Feature | City in the blood

Ryan O’Dell has Gloucester City AFC in his blood. From a very early age, the club was his life with his dad on the Board of Directors and his mum a stalwart in the kitchen, helping to prepare the pre-match meals for the sponsors and after-match food for the players.

The 51 year-old is still a regular at City games as a season-ticket holder alongside his partner, Jodie, and son, Zac, with the occasional appearance from his daughter, Isla.

His close family ties mean that his passion for the club remains as strong as ever. We find out more…

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME A CITY FAN: I was a fan from the Horton Road days when dad became a director and played a part in the move to Meadow Park. He was a director of Westbury Homes at the time. Being on the Board of Directors for City, it meant dad went every week home and away.

At home games, my mum, alongside the likes of Judith Beecham and Muriel Ball used to help in the kitchen sorting the pre-match meals for the sponsors and the after-match food for the players.

I absolutely loved my time as a kid going to all home games and sometimes the away matches as a family. Memories like having a kick-about on the pitch after matches, collecting the balls when they went over the stands and even getting my dodgy knee sorted by Bernard Tandy the physio, will stay with me forever.

I fondly remember the Brian Godfrey days and getting to spend time with the players, directors and their families. It all seems like it was yesterday, what great times they were.

CAN YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST GAME / EARLIEST MEMORY: I can’t remember my first game, but it was definitely at Horton Road. The clearest early memory is the FA Cup run in the 1989/90 season, making our way to Cardiff City on the coach armed with inflatable tigers and being 2-0 up only to agonisingly draw 2-2 right at the death.

It meant a replay at Meadow Park and I recall watching in horror as ticketless Cardiff fans cut a hole in the stand to get into the ground.

It was a tense game where we eventually slipped to a single-goal defeat, which was gutting.

FIRST CITY HERO AND WHY: I had a few as a youngster; Steve Talboys (Sticksy) and Wayne Noble are two that stand out. I remember just being in awe of what they could do with a football! Then, of course, there was Chris Townsend for his goals.

ALL-TIME CITY HERO AND WHY: Strangely it’s a manager, not a player. It would have to be Brian Godfrey for the football memories he gave me as a kid.

I recall the time we thought we’d won the League only for the radio to relay false info and then Farnborough scoring late on to go above us! The amazing FA Cup run that Brian took us on sticks in the memory as well as some of the great friendlies he got City through his connections! I can remember being lucky enough, through dad, to get access to and meeting the players of Arsenal, Leicester city, Coventry City, Norwich City and Dynamo Minsk to name a few and that was when those sides would bring the first team squads here, which doesn’t seem to happen these days.

To top it all off, Brian Godfrey was not only a good friend of my dad’s but he always had time for us kids and the fans in general.

CURRENT HERO AND WHY: Hanksy, for sure! He’s Mr. Dependable, always there with a foot in, or a head out when we need him and recently popping up with those ohhh so important goals he keeps scoring! I could name a few more; Elis Watts has given us some real quality and having KT back with the armband, leading from the back, is a real boost ahead of the run-in to the end of the season.

We have quite a few unsung heroes at the moment, each of whom are doing their bit and putting shifts in. There is plenty of quality within this group.

BEST MEMORIES SUPPORTING THE CLUB: That has to be the FA Cup run and the trip to Cardiff City, armed with our inflatable tigers. We played so well that day and fully deserved to be two goals to the good as the clock ticked down. It’s just a pity that we couldn’t hold on to our lead.

More recently, it’s coming back home to Gloucester after our lengthy time playing home games outside of the City.

Since returning here, the 4-3 game against Chorley to get us in the play offs in the final moments of the season was a crazy day!

LOWEST POINT SUPPORTING THE CLUB: That would possibly be when Covid ended the League prematurely as we were sat proudly at the top of the table. Beyond that, it was the flood that forced us out of the City for so long, taking with it so many special memories I had from our days at the old Meadow Park. This was a place where we spent so many happy Saturday afternoons as a family.

The exile and playing local football myself, prevented me from watching City for a number of years, but I always followed the results closely and then when we returned to Meadow Park, it was a chance for me to recreate some of my childhood memories with my family. Luckily my partner, Jodie, is a massive football fan too, as is our son, Zac, so we are all season-ticket holders, even Isla, our daughter, comes occasionally and enjoys it when she does. It feels like my childhood is being repeated and that my son enjoys Meadow Park as much as I did all those years ago! We are all City through and through, the club means so much to us.

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT CITY: It’s just one big family here. Growing up everyone knew each other, from the directors and their families, to the players, fellow fans and even Mr. McGoldrick in the food stand! I can remember the sense of belonging and wanting the club to succeed so badly.

Meadow Park was always the place that you wanted to play at as a local football player and I was lucky enough to have done so as youngster in Cup Finals; I even met my partner of 25 years here, at a final with our local Sunday League team, The Globetrotters!

I really feel like the club has its family-friendly feel back again and we are on the verge of good things once more. Things are starting to take shape and we are moving in the right direction, both on and off the pitch.

We have a great Chairman in Colin and a talented team of directors once more, plus we have a great manager in Daf and his coaching staff. I believe we have invested well in the squad and have one of the best group of players we’ve had in a long time. It was disappointing to see Pinchy move on recently, but we can only wish him the best. We’ve still got an abundance of talent in the squad, more than capable of pushing hard for promotion.

This will always be my special place and whatever happens, the support of my family and I will remain strong.