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Internet goes football crazy

ST MIRREN fans who love football memorabilia are snapping up souvenirs from all over the world.

Supporters have been battling it out to buy everything from old match-day magazines and tickets to rare strips featuring the famous black and white stripes on internet auction site eBay.

It is proving is proving to be a real treasure trove for hidden gems of nostalgia.

And competition for the memorabilia has sent prices shooting through the roof.

Among the items up for grabs to eager supporters is a match programme from a friendly when Saints played against Sheffield United at the English club’s Bramall Lane ground in 1955.

The four-page magazine has a 2p cover price, but the seller from south of the border is now looking for 250 times that figure – a neat £5.

Another favourite is a mint-condition 1970s Subbuteo team featuring the famous single black stripe kit used during that period.

This popular lot has already attracted a bid of £31, but there’s still plenty of time for a higher offer to be made.

Buddies can also find a selection of playing cards, pin badges and old training kits on the site – all featuring the club’s name.

But by far and away the most popular goods are old St Mirren programmes.

The club produced its first publication way back on August 10, 1946 – when top flight football resumed after the end of the Second World War – for a clash against Clyde.

Alastair MacLachlan was St Mirren’s programme editor for 13 years and he can understand why the magazines are proving to be in great demand.

He said: “Collecting this sort of memorabilia is a way of homing in on the club’s past.

“I recently wrote a book about St Mirren’s most famous players and that gave me a fantastic insight into some of the club’s greats.

“Collecting programmes is another way of doing that.

“Some people believe that this could be a dying pastime because it’s now so easy to get information from the internet, but there are still plenty of St Mirren fans who are interested in it and the club sells about 1,000 copies of its match-day magazine every time the team plays at home.”

John White, spokesman for the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association, said the eBay site has been a big hit with his members.

“There are some pretty obscure things on there and some of the boys have spoken about it,” he added.

“I’ve thought about bidding for items myself, but I don’t think my wife would be too keen because our house is already full of St Mirren stuff as it is.”