The Story until The Match, written May 2007
03 Jan 2008

In October 2005, some bright spark at Barrow FC asked the SRFC Forum whether SRFC could raise a supporter’s team to coincide with the respective first teams meeting that month. With the last supporter’s game taking place some 15 years earlier, it came to me to organise a new team. We managed to find 14 hardy souls willing to wear the shirt and battle for the glory of the club. Admittedly we started the game with 9 men, 1 woman and an opposition player, but there the Supporters Team rose from the ashes just like the England cricket team and lost 4-2.

An inauspicious start to the new era, but it fanned a flame which has continued onto this point, our Match against proper ex-professional footballers. We have since played Barrow again (and lost 2-1) then we stepped up to life in a new league by beating Halifax away 4-3 in a tense but entertaining game on what can only be described as a former battlefield complete with trenches. In was after this game that got me thinking about something bigger, could we form a team that was capable of taking the hallowed turf and playing some ex-professionals.

In a true and complete rip-off of Sky One’s The Match, we approached SRFC and asked whether a charity game would be possible, which I am glad to say, they agreed. From the first training session in January, we have had a committed squad of players that have out their all into this project. Our first game was the return Halifax fixture at home where we contrived to lose a 4-0 lead and draw 4-4. If the game had of been another 5 minutes longer we probably would have lost the game. To try and rectify the situation, we arranged a game with Tamworth who promptly cried off because we told them our pitch was flat (apologies to all those who haven’t witnessed the hill at The Lamb). Next came the Essex boys in the form of Grays. Complete with dyed blonde highlights (I kid you not), gave us a very stiff test to draw 1-1. It later transpired that they had played Grays FC in their charity game and only lost 3-2!

Finally, our last game was earlier in April when we entertained Milford Cricket Club, when despite being a man or two down with injury; we won 3-2 thanks to superb Will Smith strike. All of these matches and the build up has been available on YouTube to everyone (www.youtube.com/acheckley) taking us to the crescendo of our Cup Final, today. We love our football club and we love representing our club and our town across the country, but we want to win. We will give 100% today on the pitch as this maybe the pinnacle of our footballing careers. But at the very core of this, we are raising money for the football club and for a very special charity who give such an amazing gift to those people who deserve it the most. Our dream come true, playing on Marston Rd, just might help some others have their Dreams Come True.