How blogging brought three old pals back together (From Northwich Guardian)
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Join Guardian reporter and Stoke City fan Ian as he gets used to life in the Premiership.
Friends reunited by football
10:39pm Thursday 27th November 2008
THIS world wide web is an amazing thing, you know. Not an original thought I confess, but I never expected it to reunite me with friends I had not seen for two decades.
That's what will happen on Saturday afternoon when I watch Stoke City take on Hull City at the Brit.
When I started writing this blog, I got a message one day asking me: "Are you the Ian Probert who...." and then proceeding to list my mum and dad's names, my cat's name and my sister's name.
That contact came from Jonathan Richardson, who used to go to games with me at the Victoria Ground in the late 70s and early 80s.
Jon and his sister Jo, who lived in Keele at the time, were with us when Paul Richardson (no relation) scored the goal that won us promotion back to the top flight in 1979.
On the way back from that game at Notts County, we stopped on a lay by on the A50 and stood there, waving our red and white scarves at fellow Stokies as they drove past on the way home.
On the way back from that game at Notts County, we stopped on a lay by on the A50 and stood there, waving our red and white scarves at fellow Stokies as they drove past on the way home.
Ian Probert remembers celebrating promotion to the old First Division in 1979
They honked horns, we waved some more. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
But sometimes you lose contact with people. Jo and Jon both went on to colleges, I followed myself a few years after that.
I had not heard from them until that totally unexpected message on the blog.
My reaction was to say 'Oh my god' and grin like a Cheshire Cat.
So here's looking forward to seeing Jon, Jo and possibly their parents Colin and Anne.
And Colin, I know you're not a fan of the Beautiful Game, so I promise not to bore you rigid like I did as a footie mad teenager.
With all that to look forward to, a Potters victory would be the icing on the cake.
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