What if

[patcham seagulls]

With the publicity surrounding the opening of the amex, I recently dusted off my old copies of "build a bonfire" and also thoroughly enjoyed re-reading "more than 90 mins".

With recent comments on albion roar, and in various press reports over the years in match programs, newspaper articles etc. It is widely accepted by many supporters that Hereford away was our year zero.

Unquestionably the club and community owe massive gratitude to characters like Ian Hart, Attilla, Paul Samrah, Liz Costa, Dick Knight etc ( please don't be offended if i've left somebody important out), but revisiting our rock bottom and being overwhelmed by the originality, drive and sheer determination for the club to rid itself of Archer, Belloti and Stanley (who gets of a little to lightly for my liking) and form a new start.

I'm left pondering, what if craig maskell's shot had hit the outside of the post and gone out for a goalkick, what if storer had smashed the ball over the crossbar against doncaster, what if hereford had scored that chance in the final min or so.

Its been continually mentioned over the last 14 years, that bhafc would have ceased to be. Without a ground, and with Archer highly unlikely to support/reinvest, the club would be finished.

But would it, would our shining Knight really have walked away. (can't see it), would the fans and contributers to save the club in its hour of need, really just have packed up and found other things to do.

Or would they like afc wimbledon, Chester or Halifax started anew possibly in county three or wherever, and built the club from scratch.

Unquestionably, the summer of 97 would have been horrendous. But how differant would the club be now?, would the amex have ever been built? How long if ever would it have taken to re-enter the league?

Possibly a pointless thread i know, but one which i have pondered for a while, as finally we enter a fantastic new era at Falmer.

A penny for your thoughts

 

[Fred Oliver - Legend]

I dare not even care to think about it.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Since the 1983 Fac cup final,we have slowly slipped down the leagues,with the odd good season 1985,1988 & 1991 before things began to really become difficult.

Mark Beeney's sale to help keep the vat man at bay in 1993 for example,but was a sign of things to come.

I feel had we lost at Hereford,i would still have supported us,but just how easy would it have been to bounce back?

Hereford took about 9 years to return to the football League and more recently Aldershot & Wimbledon did just this but took many years to return as well.

That day on the terrace's at Hereford will live with me forever-a game that had every possible emotion in one.


When the final whistle blew that day,my whole body felt like something had passed through my feet,travelled up through my body & exited through my head(call me mad if you like) but for me ,that feeling represented the "Phoenix of our club"-making it's flight into the unknown.

That phoenix would come to rest some day for that i had no doubt,but looking back i never envisaged it would be this long to get to Falmer,neither did i ever expect to be back in the Championship(then division 1) within 5 years in 2002..

The Phoenix has landed and the spirit of the club lives on,maybe it took an event/s that took place to get us where we are now-i loved the Goldstone but looking back i don't think we would have fared to well there had we stayed,do i think it's right?no,do i still hate that TRIO? yes,but we came through and maybe a lesson is here for each and every one of us,the lesson that is this...........never give up,good things happen when you try.