Hope, friendship and strength

Two years ago today, James (Jimmy) Robinson died.

To many at the Rec, Jimmy Robinson needed no introduction - a committed supporter for more than 60 years he was genuinely a man for all seasons; standing on the old East Bank when it was cinder and railway sleepers then going ‘up-market’ with a season ticket in the North Stand from the early seventies…..




Jimmy started following the Shots in 1947 although he could never recall his first game at the Rec, only the fact that it cost 9d return on the double-decker bus from Dogmersfield to Aldershot.

In 1950 Jimmy joined the RAF as a stores accountant and was stationed at Middle Wallop. On Saturdays he used to get the train up from Andover via Basingstoke and Woking to Aldershot. In those days the Shots played in front of 8 or 9000 fans and even the reserves played to crowds of 1000. Then after the game Jimmy would hit the town….well the cinema, and he probably downed the odd pint before catching the last train home.

I guess that by the time I started following Aldershot in 1960 Jimmy was paying the adult rate, and probably having a good moan about the ‘exorbitant cost of getting in these days’.

And then when Aldershot Football Club died in 1992 Jimmy was still gripping the railings of the North Stand, refusing to be removed.

But somehow we came back….happier…stronger…optimistic…joyful. And gosh didn’t Jimmy make the most of the new adventures. Consigned to memory the inevitably dismal trip north to Barrow, the open terrace, horizontal rain, barely warm Bovril and a last minute own goal…..to be replaced by the superb Clubroom at Eastleigh and the beautiful ground at Bognor…..and the last minute winner.

So as we accelerate towards the new season I can’t help but be comforted by the memory of Jimmy’s old plastic carrier bag….the contents always a mystery; the lifetime of memories etched in his face…victory over Aston Villa, Sir Matt Busby bringing Charlton, Law and Best to the Rec in 1970…. ….Jack Howarth and the Cup win over Reading; so many shared experiences.

Former manager Kevin Dillon never understood that the restoration of League football to the Recreation Ground in 2008 was achieved, not by the players and the management, but through the combined emotional power of people like Jimmy. And he was unable to come to terms with the fact that our feelings could not be stimulated by professionalism alone.

Like most Shots supporters I didn’t really know Jimmy, but somehow I could recognise that James Robinson was the personification of hope, friendship and strength……. so when I enter the seats on July 16th for the Inverness Caledonian Thistle pre-season friendly I will look to my left, fully expecting to see Jimmy gripping the railings in the North Stand…..

So with an optimism born out of a belief that manager Dean Holdsworth may just understand the DNA of our Club…..my blog is back.

Enjoy the season…..