I posted this on Facebook, and I didn't know where to really post this on the GPG, but I might as well post it here. Apologies if you've already read it on FB.......
This Sunday will see me pay, what potentially could be my last visit to Griffin Park on a matchday. I hope not, but it is possible, as I move away from the UK to live in Korea for a bit. Hopefully, I’ll be back for the odd game, but it did dawn on me on Tuesday night, that this could be one of the last times I see Griffin Park on a matchday.
And then I became very emotional.
Griffin Park is one of, if not, the most special places in my life. For some 25 years or so, it has been my second home, as whether we win, lose or draw, it’s become a part of my identity. I can remember first climbing the steps of the New Road terrace to a roar of “You Dirty Northern Bar Stewards” and then looking around me to see what Brentford was about. I say “roar”, but it sounded more like a few hundred annoyed men goading the away fans, rather than a “roar”. And when I looked around at the terrace of the New Road, all I saw was empty spaces as it was only half full, with a bunch of slightly agitated men glaring over at the away fans………..but it was the definite vibe, a special feeling that grew on me. One of my favourite things to do at my first game was being able to change ends, and stand closer to the action after half-time, although the dodgy burger I ate forced me to go to the New Road toilets for a number 2, so I missed part of the second half. But what an experience. I followed it up with away trips (my first ever away trip was Elm Park and them Reading fans were much more interesting at that time), and then I started to get to know the away regulars. From there, I started to get to know more and more fans at Griffin Park and my walk down Braemar Road to the pub used to take forever as I’d bump into so many people who were fast becoming part of my Bees family, especially those who used to share the (mainly) pain of watching our Brentford, hundreds of miles away from home.
Over the years, Griffin Park became my focal point, as my Sunday team (Beesotted FC) used the Griffin for after-match drinks and food, so Griffin Park really became an integral part of my life.
Last Tuesday night, I stayed in the stadium for 15 minutes after the final whistle, taking photos of the emptying stands, of a place that I have come to truly call “home”. I looked around and then it really dawned on me. We could have won, lost, or drawn against Villa, but what was most important to me was the fact we had a football club. I played a very very small part in keeping us away from Woking and Kingstonian, and became involved with BIAS, because I wanted to keep our club intact. Griffin Park is undoubtedly what reminds us of the “what could have been”. We were so close to not having Griffin Park and therefore not having a football club. Every fan needs to be reminded of our history, how important it is to just have a club to support. On Tuesday night, as I looked around the emptying stadium, I felt sad because my move away from these shores means that Griffin Park and Brentford Football Club are not going to be my weekly visit, instead, relying on BeesPlayer, Facebook, Twitter, etc, for my Brentford fix. And when you feel like something is being taken away from you, then the feeling of appreciation is never greater. I have never appreciated Brentford FC more than I do now.
Appreciate what you have today, and the importance of winning pales into insignificance compared to simply not having a club, or in my case, not having a club to visit every week. No-one can ever take my love for Brentford away from me, but it does feel so strange, knowing that I’m going to be thousands of miles away, in a different time zone, when matchday is on. I’ll miss that. I’ll miss the fans, the players, the dodgy burgers, the clacking sound of the turnstiles, the regulars I stand with on the left side of Ealing Road, the people I bump into around the ground, the half-time chats at the back of the Ealing Road with Big Russ and his crew, the busting my bladder whilst waiting behind loads of people to go to the toilet, the ever so slightly tiny scoreboards we have, the sun in my eyes at the beginning and end of the season, the BFC staff who I know who always have a smile and a wave, the energy that the stadium can provide when the crowd is up for it, and of course the goals, the most amazing goals I’ve had the pleasure to be there for.
One more game against Brighton and then that could be it. It could be my last game at Griffin Park. It might be Lionel Road that I next see the team live, although I hope to be back for games at Griffin Park from time to time. But the Brighton game could be it. If you see a very emotional 41 year old blubbing his eyes out on Ealing Road on Sunday, you’ll know it’s me. Come say hello, but most of all, support your team and club come win, lose, or draw.
Brentford Till I Die
