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My Favourite Shirt - Part Twelve

Part Twelve of 'My Favourite Shirt' has Cheltenham Town fan, Mike Keay, answering questions about his 1988/89 Cheltenham Town Home Shirt as well as answering other questions about his club.

Mike and his treasured 1988/89 Cheltenham Town Home Shirt

Why is this your favourite shirt?  I think picking your favourite shirt for a collector is very difficult.  I’m an Aston Villa fan too but went with this Cheltenham shirt because I’m not only a Robins fan, but it’s my hometown.  This shirt has been in my family for a while and luckily for me my Dad let me have it when I started collecting.

Are there any happy or bad memories that come back to you when you see or think about this shirt?  All happy memories for me.  To be honest, when you support a lower league team, relegation can be more likely then promotion, so I try my best never to associate any shirts to the bad times.  Although I wore this shirt to a game this season and Luke Varney scored an injury time equaliser.  He headed straight for the crowd and leapt the barrier and I had to catch him.  Everyone was celebrating and I was just hoping my shirt wasn’t ripped haha.

Did you expect The Robins to reach the Football League back then?  Definitely not.  I grew up seeing Cheltenham play in the Conference and Southern Premier Division.  For most of the early 90’s we just bounced between those two divisions.  But when Steve Cotterill was appointed, it all started to click, then in 98/99, we finally did it!

Who was the best player who wore this shirt in your opinion?  Fortunately, I’m not old enough to remember the players who wore this particular shirt!

Why do you support Cheltenham?  It’s my hometown club.  I don’t live in the town anymore, but I still attend games regularly with all of my family.  I’ve followed them for as long as I can remember.  They were the first team I ever went to watch and I can’t wait to take my little boy there when he’s old enough!

What was the first Town game you went to?  My Dad started taking me when I was very young.  I can’t claim to remember the who the first game was against, but I can remember being amazed by how close I could get to the pitch and the players.  One of the earliest games I can remember vividly, was the 1998 FA Umbro Trophy final, at the old Wembley Stadium.  We won the game 1-0 against Southport and my favourite player, Jason Eaton, scored the winner.

How would you sum up the season just gone?  Progress.  Towards the end of Gary Johnson’s reign, we started playing very negative football and the fans weren’t happy.  It was a great appointment to bring in a club legend in Mickey Duff and I’m so glad the club gave him time.  A few good players have been brought in and I’m really looking forward to seeing where Duffy can take us next year.

Your best 1-11 from your time supporting the club?

GK - Steve Book

LB - Jamie Victory 

CB - Mickey Duff

CB - John Brough

RB - Brian Wilson

LM -  Ashley Vincent

CM - John Finnigan

CM - Grant McCann

RM - Martin Devaney

ST - Mo Eisa

ST - Jason Eaton

Click here to read the other My Favourite Shirt Q&A's.

Interested in telling the world about your favourite shirt? Email topcornershirts@outlook.com and you will be sent the questions and asked to upload an image of you wearing or holding the shirt in your reply. You don't have that shirt? Not to worry! A pictutre of the shirt will suffice.

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