SLO update,Barnet,Checkatrade and Boycott (not the one you think!)

So what a few days its been.Let’s start on the pitch last Saturday saw us head down the The Hive and overall probably a draw was a fair result,not that I saw too much of the game.(more of which later).On Tuesday the much talked about checkatrade trophy game against a very good Peterborough team took centre stage.Now given everything that happened last season this may seem a strange thing to say but that was one of the best games seen at the Bank in many years,it was a game played between two team who had Wembley way in their sights and were determined to get there.As we know it was the Imps who kept that dream alive thanks to late strikes from Harry and Matt plus a wonder strike by Danny and a cool finish by the big dog .Now I normally sit in my lofty perch in the press box accompanied by the great and the good of the press core but thanks to the FA Danny came and sat on the naughty step next to me.Now I’m not going to give any secrets away but listening to how he lives and breathes the game its no wonder the boys have had the success they have and infact I can tell you that a few mins before Harry hit the back of the net Danny called it “Harrys going to get the winner” was uttered,ball hits back of the net and the next thing I know I’m hugging DC and asked him if he would buy me a lottery ticket!

So before we go back to Barnet I suppose I should mention this weeks draw.Chelsea kids at home might not be the one we wanted but quite frankly I’ll take anybody in front of our passionate fans and given all the talk of the rights and wrongs of them even being in the competition,boycotts etc then I guess its a chance for us to show the world on the pitch what a trip to the Wembley arch means to clubs like Lincoln.This competition has caused much talk on various social media sites and for what its worth my own views are that although I applaud those who stand by their principles and stay away but for me its about supporting my team whatever.For the record I am totally against the prem kids being in this competition and if they go on to win it football in the lower reaches would be the looser,so lets fill the Bank and come together and get the Imps to their first Wembley appearance.

So lets go back to the events at Barnet,getting in to the ground was the first hurdle we had to over come.Now I am not hear to criticise Barnet just to try and explain what happened and the major problem at the gate was one of the bar code readers broke down leaving only 3 turnstiles which seemed fine until the majority of Imps fans arrived at around 1445 causing a log jam and some not getting into ground until 10 mins after KO (SLO’s included).Suppose if there’s a lesson to be learnt its that technology is ok till it breaks down.Thankfully yours truly and Lindsey did the crash course on scanning damp bits of paper and we got everybody in.

The main problems seemed to occur once inside the ground with some fans wanting to sit in areas already sat in by other fans.Now here’s where I’m going to get Geoffrey Boycotts straight bat out,we have to learn from the events that then transpired both steward and fans,its not the job of the SLO to comment on who was right and who was wrong but to try and make sure all our fans can enjoy their matchday experience however they chose to do it without fear and its important that we learn from the experience.I can assure you that within the club that’s exactly what we are doing and in a strange way the fact that I as the clubs SLO and the matchday SLO’s are also able to report what we saw and make recommendations to the decision makers at the club hammers home what the role is about.It would infact be remiss of me not to mention Lindsey,Heidi and Kev who did Stirling work in what were difficult circumstances,sorry you missed a lot of the game!

Well no football at the weekend so its odd jobs around the house for me.I  write this with one eye on the box as Yeovil are playing Man Utd in the FA cup and its impossible as an Imp not to think back to last year but look forward we must and Newport are the next visitors and I for one cant wait.

 

Up the Imps!

Barnet Away travel details.

So this Saturday sees us making the trip down the A1 to our old GMVC (GM Vauxhall conference) foes Barnet.Those of us of a certain age will never forget travelling down to Underhill wondering what this non league lark was all about.Well by the end of the game we certainly found out,if memory serves me a 3-2 defeat followed by a 3-0 reverse at Waymouth on the following Tuesday left us rock bottom but at that point “Murphy’s mission” kicked in and the rest as they say is history.My over riding memory of that day was the fans changing ends at half time,somthing that didn’t happen in the football league in the 80’s.

On to Saturday and its no longer Underhill and its slope but the Hive which is now the home of Barnet that awaits the Imps faithful.This will be my first visit since the new North stand was completed which is where we will be housed.Its a modern stand which looks to me like a great atmosphere can be generated.

 

GETTING THERE.

Take the A1 to Apex corner (just after M25).Take 2nd exit,Selvage lane towards Edgeware on A5109.

Go over next two roundabouts (Deans Lane) at next take the 3rd exit Deansbrook Rd (A5109)

Go over lights on to Camrose Ave and the Hive is situated on the right.

 

TUBE.

Cannons park station is 5 mins from the Hive.Turn left out of Station and ground is  on the right.

AWAY FANS

Imps fans will be housed in the recently completed North stand (2016) and you will be able to pay on the gate (at time of writing) its capacity is 1900.Away fans have access to the 1966 themed bar which is situated under North stand.

