Fellow Aldershot Town supporter Victoria Rogers came across her old autograph book a few days ago.....she opened it up and the memories came flooding back.
'Heroes....'
Deep down in one of my desk drawers a small green book rested quietly just waiting for the right moment to light up my mind.
And I have no idea what I was looking for the other day when I unearthed the autograph book that my Grandma gave me about 30 years ago.
But when I opened up the pages I was instantly reunited with a whole host of names that I hadn't thought about for years - friends from school, old teachers, family friends and sadly a few people who are no longer with us.
Now was Jane the girl with long hair…did she play hockey or was it the violin….and Peter, was it the Navy or Army that he joined?
I quickly flipped through the teenage ramblings and headed for the centre fold. And yes, there they were….spread over the next five pages. Murray Brodie, Malcolm Crosby, Alan Wooler, Joe Jopling, John Dungworth, Mick Earls, Glen Johnson, Alex McGregor, Will Dixon, Trevor Rockett, and Joe Butler.
Two pages on, and upside down, I found the signature of Terry Bell. I just know that my small book was thrown across the dressing room to Terry. He caught it and signed it without noticing that it was the wrong way up.
And Murray Brodie signed my book twice – I’m sure he knew that he was my favourite.
These precious signatures of Aldershot Football Club players from the 1970s were collected not by me, but by my Father. He secured them all on 31 January 1978 while he was working at the ground, as a welder. They were a wonderful gift to me, a 14-year-old devoted Aldershot fan.
But why did I treasure them so? Why should a few scribbled signatures from a bunch of footballers plying their trade in the lowest division of the Football League mean so much to a teenager?
Well probably because of the one simple word, that is the title to this article –‘heroes’. Of course, it is an overused word these days, but I still think ‘heroes’ are undoubtedly something that every teenager needs. And the Aldershot players of the 1970s were my heroes.
Now I was lucky enough to live near to several of the players that I followed with such admiration. And I would often see some of them coming out of the betting shop that was near to my home. For a young fan, this opportunity for a close encounter with a hero was really exciting.
The only problem was, like many teenagers I was too shy and could never manage to say so much as a ‘hello’ to any of my ‘gods’. Funny really, as I look back, because on a Saturday they all received my full attention. And I certainly had no inhibitions when chanting their names from the North Stand. Cheering their good play and feeling their pain when fouled. Yes, they were all something special….unique….sporting heroes to be admired.
Of course, I know now that such feelings were ridiculous! They were just ‘big boys’…men, not gods. Apart from kicking the ball around the Rec on a Saturday afternoon, they offered nothing to suggest that they were anything other than footballers in red and blue shirts.
But rational and considered thought is not something teenagers do well and just the sight of one of these heroes would render me speechless. In fact so dumb that I never did manage anything more than simply to stand and stare when I met them outside of the betting shop!
Fast forward thirty years and several of these heroes have reappeared at the Recreation Ground in a completely different guise. No longer wearing the shorts and shirts that gave them a god-like appearance they are now no more than men in smart coats, ties and jackets.
And no longer do they take to the field for 90 minutes of tough tackling, sharp shooting and fingertip saves. Today their appearance is restricted to – ‘just a few minutes on the pitch at half-time, Murray. We will ask you a couple of questions. Then perhaps you can draw the 50:50 winning ticket.’
Invited back as honoured guests to enjoy our Club’s hospitality how do these heroes of mine now appear?
Well, with some you can see immediately the ‘young blood’ that they once were. And with others? Ageing can be cruel. Some of them walk briskly, others slow. Some regimental and upright others stooped and pained. But they all leave me with a feeling that their enthusiasm for the Shots and the Recreation Ground has never waned.
So how do I feel about my heroes 30 years on? Has the passing of time taken every vestige of glamour away? Or do I see before me a collection of everlasting heroes.
Well, despite their extra padding and proliferation of grey hair I think that I can safely say, ‘everyone of them is still my hero’. Yes, when one of my ‘signatures’ from 1978 appears on the pitch at half-time my mind is instantly taken back to the many happy Saturdays spent sitting on a rail in the North Stand, wearing a hand knitted scarf and bobble hat (thank you Grandma). Images in my mind of the amazing goals, the penalty saves…..Glen, Terry, Murray….the visits to the betting shop….walking so close to me….why didn’t I say ‘hello’…..
At this point, my husband and son get bored with my reminiscence and I’m required to move on to more prosaic matters like…..
In essence, I think that my favourite ‘signatures’ will always be my heroes. They gave me something to admire and be proud of at a time in my life when it was needed. And once stored safely away in my desk draw they were guaranteed to be with me for life.
So I stand and applaud them all as they reappear on the pitch. I listen with affection to their online interviews on the website and will always be grateful for the role they played, however unconsciously, in my teenage life all those years ago.
They may be older and they may not be able to play our beloved game any more, but they will be forever my Aldershot players. They will always be my heroes.
Gosh, if only I had the courage to speak to them….
Victoria Rogers - January 2010
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