Post by scriptman on Jun 16, 2008 19:10:06 GMT 1
I saw my cousin at Wembley. He’s the same age as me…but better looking. I don’t see much of him…and when I do nowadays it’s usually at funerals. As kids we used to go to Rovers together with our dads. After the final whistle at Wembley, my cousin came up to me, and we shook hands. We looked at each other …and I thought to myself that he’s probably the only person who knew exactly how I felt at that moment in time. Like me he’s watched Rovers through thick and thin over the last forty years. He’s seen more bad times than good.
My cousin’s dad and my dad are brothers. They had an elder brother, my uncle Harry, who worked at Doncaster Rovers throughout the 1970s. Harry used give my cousin and I signed photos of the Rovers players, and other items of memorabilia. He was a huge Donny fan and in the 1940s, he along with his younger brothers and friends, would make the pilgrimage, by foot, from Armthorpe to Belle Vue where they would watch Donny in front of crowds in excess of twenty thousand spectators. I only wish he was around today to see the second coming of his beloved team. He died in 2000, just as Doncaster Rovers were about to enter a new era. I know a few older guys, passionate Donny fans, who passed away during the late 90s. At Wembley, I couldn’t help but spare a thought for these guys….maudlin feelings on one of the happiest days of my life. What was it Bill Shankly said? ‘Football isn’t about life or death, it’s more important than that’. All I can say is…..‘Here’s to you Uncle Harry, I hope they did you proud’
My cousin’s dad and my dad are brothers. They had an elder brother, my uncle Harry, who worked at Doncaster Rovers throughout the 1970s. Harry used give my cousin and I signed photos of the Rovers players, and other items of memorabilia. He was a huge Donny fan and in the 1940s, he along with his younger brothers and friends, would make the pilgrimage, by foot, from Armthorpe to Belle Vue where they would watch Donny in front of crowds in excess of twenty thousand spectators. I only wish he was around today to see the second coming of his beloved team. He died in 2000, just as Doncaster Rovers were about to enter a new era. I know a few older guys, passionate Donny fans, who passed away during the late 90s. At Wembley, I couldn’t help but spare a thought for these guys….maudlin feelings on one of the happiest days of my life. What was it Bill Shankly said? ‘Football isn’t about life or death, it’s more important than that’. All I can say is…..‘Here’s to you Uncle Harry, I hope they did you proud’