Good afternoon one and all and welcome to The Vale for today’s game verses Gosport Borough. We trust you and your fellow fans have a pleasant stay here with us in the heart of Middlesex and also have time to share a drink with the supporters in the clubhouse after the game.
In the week that the Premier League announced record TV sponsorship, I could not feel further removed and less motivated to sit down and watch a top level game. Will the lower tiers of football see much of this money? Probably not but it will certainly mean more clubs from all levels push themselves to the limits to reach the Promised Land. However in stark contrast to this announcement I did catch an episode of FA Cup 5th Round Rewind on the BBC. Two features did stand out. The first was a half hour segment on Wimbledon’s 1987 5th Round tie vs Everton (the year before they won the cup). I think it was Wimbledon’s first season in the top flight and they were taking on Howard Kendall’s soon to be League Champions. Before the highlights of the match were shown there was footage as a BBC camera team followed the Crazy Gang in their week’s build up to the big game. Complete with curly haired Vince Jones in their ranks, they undertook assault course training with the Army in Dorset. Whilst the Schoolboy antics probably have not changed, the shot of Division One players arriving (5 to a car) for the day’s activities in beat up Vauxhall Cavaliers and Ford Escorts did make me smile and realise how vast that gap has grown. The footage of the game (3-1 to the Dons) was entertaining as the Old Plough Lane heaved to its maximum capacity and still looked very much like an old Southern league ground with a few alterations. That is certainly something we will never see again.
The other game that did make me smile was Blyth Spartans almost beating Wrexham in 1978 (two years before I ever existed). Whilst the pitch was a sand pit with a few blades of grass thrown in for good measure I did chortle at the terrible kits, hair styles, sideburns and massive tashes. I think it is fair to say that in the 1970’s players who said they were in their thirties resembled today’s middle aged men and they certainly had a much harder life than today’s modern footballer.
Megastore – We have finally started to recover from the manic Christmas / Raider-Mania rush. We basically sold out of everything. In the years since we started selling everything Stones related, never has the rush and panic buying been so prolific. I can now report that we have been restocked with some more home & away shirts (both yellow & blue) as well as items such as the mugs and hats. Whilst we do try and plan for the demand on certain items I don’t think anyone at the club saw Raider Mania coming, so if you could not buy the item you were after I apologise but hopefully we now have it in stock.
The programme end of the Megastore continues to undergo improvement thanks to Terry Hissey. If you can’t find the programme you are after then the chances are it does not exist. For those programmes you cannot find in store why not check us out on Ebay (seller – wfcsc) where we sell most of our non-Wealdstone programmes which continues to prove both popular and lucrative for us.
For those hoppers here today or casual Stones fans you can now find a huge selection of football league programmes thanks to recent donations. We haveanything from Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Everton, Millwall, Watford, Southampton, West Ham and more. Have a look as you would be surprised at the prices we charge.
Megastore Suggestions – As always it is this time of year we start thinking about ideas for new ranges of items for next season. If you have any suggestions please feel free to let us know. We will continue to have the usual clothing ranges but if you want Wealdstone Pint glasses, wallets or the like pop in or drop us an email. (Before you ask Megaphone I know you still want Pennants).
Golden Girl – Mim will be selling Golden Goals just inside the ground for your chance to scoop an extra £50 for the first goal scored or £10 for the last goal.If you are lucky enough to win pop into the Megastore at the end of the game to collect your prize from Mim.
Payment – As always we can process card payments in the Megastore on game days via a handy PayPal card machine, so not only can you spend more in the Megastore, but you can also retain your cash to buy pints, programmes or golden goals.
Goodbye & goodnight – That brings to an end my 12th set of programme notes. Remember the shop will be open all Home games and some awaygames. Come on you Stones and don’t forget to bring your wallets.
Adam E (aka Stones Throw) & @Wfcmegastore on twitter
On behalf of the Megastore Team
www.wfcmegastore.co.uk
