Wednesday 30 April 2014

Last Meeting (of the season)

Well, well, well... what a season!
Monday night was the perfect way to cap it off. We played some fantastic football in the second half and were unlucky not to win it in the 90 minutes.

To reminisce over the season and discuss other matters, we are having our last meeting of the season on Saturday May 10th at Trafford FC clubhouse, 7.30pm start.

John Eadie is also doing a quiz afterwards so it will be a nice chance to have a few beers, discuss our cup heroics as well as trying to beat the Stephens' at a quiz!

It really would be amazing to see you all there, bring friends, partners... the more the merrier! If you can't make the meeting at 7.30 but would still like to come to the quiz then please get there for 8.15.

Cheers all,

Andy Glinka


Sunday 27 April 2014

Ilkeston

So the league season is now over and we have secured a top 10 finish. Despite yesterdays defeat there were lots of positives, mainly the fact we finished the game with 8 players aged 19 or younger and seeing Joe Shaw start a game after such a horrific time out with injury!

I must say the Ilkeston fans were outstanding, they brought a real carnival atmosphere with them and the banter with them and their manager was great. Good luck to them next season!

As for ourselves, anything is possible with Trafford but I just hope we do ourselves proud on Monday against Hyde, I know us fans will give it our all!

See you Monday!

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Last Home game of a wonderful season...

Well what a season! Yes, there have been some lows but in the main it has been nothing short of fantastic! It's been our first season as an official supporters club and I think what we have achieved, even in the face of some minor disruptions, has been nothing short of amazing... just like the team itself! I don't think anyone really expected us to be where we are after our first season in this league.

Our last game of the league season is this Saturday (26th April) against Ilkeston. I've heard Ilkeston are bringing a few fans so hopefully we can all turn up to support the super whites and thank them for our great season!

Lets also not forget, we have a small matter of a cup final on April 28th at Gigg Lane where we can really finish of the season on a massive high!

As well as these last two games, we have the usual player of season awards to be announced as well as our own supporters' club special award... more will be revealed later!!!

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to EVERYONE at Trafford, especially the players and coaching staff for a superb season. It's been a pleasure to watch!

POTM - March

As earlier announced, Reece Welsh was voted the supporters club player of the month for March.

He was presented with his bottle of fizz by Supporters' member, George before Saturdays home game against Stafford.

Well done again to Reece and a massive well done to all at Trafford FC for an outstanding season!

