East Green I 83
Schoolboy⭐⭐🦐
No words really are there..... God Bless mate xIt is with a heavy and broken heart that I have to tell you that my brother, Cromer Blue, passed away this morning after a short illness following a third cancer diagnosis.
He took me to my first home and away games, bought me my first half, aged about 14 in the Spread Eagle one Boxing Day, and we travelled all over following the Blues.
Although he moved around a lot his love for Southend never wavered. When he knew of his prognosis he intended to travel down to the Rochdale game but sadly was too ill to travel. He was able to watch it from his home surrounded by friends and family though. His last Blues game was the memorable home win v Chesterfield.
He was always so ridiculously positive about his beloved Blues.we could be 5-0 down in injury time and he’d believe we could snatch a draw. He wrote candidly in the latest AAS and writing was his passion and indeed his job. His various passwords normally included references to Billy Best.
Back in the day he would hitch hike to away games and he liked the fact he could see Roots Hall’s floodlights while at school at Southend High (he had the brains in our family!).
Against Grimsby in a pivotal promotion game at home in 1990. we had a corner just before half time. He uttered the immortal words “ a good time to score” and we did. This meant from then on almost every time we attacked he’d say the same. Don’t think it ever worked again.
He and I went to Fiorentina together, both trips to Wembley and the three Millennium Stadium visits. We were at Peterborough and Stockport and also the disappointment of Grimsby and Morecambe. He always had this amazing talent of bringing, let’s call them “different” people to away games. Living in Cambridge he had a ready supply so you’d be at Halifax and an Italian language student would wander in wearing a Blues’ scarf.
Last weekend I saw him for what we both knew would be the last time. My missus and sister were struggling for words as we left. He and I looked at each other and I said “Up the Blues” to which he replied “that’s all there is to say”.
He was my best mate and my hero.
RIP Graham.
Utbs!