Guardian - 21 January 2018, 20:17 (+ 2301 days 1 hours and 6 minutes) Eurofootball
Middlesbrough fans open their pockets for the hard-up National League club and hopes rise that a new owner may soon take overMaybe David Cameron’s “big society” does exist after all? It certainly seems to be alive and kicking in Hartlepool. A genuine sense of community, connectivity and cooperation filled the frosty streets surrounding Victoria Park as 3pm approached on Saturday and a bumper crowd of almost 7,000 filed in to watch Hartlepool United face Wrexham in the National League.Most purchased a special match programme. Designed by David Carless, a local art teacher, its front cover depicted a Middlesbrough footballer holding out a helping hand to a Hartlepool counterpart. The pair were set against an abstract impression of a mountain of fans also linking hands as they supported each other during an arduous climb to the summit. An inspiring, evocative, image, it harked back to 1986 when a then deeply indebted Middlesbrough staved off the threat of extinction, partly thanks to their near neighbours lending them Victoria Park. Continue reading...