You don’t understand what it’s like unless you experience it. That’s what I say to those football supporters when the debate regarding the end of Aldershot Football Club reaches the surface.
When I listen to those laborious football phone-ins as supporters (mainly from the Premier League) moan on about all the problems that are emanating from their club, stating how the club is in turmoil and it couldn’t get any worst, I cannot take them seriously.
Indeed I laugh, you see, because they just don’t get it. It couldn’t get any worse than it was for Aldershot supporters on March 25, 1992. It is a date that is etched in the minds of all Shots fans. The day that Aldershot Football Club’s 60 year membership of the Football League ceased. Wound-up, liquidated – no more. The day a football club died!
It was a harrowing time – a desperate period and, despite the inevitability of the demise, when the final curtain fell, it created an air of disbelief, shock and anger! For years, the threat of extinction surrounded many clubs up and down the country. There was always going to be that knight in shining armor. Not in this part of Hampshire, unfortunately. The first club in 30 years to be kicked out of the Football League mid-season and, remarkably, the last club to suffer that fate, too. An unfortunate statistic that will, sadly, eventually change.
It is a period I will never forget. As Chairman of the Supporters Club at the time, it was a desperate struggle to remain optimistic, but we did. We had a fine group of committee members who did everything we possibly could to help save the club. The generosity of fans and other clubs alike was truly symptomatic of the huge affection there was to keep the club afloat. It was, however, not enough.
For whatever reasons, the club’s financial predicament was irreversible. I found it hard to take some people seriously who always assured me that “It would be ok.” “That saviour will emerge”. They didn’t and it wasn’t ok. Those people, however, were not given the opportunity to be involved in Aldershot Town FC and, indeed, fortunately are no longer involved in football.
That final night at Ninian Park five days before the eventual closure of the club will always be recalled vividly. At the time, the Supporters Club were funding travel to the away matches for the team in addition to being able to donate funds collected by the generosity of supporters to the players who, by 1992, were not receiving any wages. I recall getting a phone call from Caretaker Manager Ian McDonald on the morning of the Cardiff City match informing me that if the coach company were not paid up-front, it wouldn’t be leaving the car park! In those days, you could only withdraw £100 per time from a building society and I had to make visits to three separate building societies to withdraw the cash. After rushing about to obtain the necessary funds, I recall getting grief upon arriving at the Rec for keeping everybody waiting.
However, travel to Cardiff we did on the team coach. It was a hugely emotional occasion, though. The final whistle was greeted with a wonderful sense of togetherness, but that thought of emptiness wasn’t too far away either. The realization that this was it. The end! Departing the coach upon arriving back in Aldershot during the early hours of the morning provided an eerie feeling.
All those memories – McGregor, Johnson, Jopling, Brodie, Dungworth etc etc. Unbeaten at home in 77/78 and then there was 1979 and the pure buzz of those special FA Cup nights. My childhood. The place I always felt the safest and the place I always felt the happiest – The Rec! Seemingly gone forever.
I wasn’t at the High Court on the day of the winding-up order, but was present at the Rec. It was surreal. I recall watching grown men in tears standing at the place they would have watched their football for decades. It was truly awful.
I recall a few days later being at the stadium when all the staff (players, management and admin) were all gathered on the pitch at the Rec. All those dedicated people, unpaid for months, being told that they no longer had a job. Soon after and it was a trip to the Auctioneers in Southampton where all the assets of Aldershot Football Club were sold off all in a morning. Pretty sad really.
It is imperative to emphasise the experiences of 1992. The rebirth of football in the town has been a special achievement driven by the enthusiasm of the supporters. The closure of Aldershot Football Club certainly provided added enthusiasm, determination and courage by the supporters as the new club was formed and that dedication has continued by the tireless work of so many people and the new generation of supporters that have become avid followers.
Everybody should hold their heads high at this club. The adulation nationwide is sometimes missing of the achievement that has been created here after achieving five promotions since our inception, starting with nothing and having to earn the right to succeed. We will be celebrating our own 20 years of “Aldershot Town FC ” during next season (2012/13), including the launch of a special club logo for the season. We will remember the marvelous achievements that have been created since 1992, but for now, it is all about remembering Aldershot Football Club.
This Tuesday evening (March 27th) we dedicated our npower League 2 match versus Bristol Rovers to celebrate the memory of Aldershot Football Club as the nearest date to the 20-year anniversary. It is a huge achievement in itself that this fixture will be played in the Football League. Make no mistake about it, though, without Aldershot Football Club, there would be no Aldershot Town Football Club and no Phoenix rising.
There is a younger generation, who will only hear the special stories of those seasons, matches and players from their peers. They need to know the history but, importantly, it is essential that the date of March 25, 1992 is not forgotten either. They need to be reminded, as I say, that “You don’t understand what it’s like unless you experience it”. I never want to experience it again.
