Valley Parade has a record-breaker under its roof.
Jon Pollard is now the longest- serving club secretary in the Football League and Premier League after notching up 30 years in the post.
He assumed the senior mantle after QPR’s long-serving employee Sheila Marson left Loftus Road.
Pollard has been at City since 1996, heading north from Swindon in time to celebrate the club’s first ever appearance at Wembley.
But he began as a teenager at his beloved Norwich City, working as the assistant secretary after his own playing career was cut short by injury.
Pollard was on the Carrow Road books as a young goalkeeper but his hopes were dashed when he damaged his hand in an accident aged just 15.
He returned to the club just over a year later to work in the ticket office before being promoted to help the secretary in 1978.
Pollard said: “I was there until 1986 and enjoyed some great times. The highlight was winning the Milk Cup against Sunderland at Wembley and getting slung in the team bath!
“We also won the FA Youth Cup over Everton and I can remember 18,000 at Carrow Road for the first leg. There had only been 12,000 there for a First Division match the weekend before.”
After a short spell with Southend, where Bobby Moore was a director, he moved on to Aldershot – his first experience of dealing with a club in financial trouble. It was a useful experience for the troubles to come.
Pollard left the Shots for Swindon and was celebrating at Wembley again within a year as the Wiltshire side, led by Glenn Hoddle, beat Leicester 4-3 in a play-off thriller.
Then City came calling and Pollard has experienced a dozen years on the Valley Parade rollercoaster.
He added: “There have obviously been a lot of low points but also the highs. The Intertoto Cup summer was unbelievable. Everywhere the team were due to play, I had to go twice to size up the ground and hotels – I must have been the only person to fly to Lithuania twice in a week!”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel