Seven points clear, eight games to go, by no means a done deal but some winnable games coming up and some of the challengers playing each other. We'd won games playing well and also won games in the manner only champions seem to do. Smiling faces, a packed Shed end, hope. Strap yourself in for the ride. Then... well, we all know what happened. Two games on Wednesday, March 11 and that was it for the Isthmian premier season 19/20, the table condemned to the history books in its incomplete form, the season that never was. I'd love to tell you that the next few weeks were fun. Ultimately, I think we knew it was all over as soon as games were cancelled but the odd scrap of information got us excited that we may be able to continue. It was not to be. Chat within our group went round in circles; the totally understandable comments came from our rivals; the inevitable dread of doing it all again went unspoken. Little did we know what was going on behind the scenes at the club. Fast forward to May 14 and a video was shared within our group. I watched on in awe as a production worthy of a club much higher up the pyramid outlined massive developments at the ground. The underlying message was that we might not have made it to the National League South this time, but we're going to get the ground ready for when we do. Updated floodlights, more toilets, an extra food concession, more access, all for a six figure fee. Most of the money had been sourced but they needed our help, £43,000 of help. The rewards were set, ranging from a mention in the programme to sponsoring a stand via commemorative bricks and PT sessions with Alex Parsons. Over to you the people of Worthing... They raised it in 15 days. It was a real community effort. The sum wasn't made up with big donations from corporate sponsors, it was local people putting their hands in their pockets because they shared the vision. This coupled with 10 fans buying lifetime season tickets (an idea developed within our group) and ex-players chipping in, meant they got over the line with 41 days to spare. This was for George and Calvin, this was for the people who give up countless hours every week, this was for the players that stuck by when the club couldn’t pay them, this was for Worthing. The future is indeed bright…. Up the Rebels! by Charlie Silver-Burr, on behalf of TheAwayBoys Fanatics (ABF) * The fundraiser continues, even though the target has been met. If you like to contribute, please click here.
