A day has passed since that cataclysmic ending to the FA Trophy Semi Final against FC Halifax Town. And in the subsequent 24 hours all Alty fans will have felt the full gamut of negative emotions from frustration to despair to anger. I know there were tears shed at the end of the game, and I know that hearts were broken. Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, perhaps the most bitter any of us have had to digest whilst watching the Robins.
 
My personal reaction to the loss would have been the same as yours, the same bitterness, the same hollow feeling of disappointment, and the same futile thoughts of what might have been. And all those emotions clamouring for attention inside my brain. 

But in the 24 hours since the end of the game, other emotions are making themselves heard – at first quietly, as a background note then gaining confidence and volume and now a strident chorus of positivity. I am feeling Pride and I am feeling Hope. 

Pride not just in the team, in the management, in the club as a whole but in each and every one of you in the ground yesterday and with the town as a whole. Nearly 4,000 home fans graced The J.Davidson Stadium yesterday and boy did you make yourselves heard. You were immense, each and every one of you. You have been immense all season and you are a huge part of the progress we have made on and off the pitch.   

And how about the town as a whole, and not just Altrincham but Sale, Timperley, Baguley, Broadheath, Bowdon and Hale.  And further afield into leafy Cheshire – to Ashley, Mobberley, Knutsford and Lymm and in towards Manchester along the tram line as well. You have never got behind us like you have this season – we have never felt the positive Alty vibe so strongly across the whole of our local area.   

Record Season Ticket sales this season, record overall gate receipts already assured for the season and a new record turnover for a single game set once more on Saturday.

This team, our team is more relevant to the town than it has ever before. And at the heart of this is the brilliant work of our Community section and the Junior sides too. Literally hundreds of youngsters from local schools and our myriad of junior teams present at every game. We are no longer just a team in Altrincham, we are a club that belongs, heart and soul, to Altrincham. 

"And as I consider all the reasons for Pride, my Hope turns to Optimism. Despite the disappointment of yesterday, I wholeheartedly believe that the amazing progress that this club has made in the last few years will continue.

With your support and backing, how can we lose?"

Bill Waterson, Altrincham FC Co-Chair

The season is not over yet – we have another cup semi-final on Tuesday in the Cheshire Senior Cup at Runcorn Linnets. We have our first ever visit to Boundary Park on Good Friday in the National League. And on Easter Monday, please come and show just how much you love this team at The J.Davidson Stadium for the visit of Gateshead.  

We have been overwhelmed by the number of positive and supportive messages to everyone on the board, and in particular to Phil Parkinson and Neil Sorvel. Please keep showing us this support – it lifts all of us; it helps us continue the fight. 

Thank you once again for your magnificent support this season – it has reached new heights, heights I didn’t think possible. You have carried us and I know the team have repaid us all time and again. In adversity you find out the truth, and we have found that we truly have the greatest fans of them all. 

Up the Robins!

Bill