Hatters Worldwide- 5 Matthew Bird ( USA)

 

 

 Matt + Ewan- image M Bird

 

 

Hatters Worldwide -5 Matthew Bird ( USA )

 

 

Matt, our fifth subject in this series, is a long time County fan who moved to the USA in 2000.

Once again hedgegrower is going to largely leave it to the exile to tell his story with the minimum of editing.

 

“So, here we go. Whilst I'll try not to give you my entire life story it just might turn out like that...... I am 44, married to Erica with three kids. all boys. Ewan is 8 and Stephen and Wesley are 2 year old twins.

I was born in Wythenshawe and raised in Sale. My mum`s side of the family are all United fans. My dad moved to Gatley from Nottingham with my grandparents and my dad is a Forest fan.

 

Growing up I would go to watch United or Forest depending on what was going on.

 

When I was around 15 or so I started going to watch United with my friend and stood in the Stretford end for a few years. Then around 1992 with the Taylor report being implemented they knocked it down and installed seats. as I turned 16 at the same time, I had to pay adult prices now and the cost of going to a game went from 3 quid to stand as a kid to twenty quid to sit down as an adult. I was simply priced out for someone who just had a paper round still.

 

I was a bit lost for a while, going to watch Altrincham a few times and Salford Rugby League..... but it was a bit blah honestly.

 

I was still looking for something that called out to me!

 

After my GCSE's I left school and enrolled at Stockport college on the A6, and a couple of classmates were talking at lunch one Friday afternoon about going to Edgeley Park after class for a Friday night game. I asked if I could tag along and go watch with them. The rest as they say is history.

 

That game was against Plymouth Argyle, and County won 3-0.... Francis and Preece with a brace I think.

I stood in a pretty rammed Pop side which was still standing at that point. It was f*****g brilliant…….. I was hooked………. immediately………… This was it!!!

 

Friday nights were the thing from then on- we left college, walked to the Windsor Castle for a few drinks and then went the game.

 

Maybe a year or so later, I was sat at home and noticed we were playing away on a Wednesday night in Wrexham. I asked my Dad if he fancied going, which basically meant "Dad, will you drive me to Wrexham"

But we had always gone to the football. It's what we'd done, he'd just never gone to a County game with me.

It was a cold miserable night at the Racecourse ground. but we won 1-0, Peter Ward I think scored, the fans were in top voice though and my Dad really got into it. He too, it seemed was hooked.

 

So that was it. We were County fans..... my folks were going through a pretty acrimonious divorce soon after, so going to watch County was escapism for us. It got my Dad and I out of the house for a little respite from the foul atmosphere at home. I remember we went to Wycombe during Dave Jones early tenure just to get out of the house. It was our first long distance away day together. We got battered 4-1.

 

There was a kid who lived down the street, I'd known him since he was a toddler. His dad was more a rugby fan so Ben who was around 9 or 10 at the time started coming along to games with us..... Ben still goes to County to this day. He runs a County shirt collection website which is an obsession of his now. He's got a couple of the Romania v Blackburn shirts in his collection.

Picture next is of me in blue, my mate Matt Barber in white and Ben Walker the kiddo at Wembley against Burnley. (what a f*****g depressing drive home that was!)

 image- M Bird

 

 

 

 

I moved to the USA in 2000 and am now settled in St Louis Missouri. My 8 year old is a complete and utter fanatic for the game. We went and supported our local USL team (American second division) Saint Louis FC..... it was very reminiscent of my times at County- a proper family club. The club has unfortunately folded now due to Covid and I am gutted. It's what my lad and I did.

 

I came over to Stockport in November 2019 and I took him to EP for the game against Dagenham.

 

 Matt & Ewan at EP 2019- image M Bird.

 

 

 

 

 He loved it..... 

 C/E Upper Tiers v Daggers - image hedgegrower

 

 

 

 

.........I was really emotional to be honest as I took my Dad and my own son to Edgeley Park for the first time, just like we had done many times in the past. Bell scored a last minute winner and turned an otherwise cold November day into a fantastic memory for us.

 the winner v Daggers - image hedgegrower

 

 

 

 

I am sure I've left a bunch of stuff off.

 

In the season 1996-97 when we went up and the semi finals of the League cup I think I worked out I went to 53 of the 62 games.

 

While I was at Liverpool University at that time I was on the County email list, and we played in a few fan competitions. One was called Euronet96 in Nottingham and I remember playing on our team with a Scottish bloke called Sandy and a French lad called Dave.... but other than noting we lost all our games I don't remember much.

 

 

Oh…..I forgot to mention our St Louis FC manager was Anthony Pulis for a while. He was on loan for us for a few games back in the dark days of awfulness. Anyhow I interviewed him a few times for our St Louis soccer podcast.

 

 Matt on Podcast- image M Bird

 

And this final photo captures Ewan and a St Louis player  Jonathon Barden who now plays for Sutton United.”

 

 

 

Matt Bird.

 

 

Massive thanks to Matt, first off for responding and being part of this series, and then for writing such a passionate recounting of his story for us !

 

Other exiles down to follow Matt include very readable offerings from Thailand, Singapore, and another from the USA, but keep them coming. If you are an exile, or know someone who is, contact hedgegrower and tell us about it- the world needs to know !

 

 

hedgegrower