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Writer's pictureTUST

Fan Zone 10/10/2024


FAN ZONE


TUST's Chair and TUFC board member, Nick Brodrick's column in this week's Herald Express - updated for the latest news.


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A  PERSONAL  TRIP  DOWN  MEMORY  LANE  AS  UNITED  BACK  ON  TRACK


IT’S  TWELVE  OF  THE  BEST  FOR  UNITED’S  WOMEN


NEW  NATIONAL  LEAGUE  CUP  NOT  A  FANS  FAVOURITE


A Devon hat-trick! I don’t know how often an event like this occurs, not often I would guess but no doubt someone will come up with the answer, all three Devon professional clubs win on the same Saturday.


United 1-0 at Hampton, Argyle 2-1 home to Blackburn and City 1-0 against Cambridge. It’s obviously not unique but it’s a great feeling for all these fans. And in particular it just makes the Yellow Army wish for the day when the Gulls are back in the Football League.


*****


Saturday was a trip down memory lane for me as I was brought up in Hampton, lived around the corner from Beveree and went to school in Hampton.  Indeed the club was the first football team I supported, in those days they were ‘just’ Hampton playing in the Spartan League and I recall going to matches from the age of around seven, even travelling on my own on the team coach to away games. To such glamorous places as Chalfont St Peter and Whyteleafe.


There might be a few more covered stands but the tight knit ground is exactly as it was all those years ago. Memories include playing on the pitch as my school ‘borrowed’ it for reasons I forget and one night there was a huge fire in the timber yard (now a block of flats) that backed on to the ground behind the home end.


In those days having an autograph book was the thing and I collected all the players’ signatures and also I kept scrap books full of match reports, photos and stories about the club which a few years back I presented to the then Hampton chairman.


*****


Saturday’s win not only put a smile on the travelling fans, estimated at around 800 in a crowd of 1,625, but also on the faces of the Bryn Consortium who were there in numbers.


Manager Paul Wotton was pretty pleased too referring to his ‘favourite score, 1-0’. It certainly got the team back on track to stay in the top seven play-off places.


Such a pity that this weekend is another blank but on the other hand it gives those on the injury list further time to recover.


*****


United’s Women have really turned their fortunes around after last season’s relegation as they hit their Cornish visitors for twelve on Sunday. St Austell ladies were on the wrong end of a big defeat as the Gulls ended the match 12-0, up to second in the table and closing on leaders Forest Green with the following on the score sheet: hat-tricks for Lucy Solloway and Emily Elliot, two apiece for Ellie Bishop and Millicent Williams plus others from Lexie Watts and Natascha Bevan. This Sunday it’s the Women’s FA Cup tie against Royal Wootton Bassett.


United’s Under-18s had a winning weekend too as the current holders of the Gary Else Memorial Trophy 3-2 over Taunton, goals from Toby Hard, Freddie Heath and Kye Drinkwater.


*****


Non-League Crowd Watch: Oldham 7,030, Southend 6,774, Scunthorpe 4,318, Hartlepool 3,408.


Top Attendances to date in the National Leagues: Premier: Southend v Dagenham & Redbridge 8,495; North: Scunthorpe v Kidderminster 4,967; South: Torquay v Enfield 3,837.


Biggest crowd of the weekend was 62,467 at the London Stadium for West Ham against Ipswich followed by 61,139 at Spurs for the NFL match between Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets.


*****


Last week saw the start of a new competition, the National League Cup with 16 Premier sides taking on mostly Premier League Under-21s. It would be true to say that the competition has not met with universal approval by National League clubs, many of whom opted out.


Tuesday’s matches had high scoring results but really low attendances. Dagenham only attracted 184 through the turnstiles to watch a 5-5 draw with Tottenham while the top attendance was only 467 for Boston United 3 versus Leeds United 4.


*****


At TUST, now that the Community Share Issue has ended, a team of board members are chasing a number of investors who have yet to respond to emails asking for the names they wish to have on the third shirt and on the investor member board. We need replies by Monday October 14th.


Please check your junk/spam boxes in case the email landed there. The shirt will be going into production very shortly after the deadline so please don’t miss out.


*****


One of football’s difficult discussions revolves around betting. This season 10 out of the 20 Premier League clubs feature a gambling advert on their shirts but a ban is coming by the end of next season.


An amazing stat: 30,000 gambling advertisements and logos were counted across media coverage of the opening weekend of the Premier League.


What’s your view?


A number of supporters have already contacted me about match days at Plainmoor which I have passed on: fanszone.tu@gmail.com.


COYY






 


SUPPORT TUST - SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY


 





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