It is with great sadness that the club learned today that Fleet supporter Alan Woods passed away unexpectedly earlier this morning.
Alan was at the game on Saturday v Slough Town and no doubt chatted to many staff and fellow supporters as was customary pre- and post-match in his matchday routine. He was taken ill on Sunday and passed away in his sleep this morning.
A proud Scot, he developed a love for lower league football in his younger days with, as we recall, Arbroath FC and he brought that south with him as he devoted many hours of loyal service in following the Fleet home and away for many years.
His time spent supporting the Fleet included many highlights including our 2001/02 Ryman League title, the 2008 FA Trophy win at Wembley and other promotions, relegations and cup ties in and around those many years.
Supporters may recall his nickname of ‘Fleetstats’ on various fans’ forums down the years as he took a rare delight in crunching the numbers from season to season. As an avid collector, contributor to and reader of the matchday programme, he would devour the contents from cover to cover each home game and always give positive feedback to those of us at the club who encountered him on matchdays.
Alan used to stand at Geeks’ Corner before taking in the view from the Main Stand in more recent years. He was usually at the game early to chew the fat along the gangway with fans, players and officials and could often be spotted gatecrashing the post-match interviews too as he made his way out of the ground while poring over the previous 90 minutes.
Indeed the photo above was taken pre-match at our recent trip to Dorking Wanderers, a new ground for Alan as he told us before the match.
We echo the words posted on our forum this morning that Alan “was supporting his ‘mighty’ Fleet [as he always called us without fail] right till the end with the home defeat on Saturday. He was such a kind and thoughtful man and I know he will be sorely missed.”
We offer our sympathies and thoughts to his wife Barbara and all his family and friends.
