DazFellows

So you put your ticket offer in, your ticket offer out, in, out, in out, you mess it all about, you do the okey cokey and, erm, admit that you've made another mess of trying to attract fans into Bescot.

For those who missed it, on Wednesday morning the official website proudly boasted a rather impressive offer of getting your Johnston's Paint Trophy ticket for the Luton game for free should you invest in the two league games either side of it. Great, this was the kind of inventive thinking that many fans had been pleading for over the past decade or more. A well deserved pat on the back was due, not least from this columnist, who has constantly questioned why any initiative to increase attendance levels always appeared, half hearted, half baked and smacking of desperation.

So when, 24 hours later, the offer was withdrawn for fear of upsetting season ticket holders I doubt that I was the only one who felt like banging my head up against a brick wall. Yes the terse statement that accompanied the notification of offer withdrawl barely disguised the frustration at being forced to backtrack, but after producing such a commendable offer was it really too much to ask that the hierarchy at WFC stood their ground and honoured their excellent promotion?

Indeed for this deal to get anywhere near to the publication stage without consideration being given to season ticket holders feelings is pretty inconceivable. The first question asked at the meeting where this idea was muted should (and hopefully would) have been "What will season ticket holders think?" and after deciding to ride out the minor storm that this offer was always likely to brew the Club really should have had the courage and backbone to stand by their decision. Season ticket holders are generally forgiving folk, indeed anyone who forked out another £300 after the carnage of the first 5 months of 2008 has already proved that they will accept almost anything and still return for more.

So, in a week where we were the only league team in the area in action and could only muster a few stragglers over 4100 in home support, in retracting this latest offer the club have again opened the door for those who question their policy of increasing attendances to have another field day. Usually I'd oblige fully but, on this occasion, even I'm too embarrassed for them to have a dig.

Finally a quick mention to Geoff Horsfield, a player whom I have always admired. His bullish presence, spearheading his teams frontline, ensured that every centre half he faced knew that they'd been in a hell of a battle. Feared by most, repected by all, Horsfield is the kind of player that any supporter born with a love of the game but without the talent to match would have given their right arm to be for an hour and a half each Saturday afternoon. Defeat was utterly unthinkable.

Personally I'd hoped over the past few weeks that Horsfield would do enough in his training with us to convince Jimmy Mullen that there was one more winter in those tree trunks he called legs. Sadly this was not to be and he now faces the fight that every young parent must dread. However if anyone was ever up for a battle then it was Geoff Horsfield, indeed should he tackle his current opponent in the same manner that he terrorised hard nosed centre halves such as Messrs Viveash, Barras and Ritchie then his illness is in for a bit of a battering. We all wish him well.