Youth & Experience !

Youth and Experience !

Way back in February……in Update 70 I think, I outlined how at a meeting held at the Fingerpost in Offerton, Help the Hatters , thanks to a generous bequest from the late Pauline Coddington,  were able to confirm the continuation of our policy of assisting the nurture of young County talent.

Central to this policy is an understanding of the need to do this in concert with the needs and desires of the Manager, and with James Gannon able to make an appearance late on in the meeting, we stated our intention to support the contracts of 2 young County players.

Things have progressed nicely since then and along with an impressive batch of quality signings, thanks to Help the Hatters, the Club were able to give contracts to two excellent young prospects….George West and Adam Etches. 

We are delighted to have helped facilitate this as both players in our view have golden futures ahead of them given the right coaching and training both of which JG ( and AL)can provide in prodigious quantities.

The players in question  have both already made  appearances in the County first eleven, George debuted v Gainsborough in February.....

.................and Adam against Curzon Ashton in April............. 

and having seen both playing for the Reserves I can say without a doubt that County supporters will love `em both- two players with good skills and an eye for goal!

Being able to help young players like George and Adam progress in this way helps the older heads around SK3 to retain their sanity as our beloved Club languishes in Division 6 of the UK football pyramid. We all think that ,in James Gannon we have the catalyst for our belated revival, and I am certain that I am not alone in thinking that.

Moving on to last Thursday and  EPWP4 went about its business last Thursday at Edgeley Park.

With 21 volunteers reporting for circa 6pm we had the work force we needed , and there was a heartening mix of young and older supporters  in the Working Party.The Railway End and Danny Bergara Stand were  consequently earmarked for treatment…..the Moan Stand for a clean up…..

 

Moan Stand Gets Some.......

..........the Railway End for a coat of yellow  that looked a treat as the late evening sun gingerly inched beyond the cloud cover .

Lots done but still plenty to do, but with the County Night going ahead at the Stockport Beer Festival on Thursday 2 June, it was decided that EPWP 5 would be held on Wednesday 1 June from 6pm. 

There was just time for Fitzy to receive a cheque for £215 from a Help the Hatters regular for his Pitch Fund, and it was time to head off home circa 8.45........ Great stuff!

Car Boot 2  2016

The usual suspects were  up and about extra early on Bank Holiday Monday.

The weather forecast said ....sunny , and some cloud but warm , so I took my cue from the middle portion of that and just opted for 3 layers  under my Help the Hatters not too high viz top.

It may have been 5.55 when I arrived at the Booth  Street gates but the roads around same were already chocker with booters anxious to get booting!

There was a healthy gathering of punters surrounding the gates as well, along with a large chunk of a slightly numbers reduced early shift!

In no time at all  booters and punters were swarming like ants on a jam pot around the site , giving us this incredible sight at a ridiculous 6.20! 

By 7.00  over 100 sellers were busy at their business , but there was more than the odd angst attack as those would be sellers whose enthusiasm to sell failed to stretch to actually booking on beforehand, gave us the benefit of their skewed view of life's realities.

Not great that, but it was ever thus I suppose and totally failed to dim Angela's enthusiasm. It is not essential to acquire the patient aplomb of a diplomat and then mix this with a touch of the beach bully, to be a Car Boot Help the Hatter bod...but it helps!

David and Stephen were dismayed that  ,due to unavoidable pressures of work, Angela had not blessed us with a cake........

 

`Wot ....no cake'....David & Stephen give us Cake Rage !

The bacon butties and coffees were welcome though  arriving just about the time that the sun came out in earnest for the first time.

Gate Crew 2

The whole thing was another excellent organisational effort from Angela, and   Hopsky did a terrific job citing the booters. We could however have done with one...... maybe two extra bodies in the early shift. Please respond if you can when Angela sends the call out next time!

That's all then from the second Car Boot of 2016...the next one is likely to be a Sunday in July but watch the usual places for confirmation.

See you all at the EP Working Party on Wednesday and then the Supporters Cooperative's ` County Night at the Stockport Beer Festival' this Thursday. The fun starts at 5pm until late...do not miss it !


Ian Brown