Growing up in Donny I went to work in a local spar aged 14, for a few hours on an evening twice a week after school. Two of the lads who worked there were Donny fans, prior to this I was an armchair Spurs fan, mainly down to Glen Hoddle and the third kit a purple number that was bought for me by relatives on birthdays. Within a week of working in the shop, the lads asked if i was going to join them at a Tuesday night game at home to Walsall (I am not sure if Eso had tipped them to go up/down or mid table this year but it was a minimum of a combination of all three!!). I think they had started the season well and we had won our first 4 games, they had a chap up front called Stuart Rimmer (maybe the right name, may have forgotten it) who had scored 5 in 4 and it was going to be a belter. The 'Pop Side' was buzzing and nothing beats the taste of a night game under lights, we won 2 nil and I was hooked. On the Saturday we travelled to York on the train, now this was a whole new world, travelling to new places with friends, I was now in deep. So deep that in the following 25 years there have been more tears than good times, apart from the clubs who have gone into liquidation I would see our journey as the most turbulent. Playing Barnet at home on a Weds afternoon in front of 600 because we could not afford to pay for the floodlights, the chairman trying to burn the ground down, losing 9 nil away at Exeter after fielding a 15 year old keeper who's headteacher had to give him permission to play, dropping out of the football league with the lowest ever points total..... however, living the bad times, made the good times taste so sweet.
RIP Belle Vue.
Missed out on the bad times and got the cheapest intro to football with quid for a kid. Still remember meeting the players, getting a photo with the legendary Ian Durden. I was a mascot for a 0-0 vs Woking too. First time in the Pop stand, was a playoff game vs Chester the year after Kevin Mcintyre had left after we paid for his knee surgery. Not sure I saw a kick in that game but I'm sure I learnt some new swear words.
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