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Accrington Stanley Who are You?: ‘borrow a bigger ground? Would SAFC borrow St James’ Park?’

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Peter Leatham: ‘we lost a generation of supporters when the club folded in 1962’

Monsieur Salut writes: we are delighted to welcome Peter Leatham*, chairman of the Accrington Stanley Supporters’ Club, to this season’s classic series of Who are You? interviews. We expect other clubs at this level to raise their game when they play us, since we have ‘big club’ stamped on our foreheads. But our League One interviewees are reaching lofty standards, too. I loved Peter’s response to my suggestion that Stanley might have moved this match to a bigger ground than one holding just over 5,000 to accommodate our fans! …

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Accrington Stanley vs SAFC Guess the Score: the club that wouldn’t die

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‘Believe in me’

Pete Sixsmith, having begun his annual Santa duties, has a special gift to offer: that unwon copy of Managers, the third column of Sunderland books from Tales From the Red and Whites. Read on …

Our headline reflects the proud declaration that sits atop the home page of Accrington Stanley FC’s official website.

And many readers will be familiar with the “who are they?” mantra, as exemplified by this exchange from an old milk advertisement quoted at Wikipedia:

Boy 1 (wearing Liverpool top): “Milk! Urghh!”
Boy 2:(also wearing Liverpool top) “It’s what Ian Rush drinks.”
Boy 1: “Ian Rush?”
Boy 2: “Yeah. And he said if I didn’t drink lots of milk, when I grow up, I’ll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.”
Boy 1: “Accrington Stanley, who are they?”
Boy 2: “Exactly.”

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The Chapman Report from Walsall: “That second goal never looked like coming”

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Malcolm Dawson writes……..I experienced a touch of deja vu on the trip to the Bescot Stadium yesterday. I drove into Walsall the same way, parked in the same street and saw the same discarded cardboard boxes and other assorted bits of rubbish on the short walk to the ground that I had seen last weekend. There was nowhere near as many people though, with the total attendance more or less the same as the number of Sunderland fans who had filled two sides of the stadium for the league game. Such is the magic of the F.A. Cup these days!

Pete Sixsmith was one who couldn’t be there, but he has an excuse as it’s that time of year when he’s otherwise engaged bringing joy to the children of Weardale and Tyneside, whilst reminding them just why it is that Santa wears red and white and he was ho ho hoing with extra merriment as the news from the Sports Direct filtered his way. Not so much with the updates from the West Midlands and he feels for the Lads who now have another fixture to fulfil, but at least it means he’ll get to the replay.

In his absence and knowing he couldn’t make it, Sixer arranged for Bob Chapman‘s welcome return to the pages of Salut! Sunderland with his view of yesterday’s draw. Over to you Bob.

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