I love you deeply

A forbidden union

It’s complicated

It has been a chaotic first week of selling Dirty Old Town. It has been good that I have been able to educate younger fans who are just beginning their Wrexham AFC journey, while also bringing back memories to the older generation.

I have been sincerely thanked for helping lifelong supporters recall their early trips to the Racecourse back in the 1940s and 1950s. I was touched to hear that my words have even brought a tear to some eyes when remembering their early visits to our historic stadium.

It is exciting to see what is going on at the club right now. We have secured promotion back into the Football League – or EFL as it is currently branded – and look set to be embarking on an exciting adventure that could end up with promotion to the Championship. If we can climb to this level then anything is possible.

However, this is not a journey that I will be taking. I am more than happy for the good people of the town (our traditional market town will always remain one, whatever local councillors would have you believe) and wish them every success for the future. My job is to focus on our history and remind people that the club was alive and kicking long before Hollywood came to town.

One of the main reasons why I will not be returning to the Racecourse any time soon is that the median age of death for someone with Friedreich’s Ataxia is 35. I am currently 46 and I have lots of adventures that I still wish to take away from the football. The past few years have also seen my appetite for the beautiful game turn sour. The sport is becoming a business and I have very little patience to be embroiling myself in this money-centric world.  The gap between players and supporters is growing and modern players are on obscene wages.

I remember when Wrexham played in the Isle of Man pre-season tournament in 1995. I visited the island with my friend to support the Reds. I remember that we were in an arcade playing on a football game, when a bunch of our players – Karl Connolly, Gary Bennett, Waynne Phillips and Gareth Owen (forgive me if I remember wrongly) – entered the arcade and played on the machine next to us. This would never happen nowadays, which is kind of sad.

The first spell that we enjoyed in the Football League, between 1921 and 2008 also deserves to be remembered. I will continue to work on this and give voices to former players and fans of the club. I truly believe that it is important for all fans to understand the past, before they can truly appreciate the exciting future that is waiting for us all…