APOCALYPSE SLOUGH

To be printed in the National League South game v Dorking Wanderers programme Tuesday 12th November 2024

At last Saturdays game Alan ‘specialist subject Slough Town’ Smith presented me with the first ever programme at Wexham Park. On the Supporters Trust Facebook page Gary Attrell put “Can't believe it's 50 years ago today November 2nd 1974 that I went with my Dad to watch Slough Towns first ever game at their new Stadium 'Wexham Park'. Slough played Sutton United in a FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round match winning 1-0. I remember being a very happy 12 year old.” Gary then went onto make some Slough Town FA Cup history himself, didn’t he Millwall?

My first ever match at Wexham Park was a few years later at the age of 11 when my dad took me and my brother to see Slough Schoolboys Under 15’s play Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup Final. Somehow eight thousand people squeezed into Wexham Park – which unsurprisingly remained a record.

I started going too games the following season and while the matches remain foggy I do remember a lot of queuing at half time at the sweetshop Leigh Hunters nan ran. I got the bug (and tooth decay) and the next season I persuaded my parents to get me a season ticket for Christmas in August for just £12. I used to cycle up Northern Road to ‘help’ with clearing up and improving Wexham Park on Sundays, and at some point me and my mate Wise managed to convince our parents that we should go to an away game. So Carshalton in the FA Cup it was. I can’t remember the score, just being excited sitting in the sun on the grass banks – although the late, great Chris Sliski told me in later years my dad had warned him that he better look after us!

I used to love the away games more – and still do. Being one of the first to be picked up by the coach outside the long gone George Pub on the Farnham Road I would stare out the window and wonder why everyone wasn’t going to football – and still do!

This was also the era of Terry Reardon being manager. The whole Reardon extended family used to go to games, and I had a crush on his daughter. A girl who liked football and whose dad was manager, was almost too perfect. The only flaw in the plan was she didn’t feel the same way about me!

When I started playing football for Crusaders – playing in the very loose sense of the word - we trained at St Joseph's School, and afterwards would go en mass to Wexham Park. We were coached by two Slough players, Brian McDermot and Joe Maloney. McDermot ended up with a spell at Arsenal and managing Slough. I certainly can’t remember many of those matches either, as the gossip and the mass football on the training pitches usually took precedent.

When we reached the dizzy heights of the Conference, we started to produce a football fanzine ‘Rebels without a Clue’ which let’s just say, pushed the envelope. Eventually the club banned it from sale inside the ground after we printed a letter that was rather abusive to our local Conservative MP. This sparked a mass debate in the local papers and was even picked up by a few national papers.

Then it all started to unravel. We were kicked out the Conference for financial reasons, lost Wexham Park and became homeless for 15 years.

Ironically despite all that history, I never had that much love for the ground but understand when you build memories with a place you start to cherish and miss it. It certainly had more character than most new grounds. I mean where else would you get a tea bar bang next to mens urinals. Never did trust the tea being served from there.

I like to get to ‘home’ games early and took a stroll down the High Street on that 50th anniversary to jog some memories. But blimey. The bus garage still charred, the old College just piles of rocks, the Queensmere half shut and most of the major brands gone. Destination shopping location it ain’t. As someone who feels that without places for people to meet, we are doomed, there’s still cafes left at the bottom half (but oh I miss the most misnamed cafe ever The Classy Touch) but it’s a pub apocalypse. How and why has the Rose & Crown been left to fester? How do you even get into the Alpha with all those bins piled up outside? The Rising Sun is now just a buddleja farm while so many others are closed and unrecognisable. Even by the unofficial home and new lease of life Wheatsheaf was an abandoned car and piles of rubbish.

So what’s the solution to the state of the place?

The answer is staring us in the face. Slough Town couldn’t continue to punch above its weight if its wasn’t for so many people pulling together to support their club. To put in the volunteer hours to a place where they feel at home and where memories and good times are being made.

As for Slough – the town. Well the council is one step beyond bankrupt but its not just about more street cleaners but about people having pride in a place that can turn things around. Living in Alpha Street with my dad 40 years ago (well he lived more in the Alpha Arms) a few of us set up a residents group Herschel Village which represented the back of the high street. We made a rule that instead of continually moaning about dog poo and parked cars we would come up with a positive action at every meeting. We did everything from litterpicks and road safety. We helped the Herschel Park regeneration, we got a group of derelict houses converted into housing association flats. And a whole lot more. But probably most importantly we met our neighbours. We worked together and had a laugh.

We can shout at politicians and we can moan about the council. We can get hard working councillors on board, but in the end its about people coming together to make a difference that does it. And so ends my manifesto for a tidier Slough the Town and a life lived less miserably.