CIRENCESTER TOWN chairman Steve Abbley called the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations on Saturday ‘a triumph’ and hinted that it might prompt a book on the history of the club.

More than 200 former players returned for the reunion and the party went on long into the night.

Abbley was interviewed by both Points West and BBC Radio Gloucestershire throughout the day, as the players tried to spot pictures of themselves in the comprehensive memorabilia section put together by office manager Scott Griffin.

“It was a really nice day and great to see some of the old faces, especially lads from the country’s first academy set up here, including Jimmy Carter and Toby Clarke,” said Abbley, himself a former player with Swindon Town, Cheltenham and finally Cirencester.

“Scott did a great job. It was fascinating to see all the old committee meeting minutes in copperplate handwriting going back to the Fifties.

“People were still here at 1am, talking about football.

“The guests all said they could flood us with even more memorabilia and we might be tempted to write a history of the club.

Griffin said: “It was absolutely brilliant. There was a good turn-out from my era and the ones still involved with clubs came along in the evening, but it was fantastic to see so many of the old boys.

“I think we might turn it into an annual event after the last game of each season.

“So many people made the effort to come, even players who had only heard about it through word of mouth.”

The one sad note was the news that Ken Chapman, a great friend of the club, had died the previous Saturday.

“Ken was one of the great movers and shakers responsible for relocating the club to this fine facility at the Corinium Stadium,” said Abbley. “His consultancy firm, Chapman Warren, did all the planning and he never took a penny for it.

“I took Ken out to lunch at Christmas when I knew he was very ill. His funeral is on Friday.

“Not only did he do great work for this club but his main claim to fame was that when chairman of Swindon Town, he signed Glenn Hoddle as manager.”