VIC MORGAN COLUMN: Let's hear it for the coach drivers (From Swindon Advertiser)

VIC MORGAN COLUMN: Let's hear it for the coach drivers

6:00am Thursday 20th September 2012 in STFC News

THERE are many emotions involved in being a football fan - joy, anger, depression, frustration.

Among the worst of them is the feeling that you might miss the game. Luckily, in all the years I've been following the Town, there's not been a game I've missed, once I've set out for it.

Last Saturday came close. For reasons that are well-documented, the supporters’ coaches nearly didn't get to Carlisle. Frustrating yes, but nothing compared to someone losing their life on the motorway, which is sadly what happened at the weekend. From that point of view, missing a game would have been trivial.

I arrived 35 minutes in and the game disappeared in a blur. Having arrived back in Devon after midnight on Sunday, it was a case of why did we bother? Well, because you do.

The club’s offer of a free coach journey in the future is a decent one. It brings to mind a similar gesture when a Swindon game was called off at the last minute at Chester. Lou Macari and the board decided to foot the bill for the return to the old Sealand Road.

It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but it shows they do care about the fans sometimes. More on that shortly.

Something else which came out of the weekend that got me thinking. The unsung heroes of a travelling supporter’s life. Yes, it’s their job which they're paid to do, but how about a round of applause for the coach drivers?

While we sit, anticipate and then digest the events of the day, the men and women behind the wheel get us to and from our destination. Over the years they become familiar figures in your football journeys. So hats off to you driver, and thank you.

The main talking point at Carlisle though was the decision not to delay the kick-off.

In a week when we'd seen the publication of the Hillsborough independent report and the horrors within it, how could a 15-minute delay have hurt anyone? Surely everyone would have understood.

We probably would still have missed most of the goals, but it would have at least shown some understanding of the feelings of the people who follow the game.

Just goes to show that actually supporters are of secondary importance, despite all the apologies and blustering of the past week. Actions not words chaps please.

Football fans are NOT second-class citizens. It's about time the game of football began to give, not just receive.