Manchester Bee
Member
My father Richard Murton passed away last Thursday 2nd November from cancer at the age of 73. He was a lifelong Bees fan, having grown up around Richmond and being taken to Griffin Park by his father from an early age. He never really spoke much about his early days supporting the Bees, but he went to most home matches from a young age until he moved to Rancho Mirage in California (hence the username) in 2000.
He introduced me and my brother (now one of the Hong Kong Bees) to Brentford. I remember my first game at GP when I was about 8 years old in 1984. It was against Bristol City and we stood on the New Road not far from the fence which separated home and away fans when the away end used to be Ealing Road and the end of New Road. I'm pretty sure we lost that game, but I was hooked from that day and a fan for life was born, carrying on in the family tradition.
The 3 of us had season tickets on the New Road from then through the 90's and Brentford was always the main topic of conversation - promotion in 92 and relegation in 93, the various play-off campaigns, selling key players like Forster and Holdsworth. It was through Brentford we really bonded.
My father retired and moved to California in 2000, and then to Spain in 2007. Whilst unable to attend matches in person he was an avid follower of every match on Bees Player in it's various incarnations over the years, and a contributor on the matchday updates threads. Brentford was always the main topic of conversation whenever we spoke.
I was by his hospital bed in Malaga last Wednesday evening. He was watching text commentary of the Birmingham game while I followed it on twitter. He couldn't really speak, but at kick off he gave me the thumbs down, which transpired meant he thought we were going to lose! When Watkins scored the penalty and Maupay got the second shortly after he had a big grin on his face under the oxygen mask he was wearing and was giving me the thumbs up. It was a very special moment, and something i'll always treasure. It was to be his final game, and I'm so proud the team delivered for him.
He was actually in the process of moving back to the UK, and was really looking forward to seeing the Bees in person again, to getting back to Griffin Park and then Lionel Road, and seeing us when we get to the Premier League. Unfortunately his time ran out just too soon, but I'm sure he'll be avidly watching somewhere with his father and all the other Bees who are no longer with us.
He introduced me and my brother (now one of the Hong Kong Bees) to Brentford. I remember my first game at GP when I was about 8 years old in 1984. It was against Bristol City and we stood on the New Road not far from the fence which separated home and away fans when the away end used to be Ealing Road and the end of New Road. I'm pretty sure we lost that game, but I was hooked from that day and a fan for life was born, carrying on in the family tradition.
The 3 of us had season tickets on the New Road from then through the 90's and Brentford was always the main topic of conversation - promotion in 92 and relegation in 93, the various play-off campaigns, selling key players like Forster and Holdsworth. It was through Brentford we really bonded.
My father retired and moved to California in 2000, and then to Spain in 2007. Whilst unable to attend matches in person he was an avid follower of every match on Bees Player in it's various incarnations over the years, and a contributor on the matchday updates threads. Brentford was always the main topic of conversation whenever we spoke.
I was by his hospital bed in Malaga last Wednesday evening. He was watching text commentary of the Birmingham game while I followed it on twitter. He couldn't really speak, but at kick off he gave me the thumbs down, which transpired meant he thought we were going to lose! When Watkins scored the penalty and Maupay got the second shortly after he had a big grin on his face under the oxygen mask he was wearing and was giving me the thumbs up. It was a very special moment, and something i'll always treasure. It was to be his final game, and I'm so proud the team delivered for him.
He was actually in the process of moving back to the UK, and was really looking forward to seeing the Bees in person again, to getting back to Griffin Park and then Lionel Road, and seeing us when we get to the Premier League. Unfortunately his time ran out just too soon, but I'm sure he'll be avidly watching somewhere with his father and all the other Bees who are no longer with us.
