of the game, and on a very heavy pitch, Aldershot performed below their best. Woking were clearly fired up for the challenge……their season would be over with a defeat.

And the referee? Not a good vintage.

But the result was probably never in doubt. It was a bit like playing football in the garden with a four years old relative…..no matter how many goals you let the youngster score…..the inevitable injection of adult power, pace and guile will result in a victory well before the Yorkshire Puddings are dished up.

Keep it simple.....

Life was so simple in 1969.

A good night out on 10 Shillings (50p). England still World Champions. And Europe…..just a few countries to identify in the ‘O’ Level Geography paper.

And for Peter Hain, who as I write is just about Secretary of State for Wales and Secretary of State for Works and Pensions, the year of 1969 brought with it a new challenge and a single focus.

Yes, at the tender age of 19, Peter Hain became Chairman of the Stop The Seventy Tour campaign. He scored his first victory for the anti-apartheid protests by heavily disrupting the all white Springbok rugby tour and then finally stopping the all white South African cricket tour of Britain planned for 1970.

So simple then for Peter on 16th December 1969. Get a five shillings cheap day return from Waterloo to Aldershot and then the Aldershot and District 2c, from the Station to the Military Stadium, Queens Avenue.

Get there nice and early, and before the South African team arrive to play the Combined Services………’what happened next?’

I always arrive at ‘the ground’ to watch Aldershot two hours before kick off. Sounds a bit extreme, I know….but as it takes me about three hours to get to the Rec and almost all of the away games are at least a similar distance, I like time to unwind.

And Northwich?

One of my favourite trips….although it was disappointing to note the closure of the Italian and Spanish restaurants under the main stand. But in compensation it was pleasing to experience the friendly nature of the home fans, in what is now their ‘pub’.

As for the game….with hindsight it was pretty easy.

A poor Northwich team that I guess we will not be playing next season….perhaps as a result of our promotion, and probably as a result of their relegation ….together with our promotion.

Aldershot performed like a team at the top of the league….three points.

Life can be pretty simple when the focus is ...……next game….win….three points.

Or in the case of tomorrow…..win….next round.

A look back.....

I love architecture.

Travelling to visit friends just outside of Nimes, in the south of France, is an uplifting experience. And closer to home who could not be inspired by the Royal Crescent in Bath or the stunning form of the Hoover Building on the A40, Western Avenue?

At its best architecture can inspire for centuries….a backdrop that gives a timeless comfort blanket to our world.

At its worst it can deliver the Docklands….or Cardiff Bay.

2007 arrived with Aldershot Town surprisingly still in touch with the Conference play-off challengers; and following hard fought victories over Haverhill Town, Chelmsford City and Basingstoke Town, a third round FA Cup trip to Blackpool was eagerly awaited.

Sadly the play-off challenge turned out to be a cruel mirage, and the season ended dismally.

Oh, and Blackpool? The end of the road…..

But at least 2007 can be remembered for the realisation of the inevitable demise of two leaders. Yes, after a period of increasing ineptitude Brown went and Brown ascended.

Without doubt the departure of ‘Saint’ Terry Brown (manager), from Aldershot Town, was completed, in this win only world, with a sensitivity rarely displayed by football clubs.

And so on Tuesday March 27th 2007 Terry Brown took control of his last game, and at 2200hrs he was sent on his way with the applause of the Eastbank ringing in his ears. And their innocent adulation? Impressing an image clearly in his mind, I guess forever.

As one Brown fell so another ascended to realise a lifetime ambition….‘Prime Minister we have floods. I think the inflatable will be better than the Range Rover.’ But then someone hid the paddles and his tenancy agreement at Number 10 looks just a tad vulnerable.

Aldershot Town’s 2007/08 campaign kicked off at Kidderminster, and for many supporters the prospects were wrapped up in hope rather than expectation.

Gary who? Our new manager Gary Waddock was no more than a photo taken from a website.

Added to which the back room staff that had taken Aldershot from the high point of the Britannia Stadium play-off final to the lows of…..no I can’t bring myself to list them…..were pretty much still in place.

And with a squad of players that contained many familiar faces together with the return of Ben Harding….a young man who had failed so disappointingly under the previous regime.....not too many supporters were openly confident of a play-off challenge.

Yes, it was a season that started with thoughts turning to development and building towards 2008/09.

But it has been the form of Harding that has set the barometer for our progress this season. He has been a joy to watch. His performances have lit up our campaign with a style, fluency and demeanour that have been not only the product of his attitude, but most importantly he has quite clearly been nurtured by the coaching staff.

And the exuberance, confidence and vibrancy of the whole squad more than outweighs the occasional impetuous act.

So satisfying, therefore, to see a management team that understand that planning and preparation takes place between games and not after we have gone one or two nil down! Added to which post match recovery strategies must embrace all, and not simply those in need of a gentle touch from the physio.

Yes, following the New Year’s Day defeat of Woking, Aldershot Town sit proudly at the top of the Blue Square Premier. Four points clear of Torquay United.

And with that my thoughts have turned back to 2005. Perhaps the coldest of away trips. Carlisle United, Tuesday 28th December ‘05. After the game, and just a few wee nips taken in a very fine Carlisle hotel, I wrote that Aldershot had failed to come to terms with the demands of full time football.

Today I am pleased to record that those concerns are now dismissed…..for which Gary, Martin and all of the coaching staff should be congratulated.


And off the field, as we prepare for the long awaited return to the Football League, a new commercial realism is radiating from the boardroom.

But caution…..

The Chairman wrote in his recent programme notes that, ‘if they (new ideas) are successful then we will be quids in. The club will make money and move forward with money jingling in its pocket…..’

Manchester United has achieved this simple objective better than all others…..but I do like the Recreation Ground.

Aldershot came back to life in 1992 because for many, its power was defined by something greater than anything that money could achieve, or indeed destroy. Our Club was recreated by the genuine passion that flows through the veins of us all. A passion that is not fed by prawn sandwiches and lubricated by cheap wine.....

In most walks of life progress is fuelled by money. But it is the successful management of progress that will determine the legacy.

Give me the Royal Crescent , Bath any day before a Lego house in Essex.