LOCK, STOCK AND BEING EXILED

By Jamie Summers

When I was first asked to write this piece, I jumped at the opportunity.

Having sat staring blankly at the keyboard for over an hour, complete with the vowel keys that have turned shiny from the thousands of times they’ve been pressed, through to the Q, Z and Tab keys still adorned with their dull matt veneer, I’ve come to realise that there is nothing I particularly want to say about Stockport County any more. 

So I’ll keep staring at this time-served keyboard and whatever happens, happens.

I’m of the opinion that I’m part of the luckiest generation alive today. Being born in the early 90s, I’m part of a generation that has lived in the best of both worlds; my cohort knows what it’s like to live without the internet, mobile phones and satellite TV, yet we’ve still grown up among the ‘Digital Revolution’. 

We’re old enough to remember the Millennium but young enough to call it a true childhood memory. We have an appreciation for print over the spectacle of modernity that is the Kindle. And we grew up around some ace 90s music.

From my point of view, I’m also pretty lucky when it comes to County. I haven’t seen even 20% of what the vast majority of the blue & white army have. But I’m old enough to have fully appreciated the only highlight in this club’s tale of the 21st century: that glorious - utopian even - period between May 2006 and circa December 2008. 

In that two-and-a-half-year period, we pulled off the Great Escape, broke a positive Football League results record, won promotion at Wembley and gave Leeds United a real good test in a league fixture at Edgeley Park.

While I’m not old enough to remember the heady days of the mid-90s in any real detail at all, I do have a vague recollection of that time when County were good once. From my first trips to Edgeley Park when we were playing Championship football still, there was an acute awareness that Stockport County was an exciting, unique place to be. 

That is, to a large extent, with the benefit of hindsight. But for the youngest generation of County fans, that were maybe just a tad too young to clearly recall the end of our Championship days or that incredible 2006-2008 period, there has been nothing. 

No fond memories; just disappointment, turmoil and ultimately being let down. In that respect, people of my generation are lucky. At least we’ve seen some highs.

Despite everything of the last few years, each pre-season brings that electric buzz of excitement and an air of anticipation. There’s always the hope that we’ll be the ones to buck the trend, defy the odds and have our own little slice of the football pie. 

That’s why each and every one of us keeps going back, like the loyal comrades that we are.

In September of last year, I joined the ranks of the County faithful to live outside an SK postcode as I moved to York, and with no plans to surrender the new YO postcode at any point in the next 4 or 5 years at the very least, being an exile is something that has taken some adjusting to. 

Speaking to other exiles brings out a similar theme; they all say something along the lines of “you think you’ll miss the football. But over time it becomes increasingly easy to fill your days with other things.”

That pattern played out quite accurately. In the first few months, the irresistible draw of Edgeley Park on a Saturday afternoon was strong enough to justify the 30 quid train fare and general mither of a bi-weekly trip back to SK3. 

But we all know how last season progressed, and the attraction to keep going back for more bad medicine lessened with each passing day, until eventually I stopped for a while. Does that make me part of the group of unfortunately dubbed ‘disloyal tossers’? Probably. 

But it wasn’t because we were losing football matches that my interest waned. I don’t believe that any of the 3,000 or so supporters that have stuck by County in these dark times could be accused of disloyalty. 

If they were going to walk, they would have done so a couple of relegations back.

The attraction vanished because of how things went a bit ‘Pete Tong,’ so to speak. The club that we all fell in love with as youngsters lost touch with those that cared for it most. We all know the reasons why; they’ve been done to death already.

Personally, my Saturday afternoons became filled with an alternative football fix. Being at a University, there’s no shortage of sport to watch. The football on offer has something charming about it; it’s just football for football’s sake, being played by students to keep fit in an entertaining environment. It is often a genuine joy to watch, and some of the talent on display puts our relegated squad to shame. There is also a facility at the University, York Sport Village, which rivals and in my opinion surpasses Stockport Sport Village in every department. 

It’s sporting paradise.

Over the past 12 months, this time-served keyboard, complete with its shiny vowel keys, has typed a lot; about why the Black Death changed the way we live today; about how chivalry died a long time ago; and, due to an interest in sports journalism, a collection of match reports from College Football League games. 

Coupled with the odd trip to York City, amateur University football more than filled the void that Stockport County left behind.

All of that said, I write this a matter of hours before Rodger Wylde’s testimonial to celebrate his 25 years as County physio. A true club legend that has stuck by the club, even when offers to move higher up the pyramid with former boss Dave Jones came along. 

That’s a huge testament to the uniqueness of the club. 

Despite everything, that magic of County can’t be beaten. It’s because of the memories, the legends and the experiences that we will all be back again for the opener next season against Boston United. 

Last season’s civil war between board and supporters has probably made us all reassess our relationship with the club. Some irreparable damage has been done and there are a lot of bridges to be rebuilt - but County is still County; it’s impossible to give up.

As an exile, I will continue to miss many of the games at Edgeley Park next year. My weekends will often continue to be filled by University football and trips to see local teams, because I believe it’s important to lend them support. 

As unfashionable as it is, I’m one of a very limited group of non-Leeds United fans that wish them well. Their strength in the face of adversity in the last 10 years is truly admirable, and Elland Road is a superb football venue. 

Hearing 40,000 people singing ‘Marching On Together’ is something to behold. 

Meanwhile, Hull City’s promotion to the Premier League means there’s an opportunity to experience top-flight football, complimenting the idyllic charm of League Two York City in their penultimate year at Bootham Crescent.

Neutral games and venues might not have the same charm and poignancy as our Stockport County does. But broadening the football horizons can be just as enjoyable in a refreshingly alternative way, and it makes those rarer trips to Edgeley Park that bit more meaningful than they otherwise would be. Who knows, the next few trips might even yield some wins.

The last year of being a County fan has continued to be as testing as ever, for all of us. But if it’s taught me anything, it’s that being an EP exile isn’t necessarily such a bad thing after all.

I started this piece by saying I had little to say about Stockport County any more, yet here I am 1300 words later. 

Maybe it speaks volumes how special our Football Club is. Whether or not it makes sense, or whether it’s just another collection of rambling nonsense, I’m not too sure.

Either way, I’ll belt up now. This time-served keyboard, complete with its shiny vowel keys, needs a well-earned rest.