Fleet Fan File; Ed Miller

The Fleet Fan Files are back, and this week I caught up with long-time Fleet fan and webmaster, Ed Miller! 

 

Name: Ed Miller
From: Gravesend
Time supporting the 'Fleet: 25 years

Do you remember your first game? Who was it against, and what was the score? I went with my dad in 1980 or 81, it was 1-1 v Stafford in the Alliance Premier League but I was only seven and didn't take much notice. What I count as my first real proper game, where I sat with my uncle right behind the directors box, was a 3-0 win over then promotion rivals Bury Town in 1988.

You're a regular 'Fleet fan. What was the 'hook' for you? Success, pure and simple. I decided to go after my uncle had been badgering me for years and Fleet were second in the league. I got the promotion bug almost instantly and that season we were runners-up in the Southern Division and knocked out what were then non-league giants Barnet and Kettering in the Trophy. That's the sort of thing that hooks you in and I've never lost the bug since.

Who is your favourite 'Fleet player that you've seen play, and why? Steve Portway was astonishing. He wouldn't just score in nearly every game, he'd score twice or three times regularly. After years of being very mediocre as a club, the Portway years were really exciting and we got a lot of publicity through his goalscoring exploits as well.

What are your top three 'Fleet games? Aldershot in the Trophy semi-final. Absolute mayhem in the last minute, probably the most euphoric I have ever felt at football.

2.158 Fleet fans watch on as West's header loops over the keepers head.

The Farnborough play-off final. Fleet were immense for 87 minutes, scored some excellent goals, and then it looked like we'd mess it all up in the final three, only for a last-minute goal - the full gamut of emotions. It was all the more precious as we had a great turnout and I really never expected us to be back in the Conference Premier for years, let alone at the first attempt.

Although I should probably put the Wembley final or Aston Villa as my third, I really enjoyed the 3-0 replay win over Cinderford in 1995 that meant we got through to the Villa game. There was some great singing and fantastic celebrations that night.

And your worst three? Have you got all day?! My worst games are usually FA Cup defeats, the sort of games that make you angry. So they'd probably be:

Sammy Moore grabs a 121st minute winner...

The sickener at home to AFC Wimbledon where they equalised in the last minute of normal time, then scored the winner in the last minute of extra time - really deflating.

The Bromley defeat a few years back where they won 3-0 - we were going badly in the league, and this was even worse. A truly diabolical performance. [For those who may not remember, this was in the middle of the abysmal eight games without a goal record for the Fleet]

And take any of our other recent FA Cup defeats as the third - losing 1-0 at Chelmsford, 3-2 at Hornchurch, or going down in the last minute against Notts County. Fortunately I missed the [2-0] defeat at Redbridge.

Your favourite 'Fleet goal. Where, when and why? Michael Bostwick at Aldershot in the FA Trophy for the reasons above. Short of a goal to win the league, I don't think I'll see a strike as important as that while under the pressure we were again. 

What is the best ground you've been to supporting the 'Fleet? Aside from the obvious ones of Villa Park and Wembley, probably Reading when we played there against Farnborough in the late 90s. Though there was more atmosphere on the moon.

And the worst? I've been to some real dumps in my early years. Ruislip springs to mind, I recall Burnham as being a field with a rope and a bus shelter and Hednesford in 1995 just seemed to be built entirely of mud and rubble.

Outside of the 'Fleet, what's the best match you've been to? A bit topical, but probably the play-off final that Steve Brown [now the Fleet manager] played in for Charlton v Sunderland that ended up 4-4 in 1998. I didn't even want to go, but got dragged along, and it was a great game. Another that sticks long in my memory is Ireland's 1-0 win over Holland in 2001 in Dublin. I was over visiting my cousins and got tickets - the win meant Ireland were more or less sure of making the World Cup play-offs and the celebrations were something else.

Last season was one of the worst in recent seasons, what are you most looking forward to next season? Football. Pure and simple. No arguments about ownership, no worries about limping along to the end of the season, no buckets, no more MyFC-related bickering on the forums.

Under new ownership and with some excellent signings under our belt, what are your initial expectations for next season? I think all Fleet fans know how close we came to oblivion and we're realistic that this league is tough. Plenty of clubs have spent heavily and not got promotion, so in theory a top eight placing wouldn't be a disaster. But of course in practice, with the players we've got and still more to come, you're looking at least at play-offs. So while realistic, I'd have to admit to a twinge of disappointment if we weren't up there.

Finally, name your 'Fleet XI from players you've seen play:

GK: Preston Edwards

RB: Lee Protheroe

CB: Ross Smith

CB: Darius Charles

LB: Paul Hennessy

RM: Mark Bentley

CM: Michael Bostwick

CM: Stacy Long

LM: Jimmy Jackson

CF: Steve Portway

CF: Charlie MacDonald