 

So there you have it,I along with the SLO team will be on duty from around 1315 so any problems or if we can help in any way come and have a chat.Have a safe jouney down and as always “make some noise for the boys”.

slo,whats’s it all about.Pt 2.

So lets start off by talking about communication,without which nothing will happen.In this day and age I have all the traditional ways of getting in touch.

Email; Slo@lincolncityfc.co.uk

Twitter; @SLO_LCFC

Facebook; Lincoln City FC,SLO (supporters liaison officer)

For me however the best way to find out what fans are thinking is face to face,with that in mind we will be holding forums and open sessions.You may have also heard the term match day SLO and this for me is a massive step forward.

MATCH DAY SLO

I am very fortunate that I have 4 excellent SLO’s who have volunteered to take up this role,Heidi,Lindsey,Paul and Kev.Their job is to be the eyes and ears at the coal face.It may just be helping fans with match day issues such as ticketing,catering,shop etc or it may be listening to fans concerns and feeding them back to the club via myself.Now as you may know they do have areas of expertise,for instance Lindsey was voted on by LISA,Heidi looks after our disabled fans,Paul helps visiting supporters and Kev travels to every away game so he looks after their interests.I must at this point stress they don’t represent particular fans groups but do help those groups of fans which is really what this is all about.We are here to help all our fans weather they are part of fans groups,regular fans,new fans or just here on a one off visit.

So where can you find us?We are normally in fanzone from 12 on a Saturday,you cant miss us we have SLO on the back of our jackets (yes we’ve heard all the puns!).We can also be found all around the concourse and inside the ground from around 2pm.Usually I can be found at turnstiles at away games and inside the away end whilst game is in progress so come and have a chat,we don’t bite!

 

WHERE ARE WE COMPARED TO OTHERS

As I have already said every club has an SLO some I guess are more active than others.I have spoken to one or two who have been very surprised at what we have already achieved,not many for instance have any match day SLO’s let alone 4.I think another area we are ahead of the game is my role within the club allows me to have a good working relationship with all the staff at the club.This means I can go straight to the person I need to on any fan related issues.

A few weeks ago myself,Lindsey and Heidi went up to Doncaster to see meet up with their SLO Dean.It was interesting to see how we compared as they have had SLO’s in place for 4 years and I can report that most of what they do we are already implementing here at Sincil Bank.Dean was infact very complimentary about what we were doing so much so he want to come and see our set up.

 

So in conclusion,the SLO movement is gathering pace both in the UK and here at Lincoln,now I’m not saying we can change the world but our club not only listens to you the fans but wants to listen and more importantly wants to improve your match day experience.I for one am pretty excited about our future both on and off the pitch.

NEWPORT AWAY.

So Saturday sees the Imps on the road again,this time to Rodney Parade home of Newport county.This will be a first visit to the south wales team so here’s some info you may need.

 

HOW TO GET THERE.

If you come by train you will arrive at Newport (Gwent) which is a 10 min walk to the stadium.On exiting turn left past Deliliah’s café and then left at market place to end of road where you will see an underpass which brings you out onto Clarence st bridge,go over and take first right onto Rodney Rd.

By car,exit M4 J25a,take first exit Heidenhiem way then 1st exit off flyover crossing river Usk.At lights bear right onto Chepstow rd then 1st right,Ceder rd and 1st right,Corporation rd then 1st left onto Grafton st.Rodney parade is on left.

PARKING.

There are several city centre car parks as well as on street parking,just beware on parking restrictions.

FACILITIES

There is no designated away pub,nearest is Excelsior institute on corporation st,5 min walk.Within the Bisley stand there is a bar with burger van outside.

DISABLED VISITORS.

The disabled supporters association will be on hand to offer assistance.

 

I will be at ground early and will be at turnstiles before game and in away end during.Any problems come and have a chat.

Have a safe trip.

SLO,what’s it all about? (part 1)

Now I’m sure at some point over the last few weeks you will of heard of the term SLO,what does it mean I hear you say.Well hopefully I can explain a bit more about the role and more importantly how it effects us here at Lincoln.

 

SLO is short for Supporter liaison officer.Every club in the EFL has an SLO,this person can be a paid employee or a volunteer and indeed many clubs have a mixture of both.

 

AIMS.

Simple really,to improve communication between the club and its fans.In essence build bridges and establish constructive two way dialogue with the aim of achieving the best possible match day experience for all fans.As part of that process the SLO should not only build a relationship with club and fans but also organisations such as Police/security amongst others.

 

BENEFITS.

