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In our latest Once a Duck, Always a Duck story, Dan Harvey shares his memories of following the club, introducing his sons to the Ducks and the familiar faces who made him feel at home after years away.
By Dan Harvey
Where do I start?!
I could reel off statistics, matches, goals, players, managers, stadia and many, many memorable moments, good and bad, but it would only scratch the surface of how this incredible football club has impacted my life.
Of course, it is ultimately about the football on the pitch, but Aylesbury United is about so much more. The people. The great people involved. The heartbeat of the club and the very soul of what it is today.
Looking back, I can recall so many happy memories following the Ducks: whilst at school, at university and, since 1996, from afar after moving away from the area.
Attending matches with friends, home and away. Catching the bus from Wing, where I lived, before I could drive to matches. Long away drives to the likes of Kidderminster and Witton. Being allowed to travel on the players’ coach to Dulwich and Bromley. That never-to-be-forgotten away day on the Isle of Wight and the amazing day we played QPR in the FA Cup third round.
And who would have thought that our only FA Cup win over a Football League club, Southend, would be against the club I have ended up living close to for the last 26 years!
I can almost divide my support for the club into three stages of my life: when I lived locally, when I lived in London and since I’ve had children. Introducing my two sons to the club, and convincing them that a round trip averaging 150 miles to watch the Ducks was a fun thing to do, has been one of my finest accomplishments! The fact that my eldest son, Will, now works for the club is a constant source of pride.
Aylesbury United has been a constant in my life, like a reliable friend you know you can always count on. Always there. Friends, relationships, jobs and even family come and go, but I know the club has always been there for me and, in recent years, me for them.
If one moment encapsulated what the club means to me, it was at a game at Egham in November 2013.
I hadn’t actually attended a match for some seven years. Living a distance away, children being born, other priorities and, to an extent, nobody I knew closely still attending had all played a part. However, arrangements were made with my very good friend Mark “Butch” Rickard to attend this match as part of one of our now legendary “all-dayers”, following the Ducks whilst enjoying the local ales!
Anyway, standing propping up the clubhouse bar, I heard a voice I vaguely recognised.
“Oi!”
I turned around. There, sitting a few feet away, was a familiar face, grinning and pointing at me.
“Where the ’ell have you been?!”
Who else? The wonderful Wendy Brandon!
She greeted me like a long-lost friend that day, bringing me up to speed with news from the club as if I had never been away. The equally splendid Alan Sherwell also shared the events of the last few years and, following that afternoon, I was hooked again.
There are some very special people involved with the club, too many to mention, and it is a testament to them that the club still exists. Being more involved now and doing what I can to help out is the essence of non-league football. It has given me an enormous amount of pleasure and gratification.
Long live Aylesbury United. An extended family, albeit a very dysfunctional one at times, but one I would never be without!
Up the Ducks!
We’d love to hear your Ducks story too. If you’d like to feature in Once a Duck, Always a Duck, send us your memories of following Aylesbury United. Don’t worry if writing isn’t your thing – we’re happy to help put your story together.