The Club was deeply saddened to hear earlier today of the passing of Supporters’ Association President Jim Briscoe.
Jim’s involvement with football in the town stretches back almost 50 years, with the Yorkshireman instrumental in establishing Stevenage Athletic in 1968 and then Stevenage Borough in 1976.
Reflecting on today’s news, Chairman Phil Wallace said, “Jim was a source of guidance and inspiration to me when I came to Stevenage 15 years ago, along with other members of the A Team that are sadly no longer with us. I never had anything but total support from Jim in our progress to the Football League. He wanted to see Stevenage FC in the Football League so badly that I felt I wanted to see that for Jim as much as myself. His dream drove me on and it was a real moment for me when promotion was secured. He was the first person I thought about when that whistle blew at Kidderminster.
“I valued the time I spent with him and his pals talking about the past and I valued the chats we had about football. Bringing Jim into the Boardroom to act as the club’s ambassador was one of my proudest moments – he was a great character and helped change the way we were viewed by other clubs. I know he cherished that involvement and loved every minute he spent at the Club.
“I’ve mentioned Jim’s pals from the past a couple of times and I know he would want me to reinforce the fact that a lot of people did a lot of great work to get the Club where it is now – that was the type of person he was. He was the sole surviving member of the original A Team and those guys will never be forgotten.
“Our thoughts go out to Jim and his family and I personally look back with fond memories of many a laugh and joke with him. We will have a minute’s silence on Tuesday night against Gillingham and a few of us will have a tear in our eye at the passing of a truly wonderful man. “
Speaking at his weekly press conference at Bragbury End, manager Graham Westley added, “It's a very sad day for a club like ours when we lose such a great supporter and such a great man. Jim was part of the infantry; he put one foot in-front of the other to get the Club to where it is. He loved his football and he was just a lovely guy.
“When I was here the first time he was at the ground every day and he didn’t care if he was washing the cups up or cutting the grass - Jim would do anything. He was a special guy, he had a long history of football and he absolutely adored the game. He gave his heart and soul to this football club and I’m sure everybody will be devastated.”