Do you have any old Stevenage programmes? We’re so close to having data in place for every single Boro’ game. But there are some gaps that we’d really like to fill. You may be the person we’re looking for to help. We totally don’t mind where you’re keeping your old programmes – we’d just like a quick, cheeky peek inside them to see if they have the info we need. In the attic, cellar, shed or garage; wherever they lie around your home, we are here to give them some care, attention and a purpose in life.
Why old Stevenage programmes?
We think that we’re closing in on the last few missing Boro’ line-ups. So far, they continue to evade our capture. Y’know, in much the same way as an irritating fly continues to miss the open window you’ve left for it. At last count, we had just 152 Boro’ line-ups out of the 2,191 games in our database to find. But we’ve also hit a lean spell.
Most of our information has come from repeated trips to the British Library, raiding copies of The Comet, The Gazette and other local papers from back in the day. But we may now have reached the end of that road. That’s because:
- Reports don’t have team line-ups
- Midweek gapes fell in-between publishing schedules
- Some newspaper issues aren’t available on record.
That’s where old Stevenage programmes could be the answer. Maybe not so much in the very early years, but throughout the 1980s. Programmes can carry reports of past games and fill in the occasional gap in our data along the way. We are hoping these programmes can come to our rescue. But – clearly – they’re not ten-a-penny. Not even on eBay.
What are we looking for?
Quite simply, we’re looking for the Boro’ line-ups from all the matches listed on our Missing Stevenage Match Information page. It’s a list that you can filter by season to make it a bit easier too. It’s a bit confusing, but it’s home programmes from the games after those you’ll see listed that’ll have the details. But we’re sure you worked that out.
And the timeframe we’re working with is 1980 through to 1992.
How can you help?
If you have old Stevenage programmes from this period, you can help in a couple of ways.
- You could trawl the pages of your programmes on our behalf; picking out any team line-ups you can find and ping them to us by email; scans, Excel spreadsheets, text lists, whatever…
- You could give us a lend of your programmes. If you’re local, we could swing by your place and pick them up, use them and then drop them back
- If you’re looking to get rid full stop, we might be in a position to take them off your hands.
Got a question? Able to help? Feel free to drop us a line by emailing us. If you can come to our rescue, you’ll get our eternal gratitude (no cash value) and we’ll add your name to our rollcall of thanks on our About Us page too. Look forward to hearing from you…
