Snakebite
Well-known Exeweb poster
That summer was fantastic at the park.We also only had one tractor, and so equipment had to be ferried backwards and forwards from SJP and the Cat and Fiddle. There were a great number of heroes at the time, some largely forgotten, who in the 2003-2004 pre season built retaining walls whilst trying to avoid trampling all over the badly neglected pitch. Barry Sansom, Dacre Holloway and many others ensured that we were ready (at least pitch wise) to start the season. The ongoing scenario that's often forgotten is that there was no certainty that the Football Conference would accept us as members.
After the disappointment of the season the phoenix of a real club started to rise from the ashes and a whole bunch of us turned up at SJP through the summer, led by Barry and Dacre, to try and get a ground that had been awfully neglected into some sort of state for the coming season.
One of the things that sticks in my memory was that almost on a daily basis Ian Huxham would come out for a chat and to give us the latest stat e of the nation as of that morning on subjects such as a) whether the club even still existed, and b) whether we would be allowed into the conference the following season, and c) what new skeletons had emerged from the many closets, hidden by the previous regime.
As David mentions we built walls, painted everything it seems, helped Mark and John(?) with the pitch if needed, laid tarmac, weeded, cleaned, you name it.
The club for the first time felt like it was puling as one and the laughs we had went an awful long way to healing the hurt from that previous season. I think, although it's a while since I've checked, that some of my expertly laid tarmac is still in existence near the Dobleshed.
Great times.