MARKING 50 YEARS OF THE CUSC LONDON BRANCH JASON CASEY
Branch member Jason Casey (aka Jugsy) is perhaps better known for the cartoon style graphics he produces for the extremely popular Hit The Bar! fanzine that hits the terraces regularly throughout each season, but it’ll come as no surprise to those who have made his acquaintance over the years to hear that he’s also partial to the odd impulsive urge, particularly when it comes to following his team and supporting the London Branch.
Such urges have dragged him out of his bed in his London home, when duvet days were most definitely the more sensible option, and onto trains, planes and into automobiles in his pursuit of being able to say ‘I was there’ should something out of the ordinary happen to the Blues on their away day travels, or if there’s something different he can do for the benefit of his fellow members.
One such ‘Jugsy moment’ manifested itself at the end of last year when he found himself with a day off work and a day left on his Travelcard which, if not used, was simply set to expire into nothingness.
“I wanted to commemorate the London Branch reaching its 50-year milestone, because it’s such a fantastic achievement,” he explained. “The Travelcard situation was the catalyst for a moment of inspiration when I decided it would be a bit of a test to use it to see if I could get to all seven of the Premier League clubs based in London in just one day.
“The thinking was that it fitted quite nicely with the fact that we were also a Division One club 50-years ago, which established a top-flight link for the background to the challenge. Obviously the London link is an acknowledgement of the formation of the London Branch that same year.”
Now, you probably think this all sounds easy. Seven clubs, all in the same city, no problem!
However, and for the record, Jason’s odyssey required the use of four trains, eight buses, three overground trains and two underground tube trains.
Planned to perfection, but setting off later than he’d hoped, he hit Crystal Palace at 9.45am, Chelsea at 11.04am (our first ever game in the top division was played at Stamford Bridge), Fulham at 11.34am, Brentford at 12.46pm, Arsenal at 2.11pm, Spurs at 3.18pm (beating them helped us along the way to top spot all those years ago), with West Ham as his final destination at 4.30pm.
Wearing his replica 1974/75 shirt – the distinctive and quite apt railway line design – he took in all of the club shops along the way, with surprising mixed reviews.
“Being so near to Christmas all of the shops were open,” he commented. “Having loitered in them all I can say that I actually think Chelsea has the best, with a good selection of merchandise and a nice user-friendly layout.
“Tottenham was very extravagant but had far too many steps, with an over-the-top security check to enter. Palace and Fulham were a bit small and dark inside.
“I wanted to purchase a pen from each, as a memento of the challenge, and West Ham’s were cheapest at just £1. Brentford’s was £4, although it was made of wood, so eco-friendly.
“Arsenal had sold out of pens but had a set with a pad and keyring for £30. I was able to get a branded pen from a local fan shop for £3.”
“Overall it was a really enjoyable day,” he concluded. “I think it could become a benchmark for future challenges, and I’m sure if I did it again I would be able to include other clubs, possibly as far away as Ipswich, to see how many could be chalked off within the 9-5 timeslot.”
London Branch chairman Dave Brown said: “Jason once tracked down Stan Bowles in Brentford and persuaded him to be our guest at an event, so we’re used to his Mission Impossible tasks.
“This challenge he set himself to mark our 50th anniversary was an excellent way to tie in Jason’s London roots and his support of the London Branch.
“I look forward to more tales of his challenges in the future.”
