Just read a post from a Gashead on the GTFC Forum, so thought it courteous to respond likewise
Firstly, welcome to the delights of non league football. I know its not what any of us would have ever wanted or even dreamt that it might one day occur, but by misfortune, here we all are.
There are teams in this division and certainly Bristol Rovers and Grimsby, that deserve to be out of this league and climbing up the divisions to where we should all rightly be.
As you are now finding out, this is without doubt, one of the hardest divisions to get out of and like you (albeit 5 years ago) we intended to bounce right back up
Having failed in the playoff semi finals in the last 2 years, this has to be our year, else go dammit, we have to get automatic 'champions' promotion next year
So, with T minus 8 days and counting until our Wembley showdown, I'm sure the best 2 teams in this league will put on a display to satisfy us all, though at the end of the day .... there can be only one
From reading both your and our forums, it looks like we are all of the same opinion, in that we will each beat each other outright, but have that niggling and sickening feeling in our stomachs of the journey home and future of the club if we don't
Having done the various trips to the old and new Wembley a few times each (as well as Cardiff) we know 2 things:-
- victory tastes better than defeat
- its not how many fans you take, its who turns up on the day and delivers the result on the pitch
That said, I commend the support that you are taking to Wembley (believe c28K v our 8K at the moment), albeit it:-
- your much closer and is hence a day trip, whereas ours is either a long day out or an overnight stay in London - for which we shall as per all previous visits be taking over Trafalgar square on Saturday afternoon
- your costs are probably £20 on travel, ours is more like £35-100
- some fans will, rather than fork our £35-100+ ticket, watch it on TV.
- All our previous Wembley and Cardiff games weren't on TV, thus more followed and it was also the new nostalgia of it. That said every latter time we went we took fewer and fewer fans
- Bristol is a City, were just a small town near Cleethorpes, hence you catchment area is so much bigger
- you fan base is currently bigger than ours (though see what 4 more years in non league does for you)
That said, were noisy buggers at GTFC, and it will be the core / singing die hards that go, so hopefully we can make us sound as loud as you lot, though to be honest, we cant understand from your southern accents what the hell you are singing anyway
Lets make it a ground record attendance and make it a day out for us all to remember
Was reading up on the forthconing High Court ruling regarding your much needed stadium, for which we wish you all the very best
We are having a fight on our own hands at the moment, trying to get approval for our new ground, though wherever we propose it, somebody always bloody objects
Anyway, sure non of us are looking for sympathy from the others, nor would they probably get it, after all, our passion is all about our club; but lets sure as hell enjoy the day
Up the Mariners