King Stroker!

I struggled long and hard about what I was going to write about my friend Noel 'Stroker' Millar, who passed away on last Tuesday, aged 56 years. I was going to write a damaging report on how I and the board of Ballymena United had failed him, but I have come to realise, Stroker would not want that. When someone dies we usually don't like to speak ill of them, but in Stroker's case it's true, I never heard him say a bad word about anybody. He could have said many things about the people who used him, but he just took it all in his stride and shrugged his shoulders. He was Sky Blue through and through and gave of his time freely. I consider it a privilege that I was fortunate enough to be one of his acquaintances (confidant even), I would like to say friends, but we weren't friends in the true sense, we were linked together by our deep love of the Sky Blues.

I was first was introduced to Stroker at Inver Park in the nineties, I had noticed him before at away matches, but John Taggart, who I knew from the 'clock', introduced him and me. After that our friendship grew and it's truth to say I envied him a wee bit, I thought he had everything. He had a class, don't ask me to define class, I only know it when I see it and Stroker had it in abundance. In spite of this class he was a down to earth guy, no pretensions of grandeur and what he loved to talk about was, football. He lived for football in general and United (Ballymena United), in particular. But when the season was finished he supported the various summer leagues and when Sky Sports came on line he was one of the first with a sky dish. Although he was a Harryville man he lived in Ballyclare with his long term partner, whose name escapes me, my memory's fading. I don't know how we started to team up in going to away matches, but we did.

The first few times me and my son or sons (I have 2), would drive up to Ballyclare and go from Stroker's house, driving our cars in turn, but we soon realised this was foolhardy in that we quite often had to go through Belfast anyway. So we came up with another plan and that was to meet at Yorkgate (I was living in Carrick then) and decide who was driving and the other person parked their car there. I think the last time we worked this plan was about 2004, then Stroker had joined the board (actually I think it was about 2000 he joined the board)and it was discontinued. But we still kept in contact by phone at least three times a week and we would set the Sky Blues to rights and anything that took our fancy, but mostly football and we would occasionally meet at away games. On our own home matches I would have a word with him most times at the turnstiles and at the end of the game. Over the last two or so years I've seen a sharp decline in his health but he always remained the same to me and never forsook me when I had my own illness, more than I can say about some.

Stroker had many players staying with him over the years and I don't think he was reimbursed for that expenditure, they were unpaying lodgers. He once told me a story about Leon Browne, whom Kenny Shiels had signed in 2001. Leon was staying with Stroker and he (Stroker) asked how he was fixed for money, Leon replied he was broke and Stroker being Stroker, advanced him £50 or so. That taught Stroker a valuable lesson, never ask a player how he was fixed for money, if his wallet is bulging, he always pleads poverty. Kevin Kelbie, who stayed with Stroker the longest was actually staying with big Tam Wright and he asked Stroker to keep him for a couple of weeks for he had visitors coming over from England and he needed the space. Kevin stayed for many weeks and I counselled Stroker to tell big Tam, he (Stroker), needed the space, but he wouldn't do it and that just sums him up. When some gossip-monger told a board member that the gatemen were robbing United blind, the board decided in it's wisdom to do the turnstiles themselves. Who was left to organise this, Stroker, but he never complained, that was the sort of him, god help any who try to follow his footsteps, the man is a legend, he will not be forgotten, he is a good Shepherd!