Thinking Blue Square
by Scott Thornberry - 6th April 2010
As a football fan all we want is some passion, something to be proud of. Unfortunately this season there has rarely been times where we have been proud of the performances on the pitch. The usual Monday morning dread of walking into work only for your colleagues to either make the unwelcome comment about the weekends results or the more often mickey taking comments. But last weekends performance and result was most welcome and shows just what we are capable of, it is a shame it is too late in the day.
Maybe the players feel more relaxed on the ball, knowing that if they do make a mistake they will not have their gaffer on the touchline bouncing up and down berating them. Just how people think that will motivate players I will never know. Yep, make a mistake and get the occasional bollocking, but to constantly get the arm waving and shouting will lose its edge after a while. It is like bringing up your kids, if you constantly tell them off they will soon become numb to the punishments. You have got to know when to deliver the discipline, unfortunately it appeared Steve Staunton did not know.
Rumours have ofcourse been rife on the messageboard since Stauntons departure, who knows, by the time this programme is printed we may have a new manager appointed. I have to say though that I am always surprised when a managers job comes up the names that are mentioned. You would think given the fact we are a certainty to go down and we won’t have the biggest budget. But you still get the likes of Gary Johnson, Simon Davey and Mark Cooper putting their names forward.
We have to look at the positives, this season has been a total disaster, probably the worst I have witnessed in my short time of supporting this club (bloody hell that’s not positive is it). But the last time we dropped out of the league I probably had the most enjoyable season I have ever had following our club. I always remember the Kidderminster Harriers game away from home, I think it was a Monday night game. The season was coming to an end, only a couple of games left and Barnet were a few points behind us. If we got a point out of this game we would be promoted, and wouldn’t have to go to Welling needing a win. With 90 minutes on the clock we were drawing 2-2 courtesy of goals form Frank Gray and John Borthwick. But typical Darlo, Harriers went and scored the winner in injury time. So it was off down south on a red hot May 5th. Gary Coastworth’s looping header and we had done it. Out came the commemorative behind the scenes video. I must ask my dad if he has still got that somewhere, it was quality. Then the T Shirts, one which my mam found for me in the cupboard the other month.
Other matches which stand out from that season are:
FA Cup Replay at Feethams – Due to it being a 3rd round replay the draw had already been made for the 4th round. So we knew the winners of this game would play Millwall away. Over 9000 fans crammed into Feethams and for some reason I always remember a rather large Cambridge fan in the old West Stand showing us his belly. We ended up losing 3-1 and Cambridge went on to get into the quarter finals.
FA Trophy fourth round – I really thought this was our chance to get to Wembley and do it with ease. We beat Billingham Synthonia, Macclesfield and Runcorn. Leek Town were next up, Leek Town for christs sake. We lost 1-0 at their place!
January 25th – League game against Boston United in which we ended up winning 6-1 and included 4 goals from David Cork.
A final memory from that season was the civic reception which was held for the club at the Town Hall. It was 1990 and World Cup year. I remember quite clearly heading down the town in my brothers car and we had just bought World In Motion by New Order and were listening to Barnes Rap coming around the ringroad. We then headed to stand outside the Town Hall. Stevie Mardenborough had missed the open topped bus to the Town Hall and had to run through the crowds and into the building. After a wave from the balcony the team and Brian Little headed into the Dolphin Centre where every fan could meet all the players and the management and also touch the Conference Trophy. A fantastic time, lets hope next season will bring us all some new great memories.