Features

By Stuart Croll (NonLeagueToday)

Not many fans of NonLeague clubs have seen their teams play in Europe against clubs such as Roma, Porto and Anderlecht but Wrexham fan Andy Simon can remember his side playing against and occasionally defeating such giants of the European game.
Andy admits the memories of these classic games and exciting cup runs made the fact Wrexham would be plying their trade this season in NonLeague football, at first, very upsetting.

He said: "When we were relegated at the end of last season it was heartbreaking. To think in 1985 we beat Porto over two legs in the Cup Winners Cup and now we were looking forward to trips to the likes of Barrow and Lewes." But Andy has been won over by NonLeague football.

"I think most fans are enjoying the season. Firstly we are winning more games than we had done in previous seasons and the standard of football in the Blue Square is very high." Andy was taken to his first Wrexham game at the Racecourse Ground in 1975 by his father.

The Racecourse ground at Wrexham FC

He stood on the Spion Kop alongside his dad and friends of his dad and the Kop soon became his second home. Of course Andy's Wrexham supporting history does not involve a great amount of watching NonLeague football and his fondest memories of watching his team include great cup matches in the FA Cup and the Cup-Winners Cup.
In his second season of watching the Robins, they reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners cup beating Polish and Swedish opposition on the way.

They lost to the eventual winners ­ Anderlecht. Andy said: "When you are young and you see your team compete against the likes of Anderlecht you think your team can compete with anyone." And it got better ten years later when in the same tournament Andy watched Wrexham knocked-out Portugese giants Porto.

He said: "Looking back I guess we were spoiled with those European games and FA Cup wins against the likes of Arsenal but I can see no reason why the big games cant return to the Racecourse Ground." Andy is hopeful Dean Saunders could gain promotion in his first season.

"My dream for the season is a play-off win at Wembley next May." The season before Wrexham were relegated Andy stood next to his son and his father as they survived relegation at the expense of Boston United on the last day of the season.

He said: "As great as that day was it only delayed relegation by one season.
But knowing now how much fun the NonLeague game is and the quality of football on show I shouldn't have been so upset."