Paul Dickov and Kevin Parker speak to the Manchester Evening News the day after the Premier League guilty verdicts were confirmed
Bredbury OSC chair Ian 'Arnie' Arnfield holds the framed shirt given to him by OSC general secretary Kevin Parker and Paul Dickov
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It's 4pm in a Bredbury pub on the day after Manchester City's guilt on more than 100 Premier League rule breaches has been confirmed by an independent panel, and the handful of City fans who have gathered aren't sure what is coming. Quite literally, given they have been told to expect a surprise from the club.
There are a few jokes cracked at what it could be, especially in light of the bombshell news of the previous evening, but there was also an unease as these fans simply didn't know what to think. Then in walked Paul Dickov, the chat instantly turned to York and Wycombe away three decades earlier, and a fragile mood became strong again.
Dickov was there together with the general secretary of the Official Supporters Club Kevin Parker after an idea that the OSC discussed with the club in summer. There was a feeling that as the club have got bigger and bigger in recent years, as Parker put it: "We've lost a little bit of that connection locally with the football club."