Welcome to the Abbey
Steve Greenall - Sheffield Wednesday, Tuesday 22nd September 1998
Whoooaaahh ... we're half way there ... Whoooaahh-oohh ... Livin' on a Prayer! Thanks to Will Jones for a great suggestion ... that's how the team will run out, following the finest night in United's recent cup history. Watford was magic ... Hillsborough was Planet Hollywood. And if we can only produce another performance of great spirit tonight, who knows what may happen. I would like to pay tribute to the magnificent support - all 815 of you behind the goal. We need more of the same tonight, because fan power really can make the difference on nights like this. We need noise and passion, and the numbers we know will be here should be able to ensure that. By the way, how many of you who travelled to Sheffield found that their watches had stopped??
Thank you, too, to all those who have congratulated Trevor Peer and I on a marvellous commentary - without being TOO big-headed, we thought it was good as well. In fact, it was fun, and in these days of mega-money at the top level in the game, it was lovely to be involved with an underdog club. The Sheffield Directors and staff treated us superbly, and I hope they have a good evening - but not too good! At the time, the commentary felt like two blokes in the pub having a laugh. It has been a very long time since I have enjoyed myself so much at a football match, and with luck, I shall remove the office shackles for tonight and get back in the commentary box for the second half. Part of the enjoyment of an away trip is the journey to the game and if you won, the journey back. Trevor and I shared a car with Graham Eales and Andy Pincher ... and to celebrate a fine win AND Graham's birthday, we stopped at Trowell Services and enjoyed a Big Mac attack at 11.30pm, with a quick moment to speak to Man City fans on their way back from the match at Derby. We shared some hilarious stories, and the whole experience will ensure that in the future, when we get together, we will recall the night we won at Wednesday. One of the things that makes working at a little Club so enjoyable is the involvement of everyone, which has included, this last few days, having Richard Summerfield, our Finance Director, helping out in the ticket office. I think Richard enjoyed the experience and we certainly would never have managed without him. Having gotten into the swing of things he was soon cracking gags with the rest of us - how do you think we get through the day under under such chaotic conditions. This is the first time for ages that we have had such demand for a match, and I can't help feeling that we have certainly seen an upsurge in the use of credit cards. Having shut up the doors at 5.00pm on Friday, we then spent ages processing all the telephone bookings. I just hope that those of you who are either returning to the fold after an absence, or are here for maybe the first time, won't forget that we do actually play here regularly, and it would be great to think that many of you will be back, and back again. Please don't let's have just 2,800 against Exeter City on Saturday. Speaking of which, that will be my last home game in the hot seat, so I'd better get round to thinking about what I'm going to write for my final programme notes before my departure to Carrow Road. It will be an emotional day, and I shall look forward to the emotion of it all. But make no bones about it, I shall be back time and again. You can't work at such a fabulous club as this, and just let it go. And should ... should ... the result go our way tonight, I'll be praying for the chance to see the next round.
"We gotta hold on, to what we got. STEVE GREENALL |