Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Fellow Fans In Exile #10: Andrew Pollard
What's your full name?
Andrew Pollard
Where are you exiled?
Aberystwyth (about 62.9 miles from the Racecourse)
What have been the best and worst things/experiences about being an exiled fan?
There isn't really anything good about being exiled. The bad things about being exiled are obvious. You don't get to go to the games, you don't get to do all of the match day rituals of a pre-match pint in The Turf, the programme, the dodgy burgers, the game, the post-match pint. Then there is the feeling of a lack of action in cases like the Hamilton affair and the whole messy business. Sure you can make donations and talk the good talk, but at the end of the day you can't get to the marches or the protests or the fundraising events. I've tried to get to as many of these as I can but being a University student and having a part-time job means that I haven't got the time. I'll be in University all week, then add on another 25-35 hours at work each week, including having to work every weekend. That is the negative side of being in exile.
Who's your favourite Wrexham player of all time?
Deryn Brace! There are a lot of players who stand out for me, Karl Connolly, Steve Watkin, Bryan Hughes, Brian Carey, Tony Humes, and I even had a soft spot for Chris Llewellyn. For me it has to be Deryn Brace though, just
edging out Bryan Hughes. I loved Deryn, absolute legend! The attitude he had and the pure determination and commitment was amazing to see. The lad had so much enthusiasm for football and for the club, it was sad to see him retire so young. One of my favourite moments ever happened due to him retiring though. Being down in Aberystwyth I went along to Aber Town against Haverfordwest, who Deryn was managing. Me and a fellow Wrexham fan mate of mine got to meet the great man in the bar. He brushed off his chairman to talk to us bumbling fans about the good old days at Wrexham. Absolutely top man! Out of the current crop of players I would have to say Jonah right now, the lad is just so good. He reminds me a lot of Bryan Hughes, which is definitely not a bad thing!
Which has been your favourite season supporting Wrexham?
1996/97 season I'd say. The whole FA Cup run was great stuff, and we played some good football all season. Was gutting to miss out on the play-offs again! We had such a good, solid team then.
Have you developed a soft spot for any of the teams in your area since being exiled?
If any team it would Aberystwyth Town. I used to go and watch them whenever I could and also played for a supporters club team at one stage too. The best thing about the Aber games was that you would see so many ex-Wrexham players floating around the Welsh Premier League. As mentioned, the best bit was getting to meet Deryn Brace and have a proper chat with him for a good 10 minutes or so. Another highlight was watching Aber against Caernarfon last year and getting to give Dave Walsh some abuse in goal.
How often do you get to see Wrexham play/how do you keep up with results and news?
I keep up to date mainly via the Internet. I check Red Passion and the bbc website several times a day to keep up with all the latest news, as well as catching any games that are on TV, such as the FAW Premier Cup. Also one of
my mates texts me and keeps me up to date with the scores when I'm in work. As for getting to games, I'd normally say about 5 or 6 a season, although I haven't been to any this year. At the moment my first game of the season is
set to be Torquay at home on October 15th. After that I don't know when I'll get to go next, most likely it'll be the Christmas period games, it all depends on how generous work are feeling with regards to time off.
Andrew Pollard
Where are you exiled?
Aberystwyth (about 62.9 miles from the Racecourse)
What have been the best and worst things/experiences about being an exiled fan?
There isn't really anything good about being exiled. The bad things about being exiled are obvious. You don't get to go to the games, you don't get to do all of the match day rituals of a pre-match pint in The Turf, the programme, the dodgy burgers, the game, the post-match pint. Then there is the feeling of a lack of action in cases like the Hamilton affair and the whole messy business. Sure you can make donations and talk the good talk, but at the end of the day you can't get to the marches or the protests or the fundraising events. I've tried to get to as many of these as I can but being a University student and having a part-time job means that I haven't got the time. I'll be in University all week, then add on another 25-35 hours at work each week, including having to work every weekend. That is the negative side of being in exile.
Who's your favourite Wrexham player of all time?
Deryn Brace! There are a lot of players who stand out for me, Karl Connolly, Steve Watkin, Bryan Hughes, Brian Carey, Tony Humes, and I even had a soft spot for Chris Llewellyn. For me it has to be Deryn Brace though, just
edging out Bryan Hughes. I loved Deryn, absolute legend! The attitude he had and the pure determination and commitment was amazing to see. The lad had so much enthusiasm for football and for the club, it was sad to see him retire so young. One of my favourite moments ever happened due to him retiring though. Being down in Aberystwyth I went along to Aber Town against Haverfordwest, who Deryn was managing. Me and a fellow Wrexham fan mate of mine got to meet the great man in the bar. He brushed off his chairman to talk to us bumbling fans about the good old days at Wrexham. Absolutely top man! Out of the current crop of players I would have to say Jonah right now, the lad is just so good. He reminds me a lot of Bryan Hughes, which is definitely not a bad thing!
Which has been your favourite season supporting Wrexham?
1996/97 season I'd say. The whole FA Cup run was great stuff, and we played some good football all season. Was gutting to miss out on the play-offs again! We had such a good, solid team then.
Have you developed a soft spot for any of the teams in your area since being exiled?
If any team it would Aberystwyth Town. I used to go and watch them whenever I could and also played for a supporters club team at one stage too. The best thing about the Aber games was that you would see so many ex-Wrexham players floating around the Welsh Premier League. As mentioned, the best bit was getting to meet Deryn Brace and have a proper chat with him for a good 10 minutes or so. Another highlight was watching Aber against Caernarfon last year and getting to give Dave Walsh some abuse in goal.
How often do you get to see Wrexham play/how do you keep up with results and news?
I keep up to date mainly via the Internet. I check Red Passion and the bbc website several times a day to keep up with all the latest news, as well as catching any games that are on TV, such as the FAW Premier Cup. Also one of
my mates texts me and keeps me up to date with the scores when I'm in work. As for getting to games, I'd normally say about 5 or 6 a season, although I haven't been to any this year. At the moment my first game of the season is
set to be Torquay at home on October 15th. After that I don't know when I'll get to go next, most likely it'll be the Christmas period games, it all depends on how generous work are feeling with regards to time off.
