Done the 92 questionnaire – PETER GUNN (GUNNY)
Peter and family
How many grounds had you visited before you realised you wanted to do the lot?
It was around 30 grounds - I was watching my club Manchester City and at the time we were either playing in the Premiership, Championship or League One so I thought why not go for it.
Did you choose the last ground you were going to visit or did it just pan out that way?
It was really about distance, East Anglia does not have a direct route from the North West so I ended up doing Colchester then finishing with Ipswich, so I ended up completing them both in the same week.
Did you have company for some or all of it – were you in competition with anyone else and what happened to them?
I was happy to complete the grounds by myself and I enjoyed seeing different places on my travels. My wife goes to all Manchester City away games so has been to more away games than me, sometimes she would join me on my tour. The only competition I had was “doing the 92” league table. I got some satisfaction on seeing myself climb up the league tables. I guess that sounds rather sad! (Ed - not at all - sounds perfectly normal to me!)
How many had you done when you thought ‘Right, I’m going to finish this now’?
It was rather steady so I never set myself a target, however if I knew a team was in danger of dropping out of League or changing to a new ground I would make the effort to visit that ground.
Obvious question but, best day out?
Well I have got two really, both watching Manchester City and it sums up the nature of watching football. We played Spurs 2003/04 in the 3rd round of the FA cup at White Hart Lane and were 3-0 down and had a player sent off at half time. We scored early in the second half and the City fans comically started singing we’re going to win 4-3. Well the goals kept going in and City eventually scored in the final minute to win the game 4-3.
The other game was at York City who incidentally are no longer in the 92. It was a League One (Third Division) game which we lost 2-1 taking us to our lowest position in our football history. The comedy value was at half time on a ramshackle terrace watching two groups of Manchester City fans try and have a drunken fight about who had watched the worst City team. There were more missed punches that day than shots on target.
Did you manage to do more than one ground in a day at any point?
No. It has taken me 47 years to complete the journey. Once I decided to visit the 92 clubs I set myself a target of around 4 grounds a season. My best was visiting 11 away grounds in one season!
Apart from non-League football at the moment, what does Plainmoor have that the Emirates never will?
I do remember visiting this ground with my wife and before the game drinking at a back-street pub where they served a decent beer and provided free chip barms. These types of grounds still had that working class feel to it. Also you will never hear at the new grounds someone at the back of the stand banging on corrugated iron sheeting as part of the overall noise whenever a corner kick was taken or your team were on the attack.
Did you ever turn up to find the game wasn’t on, or that you’d gone to the wrong ground?
No but I do remember driving to a game with my brother and hearing the game we had intended to go to had been called off. So, we checked the fixture list and changed direction and drove through heavy snow to make the game at Leicester City.
Best/worst food on your travels?
I have had too many soggy or cold pies to name and shame. Although I would recommend Kidderminster Harriers ground for the best pies, they have a great selection and the pie was a meal in itself.
Do you still call ‘League One’ ‘Division Three’?
Sometimes, I tend to translate like Imperial or metric. I confuse it even more by using tier 3 or 4 when explaining to younger fans.
Most and least welcoming hosts?
You tend to find the lower league clubs have a friendlier attitude in how they deal with fans. A shout out to Forest Green both the ticket staff and the Stewards (Crowd care) have a friendly attitude. I have also noticed that my own team Manchester City have moved away from being a family club to becoming more corporate and distant to the fans.
Any bizarre incidents along the way. Any brushes with anyone famous/infamous?
Travelling by train to watch Manchester City at Portsmouth I had received some complimentary tickets for first class travel and who should join us in a completely deserted carriage at Birmingham but Bertie Vogts, the then Scotland manager. He was on his own going to the same game and we ended up talking about football, although his knowledge of English football struck me as limited. On the way back home the train was taken out of service due to a faulty door so we ended up on a two bit coach back to Manchester arriving in the early hours of the morning. I only travelled once more by train to a game at Plymouth and then my travel was disrupted due to cancellation of the train due to the train driver not turning up.
Now you’ve joined the small band of 92ers do you plan to keep visiting new grounds as they are introduced to the League, or do you consider it to be a one-off, job-done deal?
It is like painting the Forth Bridge you never complete the task. It has got to the stage I take a interest in the top teams in the National Conference League, I end up supporting teams which I have already seen because it means it’s not a new ground I need to visit. I have decided to extend my visits to all the teams who have played in the 92 so Bradford Park Avenue, Glossop North End etc here I come.
What was your memento/proof of each visit – programme, photo, ticket stub, badge?
I had already visited many of the grounds before I decided to do the 92 so I have no actual record. Since my pilgrimage I have collected a ticket stub at the grounds visited. I have also obtained a programme for the furthest ground and of course the last ground as a memento to my children when I am in that great stadium in the sky.
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