As York9 FC and Forge prepared to meet for their final derbies of the 2019 season, there was one superfan in bright white and blue watching from abroad with an unexpected bond to both clubs, and their loyal supporters



At a previous derby match hosted at Tim Horton’s Field this past September, a Stockport County F.C.-donning Robert Rowe had been a stand-out in his neither-rival colours, leading to friendly curiosities from fans in the two opposing supporter sections.



“I wanted to interact with both sides of the fans as a “neutral” and really enjoyed banter with both.”



Photo Credit: Rose Kil

Rowe had briefly been in the country visiting family, noting that his exposure to a CPL derby day and the interactions made would remain a long-lasting memory, relatable to those of his early football days in Manchester.



“I was born in Stockport and followed my club since I was 15. I’m now 56. My best county memories were in the 90’s, plus winning the playoff final at Wembley in 2007/8 against Rochdale for promotion. Also, our away win at Eastleigh last season to win the league with a following of over 4,000 fans!”



Rowe is quick to point out, however, that the most memorable aspects were the bonds he made with both Barton St. Battalion and away supporter group Generation IX, who he compliments as being “quite vociferous, even when going down a goal.”



Photo Credit: Biagio Nasuto

“My first experience in Hamilton was that it was well set up, and the fans were inquisitive of my shirt and scarf! They made for some great chats. Exchanging my scarf was a highlight. The icing on the cake was to get a young Forge fan’s sweatshirt signed by a couple of players as she couldn’t reach!”



Now back in Manchester, Rowe is excited to be sporting Canadian Premier League merch items at his own home matches, parading them among his fellow fans of Stockport with ever-present high hopes for the Canadian Premier League.



“For the future of the CPL, I hope more teams from other Canadian provinces will join in the coming years if it’s organized rightly. I know it’ll be hard with Canada being a vast country. It will improve, I don’t doubt. Bless!”



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Casey Wolfgang Copywriter, photographer, bookworm and consumer of far too much pasta; Casey is a nursing school dropout turned marketing grad with current/previous roles and learning experiences including, but not limited to, motorcycle marketing and events with Harley-Davidson, sports entertainment with the Ontario Hockey League, merching/publicity/photographic projects in the Canadian music industry and agency-level copywriting for major local, national and international brands. Catch her at a local football match, camera in hand, or most often on Twitter.

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