clarevoyant., on 25 June 2016 - 07:01 PM, said:
In 64/5 season town were in the embarrassing position of being the only league side without floodlights. To rectify this they launched an appeal fund, to this end a group of Newbold lads spent a couple of days doing jobs,selling old toys,owt really to raise cash. Having reached the total17/6 (75p) we walked to the (don't waste cash on bus fare) ground, daintily tapped on the feared wooden hatch and waited for the ogre to appear. Arthur Sutherland appeared grunted before he could vent his spleen varying coins were deposited onto the counter as we retreated. We'd nearly exited the carpark before he shouted us back. He thanked us all with humility, shook our hands, made us feel important asked us all our names which were later entered into a programme in the regular Floodlight Fund donation feature. We were so proud, we were Spireites
50+ years on we now find the fans helping out to cover leadership inadequacis. Oh for an Arthur Sutherland type leader, firm (very), fair but most of all he was town through and through.
For me this latest cock up is a cock up to far, you do not disrespect a town legend. Heads need to roll and also a morale boosting exercise is required.
The irony of the story the eventually purchased Floodlight were useless they were "twisted" they came from deedahland
You were lucky
Having raised money through events at my school I was selected to deliever the amount one saturday
prior to a home match { York in the FA Cup as it happens}
After knocking on the said frosted glass window it was opened by Arthur Sutherland who just said
Right and slammed the window shut never to be seen again
After all these years it is still fresh in my mind but I am still a Spireite despite the best efforts
of the then secretary to disillision me
As a footnote as I can remember the lights from the Blunts were deemed not tall enough for a league
ground having come from their training ground
It was the first set of new lights that had one pylon buckle when being errected and another
new set put up
little wonder we were the last league club to have floodlights being beaten by Hartlepool by a few months
in 1967