So what are the benefits? For me fans having somebody within the club who can communicate their views to the decision makers is vital and a massive step forward.Now this could range from ticketing issues to the price of chips,it doesn’t really matter as long as that line of communication is open and is two way.I see it as very much spotting and dealing with issues rather than fire fighting.Over the coming season I hope to speak to as many fans as I can weather they be from supporters associations,active fans,families,disabled or any other groups.,I don’t however see myself or indeed our match day SLO’s (more of which later) as fans reps more the conduit between fans and club.

HOW DOES IT WORK.

So why me?… good question.I was asked by Liam Scully our CEO when he arrived if I would fill the role and I jumped at the chance as I feel its a role that suits my veiws on how the club/supporter relationship should move forward.I hope I have a good relationship with you the fans but I also have a good working relationship with the staff at Sincil bank which is as important.As some of you may already know I work for the club on a part time basis and I feel to do this job right you have to give it a lot of time which would be difficult to do as a volunteer so I do think Lincoln City are very forward thinking on that score.

 

So that’s it for part one,next time how we communicate,matchday SLO’s,fanzone and where we’re at compared to others.

Yeovil away day.

So for the past few seasons due to PA duties and commentary on I follow going to an Imps match as a fan in the stands has been a rarity so yesterdays trip to Yeovil was like stepping back in time for me.As you know in my role as the clubs SLO means I need to be in amongst our fans so that I,m available if needed or just to pass on any info from home stewards.

 

An early start with Terry,Jordan and Chris from the media team was needed for the long journey down and this meant there was lots of football banter and chat going on…first thing I missed!Then the obligatory coffee stop at hopwood services,swap drivers then back on the road.Now this was my first visit to Yeovil so the next tick was that feeling when you see a new ground for the first time.

 

Its at this point the day went in a different direction because although I did still have a media pass for pre match pics and post match interviews my next port of call was the away end to introduce myself to local stewards to get the low down for visiting fans.First thing to say was how friendly they were and meeting the supporters coach was a nice touch.Also refreshing was fans being allowed to sit in stand even if they had a terrace seat..FGR take note.

 

Now I’m no different to any other fan the tension starts to build once your inside the ground,meeting up with familier faces,players out warming up,the meat pie and not forgetting the hot Bovril!After chatting to as many fans as possible time to find a seat.Now the one thing you can’t really do whilst wearing headphones is vocally get involved in the game,best way to put it! I was quite reserved to start with but that didn’t last long and then the moment when Greeny is put through by the big man,we stand up in unison,net bulges and a 59 year old SLO jumps around like and idiot …..no better feeling! Then Matt does what he does and we all join in the “Rheady” chorus,3 points in the bag.Final whistle is blown and normally at this point I’m summing up the game on I follow but today its celebrate with the team,fans and DC,NC and its only now you see the relationship between us and the team.

 

Happy smiling Imps fans then head back up the M5 trying to out run winters worst,checking tables and yes we’re up to 6th…happy days.

 

Your SLO however now goes into media mode helping record Danny’s words of wisdom,chatting to a very happy Matt Green and seeking out Nicky to get his assessment and first thing he said…”clean sheet”,he does love a clean sheet.Finally its pack up time and after a short visit to a famous Chicken outlet it was our turn to head north,more banter and chat about the game although some of our back seat passengers slept (youngest I might add), so it was left to Chris,Terry and I to keep the conversation going.Football,Christmas traditions,Wales (kept Chris happy) were all on the agenda.

 

So to sum up after being away from the terrace for a while it was great to be back and I guess you will be seeing a lot more of me now…sorry about that!

 

Next blog I will explain just what the SLO role is all about.

Yeovil town away travel

So the busy Christmas season starts with the long trip to Yeovil this Saturday.As always I’m sure there will be a healthy Imps following.So with that in mind here’s all the info you will need.

Getting there.

At J25 of M5 take A358 then A303 until your reach the A3088,follow this to RB and take 1st left at the Westland airfield (Bunford lane) go over next RB then at Asda RB take a left (Lufton Way).

Follow this and ground will be on your right.Sat nav is BA22 8YF

Parking.

There is limited parking around ground but car parking is available at ground via gate A,costing £3.

Where to watch game.

Visiting fans are situated in the Screwfix stand (seated) and Radio cabs (standing terrace).It is advised not to sit in first couple of rows if weather is bad as you may get wet.

Prices.

Adult seat ticket prices are £21 in advance and £24 on day.

Senior citiaens and Disabled £17 in advance and £20 on the day.There are 5 spaces for Disabled supporters.

Young person £13 in advance and £16 on the day.

Juniors £6.

On terrace prices are Adults £16/18.

Senior citizens and Disabled £14/16

Young person £12/14 and Juniors £5.

So there you have it have a safe trip down and come an have a chat as myself and Kev will be you SLO reps for the day…..Oh and don’t forget to “make some noise for the boys”.

 

 

Is it working?

So for a dinosaur like me lets see if this blog stuff works,if so then look out!