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In The Programme – Shrewsbury Town |
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Well, this is it. I can hardly believe that of the 27 years of my lifetime, and the 93 years of this ground that it has come down to this – the very last league game at the Vetch Field. It really does seem a lifetime ago that the fixture lists for this season were released in June last year and I keenly scanned to see who would be the opposition for the last league game at the Vetch. As I purchased my season ticket not long after, the 23 vouchers signalled plenty of football to be played before we had to say goodbye. And now as we reach today, voucher 23 has been passed over and never will I sit in this ground again with three points at stake. There will be the FAW Premier Cup Final of course and the possibility of a play off game but this has been billed as the end of the era and to many here today it will be. I always believed that I could remember my opening game so clearly. I always believed we beat Birmingham 1-0 at the Vetch thanks to a Robbie James penalty. The year was 1978. However, a look back through the history books shows that we did not beat Birmingham between 1953 and 1981 so I was wrong. The result though was definitely right but the opposition was clearly someone else. I suspect that many of you here today also remember your first game. I also suspect that many of you cannot remember exactly what kept you coming back but there is something special about this place that hooks you on that first visit and makes you come back. And it is that special something that we have to bottle and take with us to the new stadium. The thing that makes people want to be there in the first place but, more importantly for us as a club makes us want to come back time and time again. Over my years at the Vetch I have formed friendships that are purely down to this football club and the ground. People who I would probably never have met if it was not for that common bond. Through the web-site I have also met many more but we are all united through one thing in common – Swansea City. Nearly every one of those people will be here today as well with the same thoughts going through their mind. What will it be like next time we have three points at stake? A new ground, a new seat and a completely different perspective of the action on the pitch. Let’s be fair here. The Vetch can give some dreadful views of the pitch with posts obscuring many views around the ground. But we all also know that every week we keep going back and standing/sitting with those posts in the way because we want to. No doubt some would say that is stupid but it’s the way we grew up with the Swans so why would we change anything? At the new stadium we won’t have that and for many it is one of the unique characteristics that the Vetch can give that they will miss. I will miss the Vetch – I always knew that I would. Let’s be fair you are bound to miss anything that has been a part of your life for so long. But at the same time, I am massively excited about the new stadium – a home that the Swans can be proud of and a stadium that outsiders can look at and admire. I also have to admit that today is a game that I never thought I would see – so many false dawns on the new stadium led me to believe that we would be here for ever but it’s not to be. Today should be a day that we look back on our times here and rightly so we will be given the chance to pay homage to some of our heroes of the past. There will be some within the ground that choose to shed a tear at the end of the ninety minutes and some that may just sit in silence and remember when others have gone home. However, you choose to say goodbye to this old friend just savour the day and know that although there is more to come for so many this will be the last at the Vetch and because of that, it will never be the same again. It is time to move on and we shall all do so and meet up again in August at the new stadium but for now all we can say is a huge thanks to the Vetch for all the memories that it has given us and fingers crossed that we leave the old girl with three points safely in our bank. This really is the end of an era…….. Phil Sumbler You can keep updated on the views of the fans by visiting www.jackarmy.net – Supporting the Swans, All Day, Every Day.
Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.
 
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