By Brendon Williams
BBC News website |
  Even lifelong fans like Neil and Neville Cooke say they have "no hope" |
Wrexham FC fans are reluctantly preparing for life outside the Football League for the first time in 87 years. Defeat against Notts County on Saturday will mean relegation from the league, which they have been in since 1921. Last year, the club clinched victory in the last game of the season to avoid relegation, and in recent years have battled back from administration. But now, nine points from safety at the bottom of the table, even die-hard fans think relegation is unavoidable. Among them are Neil Cooke, 56, and his father Neville, 81, who together have clocked up 101 years working on the Racecourse's turnstiles. Mr Cooke jnr said: "I'm not as devastated as some people because I've been to a lot of away games and could see the writing has been on the wall for many, many weeks. "There's absolutely no way the team will stay up. I have no hope at all. My father has also been saying for a long time that the team won't survive this season." He added: "It has been demoralising. As a turnstile steward I feel sorry for the people that have come to watch the dross the team has produced this season. "But we will live to fight another day and I think we will bounce back. "The ground is still there and we have good management for next year - Brian Little just had a rusty bag of tools to work with this year." Lindsay Jones, a board member of Wrexham Supporters' Trust, said he was "very resigned" to the team going down. He added: "There's a stigma attached to towns that lose their League clubs. They can be dark, miserable places.  Many fans fear the sun has already set on Wrexham's league history |
"It's a massive blow to the town. "Wrexham is known for its football team. Every Saturday afternoon we're on the telly." He said fans now wanted to know: "What's the plan for the future?" While many fans accept relegation looms, it has yet to be seen what effect life without a team in the Football league will have on the town. Morale Dave Roberts, membership manager with the Chamber of Commerce for Chester, Ellesmere Port and North Wales, said it was impossible to quantify how much business Wrexham FC fans bring to the town. But he added: "There must be some kind of spend from the football fans, or perhaps the wives that come in and go shopping. "But it will definitely be a sad day for Wrexham [if they are relegated], and it could affect the morale of the people of Wrexham." Mr Roberts said having a team in the Football League can boost a town's profile. He added: "It's a bit like Accrington Stanley - many people elsewhere in the country might not have been to Wrexham, but they've heard of it because of the football results." Wrexham Council declined to comment on the effect of relegation on the town. Flintshire-based commercial finance firm Lease Direct currently has a deal to continue as the club's sponsors next season. The company said it hoped to make a "positive" statement next week.
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There's a stigma attached to towns that lose their league clubs... they can be dark, miserable places
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