THE VICS COLUMN - By Trickies supporter Tom Riley

IT all started way back in the 50s with my nan, Sybil Riley.

Most Saturdays she would go to the Drill Field and stand in the Dane Bank watching her heroes.

Her favourite player back then was Len Barber.

That all came about when, after seeing a horse called Barber in a big race, the family told her it had no chance of winning. luckily she still stuck some money on and it won!

She always tells me her favourite games were the many fiesty Boxing Day clashes with Witton Albion.

When my dad John Riley got a free ticket from school to watch Vics, it was his turn to be hooked.

He would go religiously home and away... from watching Vcs at the Drill Field to cold Tuesday nights in Emley, there’s not many parts of the country he’s not been watching Vics.

He’s seen many FA Cup/ FA Trophy runs, twice been to Wembley with Vics and even seen Elton John down the Drillfield with Watford.

He can never pick a favourite match as there’s been so many, but he will never forget the FA Trophy semi final in 83 when he went to a very fiesty match against Dagenham & Redbridge and watched Mark Ward score in a 1-0 win to book Vics a place at Wembley.

When I was born in 1987 he couldn’t wait to take me to a match, in fact my first match he took me to, I was four weeks old! I obviously don’t remember anything about the match.

When I was old enough to walk I’d start going home and away matches religiously with my dad. I couldn’t wait for Saturdays to arrive.

I’ve been to so many grounds, the FA Cup runs, a Wembley trip in 96, these memories will stay with me for life.

The games that stick out for me were beating Charlton 1-0 in the FA Cup in 2009, the away game at Newcastle Benfield last season, where we won 3-2 and really kicked off our amazing FA Vase run, and the trip to Premiership side Sunderland in 2006 in the FA Cup where we were roared on by at least 4000 Trickies!

Then in 2011, I too become a dad to my son Kieran Riley. He started to come to the matches roughly when he was five-years-old.

Now he’s exactly the same as I was... counting down the days till Saturday.

He already has some great memories from seeing a great FA Vase run last season, starting his favourite chants on the Vics away days bus and twice being mascot, he is completely hooked.

His hero is manager Steve Wilkes and will regularly go find Steve before and after matches to talk to him.

With so many memories and so much history this club has, it will always mean so much to my family.

Long may it continue with future generations of the Riley family.

Next match: Padiham away, Saturday