A PERSONAL VIEW By CHRIS WRIGHT
This year there are a number of notable anniversaries.
The sinking of the Titanic a hundred years ago, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June, the centenary of the formation of SC Olhanense on April 27 and the bicentenary in July of the Battle of Salamanca (Spain) when British, Portuguese and Spanish forces led by Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) defeated the French.
So two weeks ago, I was sorely tempted to return to the UK to join friends in remembering the demise of the team of my childhood memories, Aldershot F.C., when it was just coppers to get in (if you couldn’t find a hole in the fence!), and a hot cup of Bovril 2d. in ‘old money’.
The Shots, the last football league club to go out of existence during the season, were obliged to resign from the Football League after being wound-up in the High Court for non-payment of a £50,000 tax bill.
The final game played was a 2-0 defeat against Cardiff City at Ninian Park on March 20 1992.
So imagine my surprise, when chatting to a group of holidaymakers from the UK at Olhanense’s match against P. Ferreira to find that one of them was the son of a famous former Aldershot player, Malcolm Crosby.
He played nearly 300 games for the Hampshire side in the 70s and went on to manage Sunderland FC, where he took them to the FA Cup Final in 1992 where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
Malcolm’s son Ian Crosby and his friends joined the ever-growing band of football fans who are discovering the special atmosphere at the José Arcanjo Stadium where the Expat Supporters Group are always on hand to extend a warm welcome.
Tickets for Olhanense’s 100th Anniversary Dinner at the Real Marina Hotel & Spa, Olhão on Saturday April 28 are available from the club office at €25 each.
