County Memorabilia

We all have our guilty pleasures don’t we?

When no ones around we all have a weakness we might not confess to the next man.

Something that has a hold over you almost like a addiction.

You see I’ve never really been into gambling, I quit smoking about 3 years ago and although I like a drink as much as the next man I can really take it or leave it.

There is one thing though that I can’t say no to, and that’s a good piece of County related memrobelia!!

I wanted to start with a quick countdown of some of my best county related memorabilia I have picked up over the years.


Number 5 – Shirt / team sheet / ticket and program (vs Walsall 20.01.1996)



The first game I went to was on Saturday 20th January 1996 when we played Walsall at home, we lost 0-1 (maybe a sign of things to come??) and I was hooked from the start.

This game ignited my love for the club and from that moment on – my life wasn’t the same again.

I have Tom Bennett`s shirt from that season with a program along with a ticket and the team sheet I got from eBay.

The team sheet still has the FA Cup 3rd round replay printed on the top then crossed out as this was the game before and County must have forgot to change the template on the printer, this adds to what lower league football is really about.

The ticket has the old stand names on the back like the Barlow Stand and the Railway end was still terraced back then.


Number 4 – Part of the Cheadle End seat and a bag of grass



During one game at half time I was stood watching the substitutes take shots on the goal and had my eye on one of the balls to make sure it didn’t hit me, as I was watching out of nowhere another stray ball came flying over and smashed the seat right behind where I was stood.

In hindsight this could have easily gone wrong resulting in either a broken nose for me or just the public humiliation.

Luckily neither happened and I took a bit of the seat home (cause I`m sad like that).

On another occasion I had one too many shandy`s and was feeling nostalgic so I grabbed a bit of the pitch as I was walking past at FT, now I have a small plastic bag of grass that if I ever got stopped by the police and had it on me I would be looking at a caution to say the least.


Number 3 – Signed Vintage Port book



After the 1996/97 promotion season a book called Vintage Port was released that focused on the games we had played, by the time it came out our manager and a few players had departed for pastures new.

That Christmas my Dad bought me the book and unknowingly to me he had written to Dave Jones at Southampton for some autographs from himself, Paul Jones and Lee Todd.

He had also got some county players to sign it along with Brendon Elwood at the back. This book means lot to me and even to this day I read still read it.


Number 2 – County Vs Hartlepool program (08.10.1982)



I bought the Stockport County encyclopaedia and like you do had a look on the day I was born to see if any games were being played. We played Hartlepool on a Friday night and drew 1-1 – years later I was speaking to Ian Watts via email and noticed he had this program.

My aim is to get the 1982 home shirt and have both framed so if you have one and are willing to sell please get in touch. I bought the program for 50p and the price on the cover is only 40p so a 10p rise in about 30 years will certainly do me.

Its funny to read in parts as at 31 I don`t class myself as old but there are sporting events advertised that are “men only” – imagine if County did that now how much uproar there would be !


Number 1 – Isle of Man Winners Shield



Lets be honest – we haven`t won much have we?

If you look at the clubs honours over the past 50 or so years we have the 4th Division champions in 1967, the 2nd Division runners up in 1997 and the League Two Play Off winners in 2008.

What people tend to forgot is that in 1999 we went over to the Isle of Man and beat Wrexham on penalties in the final.

I admit I wasn’t there but I`m sure it had the same atmosphere as a
Champions League final. I have a winners shield that was given to the players after our heroic win that I bought via the ex county kit man John Bishop in eBay.



Steve Davies