Fan of the week

By Stuart Croll (NonLeague Today)

Every club has a fanatic that never misses a game home or away but Paul 'Fingers' Fruin hasn't missed a game away or away for the last 16 years.

Paul is a supporter of Wealdstone who have been without a home ground since the end of the 1990/91 season when their old Lower Mead ground was sold for redevelopment by a supermarket chain.

Moreover, Paul has worked behind the scenes at the club in numerous capacities and been at the forefront of raising the profile and finances for the homeless club.

Paul became club secretary in May 2007 trebling his duties within the club as he was already a director and administrator of the scholarship programme - he was even linesman, Paul couldn't bring himself to say assistant referee, at a hastily arranged friendly between Wealdstone and AFC Hayes this season.

Although now ensconced in the club hierarchy the 45-year-old is first and foremost a fan. He was secretary of the supporters club and was goalkeeper for the supporters team for years, hence the nickname.

The self-employed gardener has organised many social events and participated in countless fundraising events for the club.

Along with other fans Paul won the Harrow Observer award for best stall in show at the 2000 Harrow Show and in 1999 the supporters club released a CD, entitled 'Sticks and Stones¹ compiled by supporters and the bands they played in.

However it is their sponsored walks that have earned legendary status for Paul and his fellow fans.

The Supporters Club held its first sponsored walk in 1991 when over 80 supporters walked the 16 miles from Harrow to see an away game against Fisher Athletic in South East London, raising over £8,000.

Later walks to Harrow Borough, Wingate & Finchley, Leyton Pennant and Boreham Wood were equally successful.

In 2001, the sponsored walks became more ambitious. The Stones to Rocks Walk, in March 2001 saw a group of Wealdstone supporters take five days off work to walk the 60 miles from Leatherhead to Bognor Regis in time for the Stones game that weekend.

However, the walk turned out to be more than the planned length as it coincided with a foot and mouth outbreak and they had to take considerable detours.

Wealdstone FC

Fellow walker Steve Paull commented at the time that he had to put up with the worst and strangest snoring than he had ever heard: "In fact snoring does not adequately describe the sounds coming from Fingers' mouth when he's asleep." This is something Paul's girlfriend confirms.

In 2003 saw the Strolling Stones Walk to Oxford, a walk with a difference as this time Paul and nine fellow supporters walked 75 miles along the banks of the Oxford Canal from Newbold-On-Avon to Oxford, with a narrow boat following in support acting as floating restaurant and evening hotel.

Paul has supported the Stones since he was a boy, his favourite season is
1985 when they when they won the nonleague double and his favourite ever Wealdstone player is, not surprisingly, Stuart Pearce.

He has photographs of 'psycho¹ during his Wealdstone days including one where the future England captain is wearing a cowboy outfit on the team bus.

Paul was slightly embarrassed to be nominated as fan of the week as he claimed: "There are hundreds of Stones¹ fans as fanatical as me and it is that camaraderie ­ and the work of Alan Couch in particular - that has kept our spirits up during these years of homelessness."

The end to the groundsharing is in sight with Wealdstone hoping to move into their new Canons Park ground in 2008.

The club had hoped to have moved in by now but with typical Wealdstone fortune the company paying the builders went into liquidation.

Paul is philosophical about this: "The one thing about being a Wealdstone fan is that you are used to adversity."

When they do eventually play their first game there after years on the road - one thing for sure is that Paul 'fingers' Fruin will be there.