Reece with his award, given by George Stephenson

Sunday 6 April 2014

Away Days - Nantwich Town

Away Days – Nantwich Town FC Saturday 5th April 2014:
Watch my cape’ & ‘Mr 50p head’…..two unpredictable quotes of the day…….to be explained later….
So thankfully Nantwich isn’t a million miles away and the start wasn’t too early for this supporter!
We were picked up at the gentle and Godly hour of 11.30am by our local taxi driver Sempie who was ably assisted by his navigator, the Lovely Lynda.
W e were greeted at the Fun Bus cheerily by Dave Murray, the Trafford fox that is Foxxy, Paul and Old George…all eager beavers.
Seats were selected and the picnic packed away overhead (never does Tim go anywhere unprepared) and we sat and waited for the bus to fill up……and slowly it did. The players and committee all arrived and as predicted by Lynda, ‘The Management’ were the last to grace us with their presence…and we were off…….
The journey was only a short one with not much time for anything other than Foxxy to make the rounds with a sweep for the Grand National, and for Tim to tuck into the butties. Well ok yeah – I did manage a couple myself and perhaps a little sausage roll….didn’t want them to go to waste!
We arrived in Nantwich and dropped the ever ready explorer Cappy off in the town centre and we carried on for the whole extra long 2 minutes to the ground.
Paul, our driver, was obviously feeling a little daring as he took the challenge to drive over the ‘bridge’ which was apparently weak according to the little sign that nobody saw except for Tim ‘Hawkeye’ Stephens……but we all survived and there were no casualties……
Off the players trotted, through the club shop into the ground……while we were left to stand around outside until the turnstiles could be opened.
This gave us the opportunity to pose the question ‘why are Nantwich Town known as ‘The Dabbers’? We all looked to Brian Griffin to furnish us with the answer……having played three seasons with them in his footballing career he was shamefaced in telling us he didn’t know……so off went Old George into the club shop to make enquires….  My theory that there was once an old woman who was somebody’s Nan who was thought to be a witch was not quite on the mark……..turns out it was something to do with a canon…at that point I lost interest so still can’t tell you the answer.
Eventually we were allowed in. I think it was because we were all looking menacingly like we could storm the gates at any second….but more likely that they had managed to find the float….
Into the ground we went – very nice and very new…..Tim straight away eyeing up the food menu at the snack hut and the prices……he takes his outside catering way too seriously….
The ground, as I said, looked good. The clubhouse/function room was above the incorporated seated stand and up the stairs we trotted to sample the local produce….yeah OK I do mean booze..which was, I have been told very pricey (I am oblivious to such trivia, as long as I have a drink in my hand I don’t care how much Tim had to pay for it J).
We sat around chatting and drinking, drinking and chatting…and then we were joined by our right honourable Supporters’ Club Mr Chairman Andy Glinka and the lovely as ever Lady Helen Glinka, who had driven t to the match. Andy said he’d had the BEST time ever enjoying the delights of Nantwich’s myriad of Charity Shops on the hunt for an ‘old’ cocktail shaker for Helen. I am pretty sure Sempie would have shook her up a cocktail if she’d asked.. (sorry Semps!) Instead though, she had managed to buy a book on Psychology…still looking for tips on how to handle Glinka…but as I told her, that book hasn’t been written yet!
Then the fun really started as the ‘Dave Hornby Booze Cruise Groovy Gang’ arrived. Now they tried to tell us they were in some kind of fancy dress outfits but we all knew they were still in their Friday night disco dancing gear from the night before. So into the room burst Dave ‘Ronald Macdonald on acid’ Hornby in a very fetching outfit complete with blue curly wig……. I have got to say he suited blue…… I have got to say he suited hair! J Accompanied by Batman, Paul ‘Austin Powers’ Pudding Hornby (or as Helen pointed out – Alan Carr), the rather bedraggled looking ‘Comedy Scouser’ (ay ay calm down la’ calm down) and who we came to call ‘Jethro’ looking very attractive in dungarees and flowing blond locks (don’t ask where his hands always were)……I’m not sure what the locals quite made of them but who cared??? It added some great colour and fun to the day. Oh, and do I really need to add that in true Rowley Birkin fashion they were all, ‘very, very, drunk’.
So to the match itself… out we went to do what we had come such a long way for – watch the match and support the Super Whites. I am not a football reporter so I am not going to attempt to describe the match (although there could be some people who would possibly be in need of a blow by blow report of what happened on the pitch because there are those who strangely chose to spend the whole 90 minutes with their head down playing with their phones????)……our supporters mostly all stood together in the other covered stand on the opposite side of the ground to the clubhouse and close to some Dabbers supporters who were equipped with a drum….but that was fine because we were equally well equipped with Dave Hornby and his Groovy Gang! We really did have some great banter with them and they had one particular supporter who gets a special mention, sporting a jaunty hat, with whom we had a proper good laugh. We could do with him at Shawe View! 
The Trafford support were in fine voice and there was seldom a quiet spell where one lot of fans or the other were not either singing or banging…….then came half time…..time for the Groovy Gang to get back to doing what they do well…drinking! With a sweeping movement and fleet of foot, off went Batman closely followed by The Comedy Scouser and then came the first quote of the day…..The black curly hair bewigged, red tracksuit wearing ‘Scouser’ got a little too close for comfort to our Superhero who turned and uttered those immortal words ‘watch my cape!!’ ……… surreal!
More drinks were consumed during half time (plus a delish cupcake courtesy of the lovely birthday girl Gillian Hughes – happy birthday Aunty GillianJ) and before we knew it, it was time for the second half (did I mention it was nil –nil??).
More singing, more banter and fun and then came the second memorable quote of the day……our very own Jethro (both hands still in untold places) shouted at one of the home team ‘Mr 50p head’…….to a lot of laughs……I still don’t know what it means but it was funny!
My other particular highlights were Helen’s shouts all through the match of ‘come on Mini Mason!!’ and ‘oi!! get your hands off Mini Mason’ if any of the opposition went anywhere near our Steve ‘Mini’ Mason….. there was a real sense of impending danger of her invading the pitch…good job she hadn’t been drinking!! Note to the Chairman – please try and bring Helen more often!!
Then we scored!!! Was it Rory Fallon?? Was it Martyn Andrews???? Nobody seemed to know but who cares?? We were one up with not long left to go and we were all ecstatic. It was a great feeling nicking a late goal, as that was what they had done to us at Shawe View earlier in the season. It was later confirmed by Rory himself that it is was a Martyn Andrews match winner.
After four nervy added minutes we were victorious!! Three more lovely points to take home with us all the way back to Shawe View.
A few more pre-Fun Bus drinks in the clubhouse were had by all and then before we knew it, we were back on board after managing the long walk to the coach (having been asked to move it back across the ‘weak bridge’ just after arriving). It was a struggle but with everyone supporting each other we all survived it.
Then for the arduous journey home. The Fun Bus made a brief stop at a local Co-Op for a stock up on essentials…..which nearly included an instant family for Ant as he was followed very closely out of the shop by a young mother and child!
Soon the twinkling lights of the Trafford Centre were in sight and we were on the home straight. The usual drop off at the Nag’s Head was made where our lovely redneck Jethro was stood in the doorway ready to welcome GV and his followers….hands still unmoved from the  comfort of his dungarees……blond hair blowing seductively in the breeze!
 Another fab away day was at an end…..roll on the next one!!

Points:
Ground 8 – very new and bright but not cosy like The View
Food 8 for the Cornish pasty, 7 for the hotdog (Tim says substantial but too beefy) with a point deduction for running out of cottage pies so an overall average of 7 awarded by our resident food critic.
Value for money 6 – entry fee higher than The View at £9, programme a bit poor (too many adverts & not enough info) and apparently the bar prices were way too high for our boys and girls.

Home supporters – 10 out of 10 for the dude with the hat J

Saturday 5 April 2014

Player of the Month, March - Rees Welsh

Whilst March was an up and down month in terms of results, it was a month that pretty much guaranteed safety. Which is something many of us would of been happy with from the out set. The fact is we have more than held our own and with a strong finish, we could even finish in the top 10...what a great season! (and that's not even mentioning the cup final!)

Anyway, back to the POTM. At yesterdays meeting we voted between Shelton Payne and Rees Welsh for our March award. Shelton had a prolific March in terms of goals scored and has filled in well playing up front for the injured Michael Oates. However, Rees Welsh was in the end voted POTM for March. I think in particular, Rees has been outstanding the last 3 or 4 games and during a less than average team performance v Barwell, Rees stood out. He has been fantastic going forward, creating chances but he has also improved defensively and is looking more and more at home in a Trafford shirt!

Well done to Rees from all at the supporters club and good luck for the remainder of the season.

Thursday 3 April 2014

Nantwich away

Dave Hornby is running his own 'fun bus' for Sayurdays game at Nantwich. There are a few seats available if you are interested in coming, it is always a goose laugh. For more details or to secure a seat please contact me asap.

Cheers
Andy Glinka