It's better down below- Part 5: From Devil to Angel- Mike's story

Do you remember that old joke about all Manchester United supporters coming from Surrey? Well research for this article disproves it entirely. We’ve had a number of formerly avid watchers of United come forward and offer to take part, and none of them have been from Surrey.

They all live in Kent.

Mike Knell manages to be both a devil and an angel, spending most of his life following United before eventually switching to his home town club in Tonbridge. He tells a story of half way line goals, kung-fu kicks, upturned collars and a genial/grumpy Scottish knight of the realm, and of abandoning all of that for heavenly delights nearer home. As he explains, his United obsession was his brother’s fault.

“I was around six years old, and my elder brother was a United supporter. I’ve no idea why- we have no connection to Manchester whatsoever, and it was the late seventies so it wasn’t as if United were a real force at that point- but where he went, I followed. Before long I was really hooked, and the first time I watched them was at Plough Lane against Wimbledon. We lost that match 1-0, and the goal was scored by Vinnie Jones- his first for the club, a month after signing for them from Wealdstone (29 November 1986). After that I would go and watch them regularly, and although I never had a season ticket- I lived too far away- I would watch them when they came to London and go up to Old Trafford as often as I could.”

Mike was perhaps rather lucky in that he was able to become an avid United watcher at a time when the club were having their most sustained period of success. A number of moments stand out for him, and not all because of the quality of the football. “I was at Selhurst Park the day that David Beckham scored that goal from the half way line, and indeed I was right behind the shot as it flew towards the goal. I was at the same stadium the night that Eric Cantona lost his temper and demonstrated he was skilled in martial arts, and I was at Old Trafford for the Champions League match against Galatasaray the night that Peter Schmeichel took issue with a supporter invading the pitch and threw him into the advertising hoardings (Manchester United 3 Galatasaray 3, 20th October 1993). Watching Cantona on so many occasions was a privilege in itself; I saw his first goal for United at Stamford Bridge. I was also present the night Schmeichel scored in a UEFA Cup match (v Rotor Volgograd, February 1995- United lost on away goals), and at the match against Everton just after the death of Sir Matt Busby where the club paid tribute to the great man. The teams were led out by a lone piper, and it was both special and emotional.

There was also a really special match against Leeds United, in 1995-96. Leeds were having a really difficult time (they’d lost nine out of their previous twelve games) but the atmosphere was electric, the game was really hard fought, and we managed to win 1-0- Roy Keane scored the goal. The match was instrumental in us beating Newcastle to the title, and Alex Ferguson’s comments about teams trying harder against United than Newcastle after than match sparked Kevin Keegan’s infamous rant.”

He also recounts meeting Sir Alex Ferguson, just before a friendly match against Reading. It was an unplanned encounter. "I just happened to be in the car park before the match, a car pulled up beside me, and he jumped out. I managed to have a word and shake his hand, and to get to meet the man responsible for so many of the great moments of my football watching life was a major highlight.”

Listening to all of these tales, and the excitement with which they are delivered, begs one obvious question. Given quite how wrapped up Mike was in the Manchester United world, what made him stop? You might expect that the answer would be something to do with the money in the game, the impact of the Sky millions, or perhaps the impersonal nature of the Premier League experience, but you’d be wrong. “As I got older I had pangs of doubt. People would ask me why I supported United given I didn’t come from anywhere near Manchester, and I began to feel some sympathy for that line of questioning. Why was I supporting United? I had a team on my doorstep. I’d lived in Tonbridge for almost my entire life, and I had watched Angels kind of semi-regularly with my mates, but my obsession had been Manchester United. The more I thought about it the more it bothered me. I’d put so much time and effort into supporting a team that I had only an emotional connection to, rather than a team I had a physical connection to, a local team."

He can trace his conversion back to one particular match. Angels were playing Ashford Town and looked down and out. “We were two nil down after about an hour before pulling a goal back just before the end. Spurred on the team piled forward and managed to grab an added time equaliser, and then, with the last kick of the match, a winner. It was pandemonium behind the goal, the crowd were so animated, and to be so close to the action- at Old Trafford I’d be so high up that the players looked like ants, you felt somehow disconnected from it- I think that was the moment that turned me into a full time supporter. For around ten years since I’ve been entirely committed to my home town team, getting to as many games as I can home and away.”

Giving up an enormous part of your life is always going to be difficult, but Mike doesn’t seem to have any regrets. Loyalty to his town, his neighbourhood, is uppermost in his thoughts. “I think it’s important to support your home club. When you’ve lived in a place for so long it means a lot to you, and being passionate about the town it’s only natural that I feel passionate about the club. When they win I have a fabulous Saturday night, when they lose it’s terrible.”

But there must be something about the experience, too? Such dedication can’t be purely down to home town loyalty, can it?

“Of course, it’s entirely different to the Premier League experience. You have a relationship with the players and they’re a friendly bunch, you’re close to the pitch, you’re important to the club, whereas at the top level you certainly can’t get near the players and often you can’t even get near the pitch either!

These days, whilst I have affection for United, and would like to go every now and again, I’m an Angels supporter first and foremost. United will always hold a special place in my heart, I followed them from six to thirty-something, but there’s nothing quite like following your home town club. I’ll never go back to being a regular at Old Trafford. I think you should support your local team- and that’s not a Non-League-good Premier-League-bad argument, if your local club is in the Premier League that’s fair enough, but I think that people should follow a team they have a local connection to. I’m an Angels fan first, and a United fan second.

The problem that the Non-League game has is its ability to attract people who are immersed in a society which is obsessed with the top level game. I think once you get them there, and they experience the atmosphere, the singing, the friendly nature, then you have a chance of keeping them, but getting them there in the first place is difficult. I know people who think that I watch a pub team- that the standard is poor, the pitches awful- and that’s a perception that all supporters at our level have to fight against. Of course it’s nothing like that at all, and when I have been able to persuade people who were initially reluctant to come along then they’ve enjoyed the whole experience. It’s a friendly atmosphere, too, there isn’t trouble at our level- although there’s a little antagonism against Billericay this season!”

Unlike many football fans, Mike is most definitely a glass-half-full sort of chap. He’s grateful for his experiences. “I had some wonderful years watching United. I suppose I should be grateful to my brother for leading me down the road to Old Trafford, as it’s given me memories that will stay with me forever. But I’ve gone from supporting a famous club to supporting one which not too many people know about, and I have no regrets.”

Asked about his hopes for Angels, he indulges in some whimsy. “I’d like to see us be successful, obviously. It would be fabulous, perhaps, to get as high as League Two. But I think we’d need a Glenn Tamplin to come along if that was to happen. I wouldn’t have a problem with that; if we could be successful I’d think that all my Christmases had come at once! I try to look on the positive side of the Billericay situation- our league has never had so much interest, and that has to be good for us all; although having said that I suppose our particular division might be a bit of a procession this year. Perhaps it might bring more supporters to the league in general.”

The highest league position that Tonbridge Angels have ever managed is a ninth place finish in Conference South in 2011-12. As a community owned concern these days it is unsurprising that the link between supporters and club is strong, and as such unsurprising that Mike and others enjoy the experience of watching football at Longmead quite so much, but you’d have to think that unless something dramatic changes- unless they find a Tonbridge Tamplin, perhaps- no matter how high Angels aspire to fly they might struggle to reach Mike’s League Two heaven.

One thing we can be certain of, however, is that Tonbridge Angels will never be Manchester United. And perhaps, as surely even Mike would agree, that can only be a good thing.

This is the last item in this series- for now. If you'd like to take part in the future, please email townsendaround@gmail.com