AFC Totton
Hello, everyone,
It’s fitting from my point-of-view that AFC Totton’s crunch league game this afternoon should be against a team from South Wales. Having previously been an occasional match-going supporter of the England national team, following the birth of my son on the Welsh side of the border, he and I have become ardent followers of The Dragons in recent years.
My son and I were present at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France when Wales beat Belgium 3-1 at Euro 2016, which many of you may remember for Hal Robson-Kanu’s turn and shot inside the Belgian penalty area to score a goal that the BBC’s website described as “divine” — and who am I to argue with the BBC when it comes to divinity?!
We also have tickets for the World Cup Qualifier between Wales and Kazakhstan at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday 22 March, which we’re both very much looking forward to. We like to gather near the players’ exit door after the game to meet the players and get a few autographs, which they are often happy to do for fans.
As I mentioned in my previous notes in the Matchday Programme for the Marlow game, my club of choice is Arsenal. One of my earliest memories of supporting The Gunners dates back to 1968 when they lost 0-1 to Leeds United in the League Cup final. I have since seen them triumph in three FA Cup finals at Wembley Stadium; first, 3-2 against Hull City in 2014, 4-0 against Aston Villa the following year, and 2-1 against Chelsea in 2017.
As a former combative centre-halve in my own modest playing career, the player I most admired was Tony Adams. In addition to being a fantastic captain and leader of the team, he was a truly committed one club man in the old-school mode, and I have come to admire the way he acknowledges his experiences of tackling addiction, overcoming his problems by taking one day at a time. For my 60th birthday, my son gave me a signed photo of Tony which I now value among my most prized possessions.
Of the current crop, I think Bukayo Saka is a tremendous player. He’s versatile, has bags of skill and rarely fails to perform well on the pitch. He’s also a very humble young man, and a committed practicing Christian who reportedly reads the Bible every night and has the phrase “God’s Child” printed on his football boots.
Arsenal have suffered more than their fair share of injuries this season, not least the loss of Saka for the second half of the campaign. Who knows how close The Gunners might have come to challenging Liverpool for the Premier League title had that not been the case, but there are still many positives to take from the way things are going under Mikel Arteta and good reason for we Arsenal fans to be optimistic going into next season.
I’m told that we’re expecting quite a large crowd today for what could be an important fixture in determining who gets promoted to the National League South. Whatever happens, I hope that it’s a thoroughly entertaining match and that everybody enjoys it in the true spirit of the game. And remember, if you’d like a chat with me about football or anything else, I’m the one in the blue cleric shirt!
Come On, You Stags!
Rev. Stephen Robinson
AFC Totton Club Chaplain
