Books

Reading matter for footie fans

Massive and fantastic

Gareth M.Davies & Peter Jones, The Racecourse Robins from Adams to Youds (1999)

“Labour of love”. I set out to review this mighty tome with the firm intention of avoiding this well-worn phrase, but, try as I might, there is just no way around it. There simply isn’t another adequate description of The Racecourse Robins from Adams to Youds, at least none that doesn’t call into question the sanity of the two authors! Four hundred and twenty-six pages of relentless information tells the story not only of WFC through the lives and careers of its players, but also, between the lines, the story of two committed enthusiasts who have given generously of their time (and no doubt money!) to bring to the world this enthralling treasure. Both Gareth M. Davies and Peter Jones are members of the Association of Football Statisticians, and from this you could guess that they would be at ease with facts and figures - but the way that the book is compiled, the style and the feel of the written word, leave you in no doubt that this comes from the hearts and minds of two fans who happen to be statisticians, and not the other way around. They love this club - our club, and that passion is well in evidence throughout the book.

This is the only book on the club to have been written about just the players themselves, rather than a chronological record, and it is this ‘human interest’ slant on the club’s history that so captivates. Not concentrating solely on playing careers, it tells how, in a close-knit and intimate community, ‘ordinary’ people, set apart only by their footballing skills, enjoyed their brief hour upon the stage before returning to the real world as postmen, newsagents, engineers. However, when it comes to the players’ careers on the pitch, no effort is stinted - full accounts are given, that include contemporary opinion as well as facts and figures, and by the end of the ‘mini-biography’ you have a flavour of the complete player. In this way you build up a picture of what our predecessors, as fans of the club, would have seen and experienced through the decades - almost a social history of Wrexham and its football, if you like.

Dean Domerecki

(Dean continues his review in RP15)