Smiling Rhys sums up the Rocks' feelgood factor

Rhys Fuller's big smile summed up the feeling at Nyewood Lane as the Rocks chalked up a 2-0 victory over Margate.
Rhys Fuller meets the RocksRhys Fuller meets the Rocks
Rhys Fuller meets the Rocks

Rhys, grandson of Andy Standen, Bognor sponsor and owner of the Royal Oak, Lagness, enjoyed a very special day cheering on the Rocks after meeting the first team squad and posing for pictures with his heroes.

The 11-year-old has diaplegic cerebal palsy and global development delay. Along with his mum Amy, Rhys has become a regular face in the new stand's disabled section along with long-time supporter Jimmy Langton.

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Amy said: "Rhys absolutely loves the Rocks and he was so happy to meet all the players. Big thanks to Robbie Blake for arranging for him to meet them."

Two goals from Brad Lethbridge earned the home side the three points and helped maintain the optimism at the club; something that has delighted Rocks general manager Simon Cook. And he has heaped praise on all of those who help out at the club to make matchdays such a slick operation.

He said: "I sometimes think that as a club we fail to make enough fuss about those who are doing such a good job for us, all of our match day volunteers. The stewards and also the gate team have really had to change the way they work and have fully embraced the changes that they have faced."

The praise comes after the Nye Camp almost reached maximum attendance of 600 yesterday -- the gate was 597 -- that is currently allowed because of Covid protocols. And Cook adds that with the success of the new online ticketing service, he fully expects this to be a regular situation.

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He said:: "The growth in online ticketing has been impressive with 110 advance tickets purchased two weeks ago for the Carshalton match, 223 for last week's game against East Thurrock and just under 300 for yesterday's match. Add in 135 season ticket holders and one can easily see that the limit will soon be reached.

"However, we recognise that some will always prefer to pay in cash on the day, and we will cap on-line sales to ensure that there is always availability for cash purchases. You might just want to come a little earlier to avoid any disappointment.

"The changes that the Covid-19 crisis has forced upon all clubs at our level have meant that we have had to change many of the ways in which we operate. The way in which our volunteer stewarding team and the gate staff have embraced all the new procedures has been most impressive and we have received many compliments from visitors over the friendliness and professionalism of the team at the gates.

"Ian Guppy, who is the club's Covid officer, has introduced many changes to ensure that we are doing as much to safeguard supporters as possible. These generally work very well, but we do still rely on visitors on match days to take responsibility for their own actions. We must remind all supporters to wear their face masks if entering the bar or queuing at the canteen. Similarly, please respect people's space in the grandstand.

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"The new covered stand will be complete for next Saturday's match weather permitting, and we very much look forward to the atmosphere that will generate behind the goal. We have been awaiting the completion of this stand before installing the plaques that supporters have ordered. Over 200 were purchased and we are looking forward to unveiling these in the near future."

And Cook has offered a big thank you to the many local companies who have ordered advertising boards through the club's commercial manager, David Robinson: "We have several boards in production that will be located in the back of the new stand, which should look very impressive."

*David can be contacted on 07876 497929.

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