25th Anniversary Celebrations: Billy gets awarded; CCFPA gets rewarded
Last Saturday’s last home game with Doncaster saw a number of the current CCFC squad win end-of-season awards at the presentation after the game in the E.ON Lounge at the Ricoh including Cyrus Christie, Gael Bigirimana, Garry McSheffrey and most notably Richard Keogh who walked off with an armful of trophies including the fan’s and fellow team member’s ‘Player of the Season’ awards.
Billy sandwiched between Terry (left) and Jim (right)
After the game Richard also came down to the matchday evening ‘home’ of the Former Players Association, in Lady G’s ShowBar at the G-Casino, to receive his award from the G-Casino/CCFPA as their ‘Player of the Season’ which was presented by Sky Blue Legend and Association members Cyrille Regis. Warm applause and appreciation is always shown to another ‘Legend’ of Lady G’s, CCFPA vice chairman and jovial m/c Billy Bell, who regularly hosts the special guests and reunion participants of the Association on the stage of Lady G’s, in the process subjecting them to a light -hearted and humorous ‘Irish’ grilling in front of appreciative audiences.
Billy had already ‘brought the house down’ interviewing on stage members from from both the senior and youth F.A. Cup winning squads from 1987. Later he was exceedingly surprised to get his own personal award from the CCFPA committee recognising his enormous contribution to the success of the Association and its activities throughout the year (including various arrangements to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Club winning the F.A. Cup)!
Billy is pictured above having received the award from Association supporter Terry Butler (retired veteran of 37 years in charge of CCFC’s changing rooms) and Association chairman Jim Brown. Billy was gobsmacked and (temporarily) lost for words!
Last Saturday also saw a half-time pitch parade of over a dozen representatives from both Cup winning squads (reported elsewhere). There was also time to fit in another brief ceremony to the benefit of the Association. CCFC had generously agreed to donate a proportion of the sales of their very popular replica 1987 F.A.Cup winner playing kits to the Association and we were (in turn) ‘gobsmacked’ and extremely grateful to accept a cheque for £5000 from the club as our share from the sales. CCFC’s Manager (along with George Curtis) of the victorious 1987 side (and CCFPA member) John Sillett is pictured below accepting the cheque on our behalf from CCFC’s Commercial Director Justin Tose. CCFPA thanks CCFC for this generous contribution which will go a long way to covering the costs of mounting the various 25th Anniversary F.A.Cup celebrations with which we have been involved this year.
