Hereford United/FC Supporter Brian “Brigger” Gibb sadly passed away around Christmas. A group of supporters based in Brian’s home town of Ledbury have started a Social Media campaign to get as many “Briggers” possible inside Edgar Street for the FA Trophy Semi Final against Woking on the 27th March 2021. If Hereford win the tie the final will be played at Wembley Stadium.
For a cost of £10 you can buy a face in the crowd for the game and the Ledbury Bulls are encouraging supporters to send in a picture of “Brigger”
The link to donate is here ->Flowte Storefront | Flowte Sport | Sports Stadium Ticketing System Software | Sports Ticket Sales
The Ledbury Bulls have told Your Herefordshire why they are promoting this idea.
We first met Brigger in the early 90s, when we were old enough to visit the White Hart pub. Licensing laws were quite loose back then, we’d have been about 16. Brigger was a regular patron in those days and largely responsible for the pubs popularity and many people would visit just to see his comedy performances.
His Dambusters routine will live long in the memory. Legend has it that (likely true)he once painted the cellar steps starting at the top, and trapping himself at the bottom until the paint dried. Over the years we got to know him well and started giving him a lift home matches. He’d often wait until we reached the turnstiles before telling us he didn’t have the money to get in. A quick rummage in his pockets for some loose change and then “I’m a bit short this week boys”. We’d have a quick whip round just to get him in
Hartlepool at home on a bleak February evening would be awful without Briggers unique brand of ‘entertainment’! When he was flush with cash. He bought himself a car, a Triumph Acclaim. He agreed to give us a lift to Edgar Street in it and then drove the whole 14 miles home with the handbrake on. I’m fairly sure he didn’t have a driving license. During the conference years, we started to attend a lot of away matches and often had enough fans to warrant a minibus.
The long journeys were made more bearable with Brian on board. There are so many memories of those away days. At Margate we visited the funfair before the match and Brigger wanted to try the hardest shot challenge. He placed the ball, took a run up akin to Michael Holding and skipped up to the ball. Just before the point of impact, Toad whipped the ball away, causing the biggest air shot ever, and Briggers shoe spiralling through the air!
We attended hundreds of games with him over the last few decades. But, in recent years, not seen him so often. When he was there, he’d often wait on the corner of the meadow end for us to arrive. And it will be strange, once we are all allowed back in to the ground, not to have that optimism of seeing him there waiting.
From Toad, Buster, Steve, Emlyn and all of the Ledbury Bulls. RIP
