By TTT Subscriber Matthew Beardmore.
An explanation, or a context if you prefer, or even a confession if you’re that way inclined: like so many fans, I’m not from Liverpool. Not even close.
Well, technically I am from just down the road. If you class the A57 as the road. And down the road as being the other end of the A57 i.e. Lincoln.
My family moved from Lincoln to Sheffield when I was four. I have no real personal connection with Lincoln as a result. I do have Lincoln City as my second team. If they play locally to me, I go and watch them. They are the first result I look for on a Saturday (as I already know the Liverpool result).
My family are all from Stoke-on-Trent. All of them. Both sides. My mum and dad are from there. All my half-siblings are. In fact, go back as far as you want. All my family support Stoke City. No room for Port Vale even (although my dad had a soft spot for them back when you could legitimately wish no ill on your local rivals).
Without fully realising it growing up, I had four teams who I could claim as my own: Lincoln City (as my hometown team), Stoke City (as the family team) and either Sheffield United or Sheffield Wednesday (as the local teams to me).
However, at the start of the 1984/5 season I supported none of them. I’d just started to take an interest in football and was just enjoying watching any game I could see. My dad had taken me to a few games. I’d not committed to a team though. I wasn’t shopping around for a team, but I was clearly waiting for a team to fall in love with.
This article is for Subscribers only.
[ttt-subscribe-article]
