People who know me well know that from a very early age I have been mad keen on football. As a school boy I ate, drank and slept football. My only desire was to play in goal for England. Although I had some good success at school boy level, today my interest is via the television or in the stands at Priestfield Stadium.
Priestfield Stadium is the home of Gillingham Football Club, the team I have followed for over thirty years when at the age of fourteen I first went to see them play against the might of Crystal Palace. Of course I was ecstatic when at the end of this season they made it to the League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium against Shrewsbury Town. The Saturday prior to the big game I queued for four hours to get those precious tickets to Wembley for my friend Paul and me.
Whilst queuing I was adamant when talking to those around me that the Final would result in success for the glorious Gills.
On the big day I drove over to Faversham to meet Paul and catch the train from there. The North Kent Coast Line journeys through the Medway Towns so the train was guaranteed to be packed with the blue and white of Gillingham supporters. Paul had also arranged to meet up with two of his friends, Alec and Annabelle, who had also dedicatedly queued up for their prized Wembley tickets.
It was the first time I had met Alec and Annabelle but I took to them both straight away. Like me, Alec had been a virtual life long fan despite having periods where he had lived well away from the area. It was great soaking up the atmosphere on that train as stop after stop saw more and more blue and white taking over the carriages. Two trains pulled in together at Victoria Station and it was simply amazing to see the stream of Gillingham supporters flood onto the platform.
As Alec talked about football and his hopes for the day it struck me that he kept saying "if" we win. In response I would interject with "when" we win.
"Oh I don't like to say that in case I'm wrong" he would say.
"You've got to be positive" I kept replying. "Power of positive thinking."
The fact of the matter was that these weren't just words, I really felt that Gillingham were going to win. I could only picture scenes of jubilation at the end of the match never contemplating the despair of losing. At that point I wasn't sure if my constant optimism was getting to Alec.
This was my visit to the now new Wembley Stadium. The flow of people down Wembley Way was incredible particularly as most of these seemed to be favouring the Gills. Inside, the stadium was awesome and the noise reverberating throughout was awesome too. Despite there being fewer Shrewsbury Town supporters they contributed fantastically to this echoing sound.
The first half saw the Gills dominate in the main and despite them not scoring by half time, I still remained confident that they could do it.
The second half become a more even affair as Shrewsbury Town managed to close down the Gillingham midfield to more affect. The time ticked away and some of Gillinghams' passes became more wayward, yet deep down I still could only imagine victory.
The ninetieth minute, with only stoppage time between now and an extra thirty minutes. A corner to Gillingham on the left. Goal !!! 1 – 0. The Gillingham end exploded into the rapturous jubilation that I had imagined. Chanting and singing for joy the crowd saw the boys through those last few minutes of stoppage time which never stopped as the team celebrated a wonderful victory upon that hallowed turf of Wembley.
After the match Alec declared "I really felt nervous about the outcome, but having spoken to you before the match I knew that we could do it."
As a firm believer in the power of positive thinking, surely it was my overwhelming belief that helped Gillingham win this match. OK, perhaps the players and Simeon Jacksons' last gasp header might also have played a part in it, but if I can display this same belief every match, Gillingham will soon be winning the European Champions League. Won't they?
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
