AFC Totton
FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/FOOTYFOCUSMAG
AFC Totton
Pasties, Penalties and Pies
- Wayne Shaw -
Remember the scene; February 2017,
5th round of the FA Cup as non-league
Sutton United take on Premiership
giants Arsenal at Gander Lane broadcast
live on BBC1.
The National League side did not
disgrace themselves as goals from Perez
and Walcott gave the favourites their
name in the hat for the 6th round and
all reports after the game duly credited
Sutton for their heroics, hardly any
mentioned or focused on the story that
was to follow.
Non-league legend, Wayne Shaw,
on the bench for Sutton that evening
had eaten a pasty, something which
the cameras decided to pan in on, and
which the BBC Director in charge of
broadcasting chose to show as part of
the live pictures; pictures which were
to cause a massive detrimental impact
12 Issue 84
for Wayne as his livelihood with Sutton
was controversially terminated and his
personal life scrutinised and investigated
on the premis of assumption and
allegation; an investigation that will
always show a fine and suspension for
Wayne, but one which impacted far
wider and deeper, especially for Wayne
and his family personally. The scars and
the hurt will always be there, but it is a
true testament to the man himself that
his focus is on today and tomorrow and
not yesterday.
Like the phoenix, Wayne is too good
a character to keep down; his value to
the game and community is too strong to
lose and so it was in mid 2017 that after 25
years in the game, Wayne returned home
to AFC Totton, a club situated between
the western edge of Southampton and
the eastern New Forest. Totton was
home for Wayne, having been brought
up, educated and worked his early life in
the area; and where he was well known
for his links to Carlo’s Ice Cream parlour,
a well-known delicacy for all locals!
As with most people in the football
family, Wayne’s links with people also
involved in the game were numerous
and one of his closest friends is Dave
Penny, Wayne’s physio throughout his
career and who had just taken on the role
of Vice Chairman at AFC Totton.
The club was looking forward to a
renaissance having moved into their
new purpose built stadium in 2008,
enjoyed a televised cup run in 2010 and
then seen a fall from grace almost to the
verge of the club folding. With a new
chairman and vice chairman in place,
a new management team on the pitch
and a new vision for the club’s future,