Good or bad, bad or good, sad or happy, eventful on or off the pitch, we want to hear about a day you followed AFC Fylde, and why it stands out.

 

This week, we hear a unique story from Malky Wilson!

 

My name is Malky Watson, and I have been watching AFC Fylde since January 2012. In that time I have made many friends, and inadvertently found a love for cycling through various charity events with a group of fans that evolved to become the Fylde Flyers.

It is one of those events that I have chosen as a memorable match, although the match itself was not very memorable!

Friday 27^th April 2018:

The day before the last regular match of the season. Fylde needed a point away to Wrexham to secure a play-off place in the National league playoffs at the first time of asking. While the club were putting the finishing touches to the seven or so coaches of free travel for fans, the Fylde Flyers were getting ready to start our biggest challenge yet.

Blackpool Tower to Wrexham (with an overnight on the outskirts of Chester). All the team converged on the start line for the official send off, so for me this meant a 6:30 start from Mill Farm. After a quick pace to the Comedy Carpet, we awaited the rest of the team, representatives from our charities and our old support friends Sandcastle Blackpool and new support Friends Cybele Velo. 

After the usual publicity shots the team set off, just as the rain started (a common thread for our cycles) to arrive at: Mill Farm. I had done 30 miles and arrived back within 400yards of my home. After a pep talk and send off from Chally and Parker the puppy we set off. However very soon disaster struck as Stadium Announcer Brain Porter crashed into the back of the Sandcastle van before we reached Wesham War memorial. (He was fine, one sunglasses lens not so much)

We dusted ourselves down and carried on the long slog to the Mersey Ferry, and barring a couple of punctures we were incident free all the way there. The rest on the ferry was welcome and we soon arrived in Birkenhead and started to make our way through the Wirral. At this time most of us were in uncharted territory in terms of miles covered and tempers began to fray as the previously compiled route was lost. 

A split in the group led to myself and Gilly (the other half of the Scottish Embassy) apart from the rest of the group. We soon picked up the planned route on our Garmins and started making our way to the hotel, arriving a little after everyone else. But the real sense of achievement was that I, like everyone else that day had achieved something special: 100 miles covered in a day! We all kissed and made up, had some well-deserved drinks and food, and got to bed ready for the next day.

Saturday 28^th April 2018:

 A 15-mile leg loosener over the border to Wrexham. We set off early and reached our holding point: a leisure centre about half a mile from the Racecourse Ground. There we got our fancy dress costumes on and waited for the supporter’s coaches to arrive at the ground, before cycling the last few hundred yards to be met by the Fylde Faithful. Going on to the pitch at halftime rounded off the day!

The match itself: I think it was a poor 0-0 draw. But we got the point we needed.