10 years ago in Spring 1996, the moderator of the QPR e-mail list, Barb, was
thrown down a challenge by a group of Arsenal fans to raise a team to play
their recently formed Cybury Gooners FC. The reaction was a little
half-hearted with only 7 players initially coming forward. However, those
seven players had a good old kick around in Regents' Park in the rain and
the volunteer manager, Justin 'Juzza' Pieris aka me, was really rather
shocked at how good those players were. After training, we then plotted the
unlikely defeat of a team of Arsenal fans. To be honest, more effort was
spent in the pub drinking and trying to make-up a name that would
encapsulate the spirit of a group of QPR fans playing in the hoops. The name
Accrington Stanley Bowles FC was eventually chosen by vote. Stan, a
dissolute genius maverik from the 70s is the most popular player to have
ever donned the famous blue and white hoops. Stan was later to be appointed
Honorary Life President of ASB. The ironic Accrington Stanley bit related to
the recent bitter fortunes of QPR, as we had slipped out of the Premiership
and would shortly slip out of the second tier as well.

Sure enough, a week later the two teams met at Regents Park. As would be a
common occurance over the next 10 years, ASB had a threadbare squad of 12,
including a Spurs fan to help make up the numbers. The game however ended-up
4-1 to ASB and the rest is history.

Although this was the first ASB game ever played, there had been one or two
matches before played by supporters of Spurs, Leeds and Arsenal. These
humble beginnings have developed in the last 10 years into the strongest
supporters football organisation encompassing almost 80 teams, based in the
UK (but spreading tentacles to European clubs too), called the Internet
Football Association. The primary aim being to bring fans of teams together
in a friendly, yet competitive, game of football and then afterwards do what
was quite uncommon in those times, socialise with the supporters of the
opposition prior to going our separate ways to support our respective teams
in the senior game. IFA football has been a catalyst for supporter
integration and communication and many of the leading lights of supporter
organisations, whether Trust, ISA or supporter club have come through the
IFA ranks.

In the next 10 years. ASB would go on to become British League Champions a
record 4 times, IFA Cup winners once, WorldNET winners once and runners-up 3
times. WorldNET is the end of season weekend tournament for all IFA teams.
It's probably the hardest tournament in the world to win on a sheer
endurance basis, requiring winning 4x30 minute group games on the Saturday
and a further 5 knock-out ties on the Sunday. ASB have been finalists four
times in the last ten years. We managed to lose the first one in 1996 as
well as the last one in 2005.

I suspect the psychological motivation that has driven ASB to such success
over this time period has been the downward spiral of the fortunes of QPR.
In a way, it's a way of telling the world that our club might have sunk to
miserable depths, but the lifeblood of the club, the fans are still alive
and kicking. In fact, it's interesting to note that we went through our most
barren period (trophy wise) when QPR were enjoying promotion back into the
second tier. It's also interesting to note that success in supporters'
football doesn't necessarily reflect the size of the fanbase, but rather the
commitment of the fans themselves. Rotherham are an example of another club
who recently have had some success within IFA football, yet their club has
gone through absolute turmoil.

It was felt fitting, as part of our decennial season celebrations to mark it
with a game against our original foes, The Cybury Gooners. Sadly, the
original venue was not available and we had to settle for Warren Farm.

I was disappointed that the old Cybury Management team of Mark King and Mel
couldn't make it due to flight problems and that left myself as the only
remaining player from the original fixture present. Although, it was nice to
see Jamie representing some of the older guard. Both current managers
however were kind enough to mark the occasion by letting me prattle on about
the significance of the game to all the players before the kick-off and to
actually play up front for the first 10 minutes… not easy when you're 45 and
3/4!

ASB lined-up with a combined strike-force age of 80! :

Rob

Orv Woody PeeWee Tweena

Nick Riz Gavin
Slouch

Jools Juzza

Subs: Jordan, Naz, David ?, Mungo

Arsenal, had re-emerged from the traditional winter hibernation and they
sported a decent strong looking squad of young players. This group of
players had only played together once before, but credit to Ian their
manager, he seems to have shaped them very quickly into a neat passing unit
that were particularly strong in midfield and going forward.

I plodded around for 10 minutes and then was duly subbed for Jordan. The
game, as ever between these teams, was well fought with plenty of hard but
fair tackles going in. ASB had a slight dominance and eventually after 38
minutes the greater pressure was made to pay when PeeWee broke down the
right wing and centred to Jools, who calmly slotted under the keeper.

1-0

In the meantime the game was getting more heated and Riz had been bending my
ear more and more as I had taken-up reffing duties. His verbosity would
later be punished.

HT 1-0

I gratefully handed over the whistle to Ian Gannon, a proper ref. Naz came
on for Rob.

The second goal came quickly after the restart on 48 minutes as Slouch
delivered a cross-field ball from the left, which Nick took on his chest and
rather delicately lobbed over the keeper from outside the area. Nick was to
come close with free-kick a bit later too.

On 50 minutes, Nick was through on goal, he shot and the keeper parried,
only into the path of Jools who scored an easy goal with his wrong foot!

3-0 to ASB and all was well in the world.

It wouldn't be ASB of course if we didn't make life unnecessarily difficult
for ourselves. Arsenal scored from a corner that wasn't cleared, a possible
push on Riz that was unseen by Ian and they scored a simple close range
goal.

3-1

Now at 3-1, I was thinking oooh an historic repeat of the 4-1 might be on
the cards. Not to be as the ASB self-destruct button was well and truly
pushed. Riz had not desisted from bending the refs ear (didn't really
matter who the ref was) and eventually after he refused to come to Ian to
receive a dressing down, he was given a well-deserved red card. Of he trots
still burbling to himself, but no-one was listening anymore.

Then their Al Murray looky-likely striker, who had been quite useful all day
and indeed had managed to bamboozle three ASB defenders with one delightful
Cruyffesque shimmy on the left of the box in the first half, received the
ball this time on the right and hit an unstoppable cross-goal shot into the
opposite top corner – a class finish to match Nicks' earlier effort.

3-2

Arsenal had unbelievably managed to claw their way back into the game and
the last 15 minutes were pretty frantic. Naz managed to pole-axe his own
defender when attempting to punch the ball away : a nice shiner.

Riz had calmed down enough to be allowed back on the pitch by now.

It was all a bit tense. Then with no minutes of normal time remaining the
ball was knocked to the edge of the box at head height, Orville lead bravely
with his head to clear, but the Arsenal Reyes looky-likely had his back to
Orv and attempted an overhead kick. Unfortunately he missed the ball and
almost took Orv's head off. Orv secured two deep gashes in his head and a
fountain of blood proceeded to spout forth. Fortunately the manager had
insisted we buy a first aid kit this season and he was patched-up and Ian
blew-up as we had by this time run out of fit players.

Final Score 3-2.

In summary, a very hard-fought competitive game. Nice to end the league
season with a win and to also mark our decennial with a repeat win. We will
probably end-up 3rd or 4th in the British League this season.

With a few more games under their belt and a slightly stronger defence,
Arsenal could become resurgent again. In 1996 season ASB won an unofficial
league (counting up all the games played). The next 4 years would see the
names QPR, QPR, Arsenal and then QPR engraved on the trophy.

Thanks to Ian for bringing his team to West London and to Arsenal for
providing good quality opposition for ten years of supporters footy.

Make no mistake Arsenal are back and ASB, well, we've never been away.

Juzza

Manager ASB 1996-2000. Chair ASB 2000-present time.