For Stafford Rangers Eric Robins has been a hero supporter long before the Corona Virus that we all now fight off the pitch.You will no doubt either know of or have come into contact with Eric through the clubs Lottery scheme where he was fundamental in driving membership and has been part of the lottery committee for some considerable time. For Eric things have always been Black & White, a man of principle and loyalty always clear in what is right and wrong. The success of our lottery scheme was undoubtedly down to his tenacity and hard work. It helps that his demeanour and enthusiasm to help his beloved club, his family, is palpable. We are sure many people entered the scheme not just to help the Boro but also to support Eric.
Born in Stone in 1946 to Margaret Alice Bedson and William John Robins, Eric was definitively a Baby Boomer. His mother Margaret worked at the Railway Offices in Stafford and his father was a gunner in the war. He attended Oulton Primary School and then Newcastle High School. After his education he continued to reside in Stone and began his career with the County Council. A Stoke City supporter (don’t shout it out loudly) Eric continued to get disillusioned with the amount of hooliganism evident in the game at the time. In 1968 some colleagues suggested a visit to the Rangers and he was hooked. ‘The atmosphere was great and I was made to feel incredibly welcome’ remembers Eric and since his first game, funnily enough, a friendly against Stoke City he has never looked back.
He has special memories of travelling to Italy to watch the Rangers play in the Anglo Italian Tournament and his eyes glaze over a little remembering 1972, when he joined the 20,000 fans who went to Wembley to watch the Boro win the FA trophy. Eric played table tennis up until 5 years ago a sport he found in his youth. Another major love of his life was holidays in Tenerife an Island he loved visiting, firstly in 1979. He continued to go every year up until a short time ago. Whilst he loved the Canaries the most important part was making lifelong friends who keep in touch on a regular basis even now.
For Eric Stafford Rangers have become his family he is part of our team and we are proud to be part of his and today, We Stand Together! At the moment Eric is like all of us at home, but he also suffers from some health conditions that make him vulnerable. We are all in contact with him by telephone and he is being supported with food, medicines and love by two of our other very special supporters and friends Alison Broome and Sally-anne Ashby. I know Eric would like to publicly thank them. Their support makes such a difference to Eric, as it does to us. If you want to contact Eric I am sure he would love to hear from you.
We can’t finish this article without acknowledging not only Eric’s continual moral support for the club but also for his quite astonishing financial support. He has only recently purchased an additional £1,000 in shares to support the club in its hour of need, thanks Eric you really are so much ‘more than just a fan’ We would like to try and run some more supporter profiles in the coming weeks so we would welcome any details of those you would like to see mentioned.
