EVERY now and then a club that visits Warrington Town for a non-league soccer match has some barmy army supporters.

None more so than Alsager Town on Saturday.

Travelling fans who gathered behind the goal at the Cantilever Bridge end of the ground sang their hearts out and danced like lunatics in support of their team through 90 minutes of football.

They even turned a brown wheelie bin into a makeshift drum, just in case their voices alone were not making enough noise.

I'm no different than most people who attend sport occasions, in that the atmosphere generated by the fans is part of the attraction of being there.

But, for me, that's when you're among a throng.

There is a very special feeling of belonging' about being in harmony with thousands of people around you when you're singing at, for example, a Super League rugby match or a Premiership football match. That's community singing with punch.

But the 15 men, one woman and a brown wheelie bin making a racket on Saturday was quite sad really.

They paid their money to go in and can support their team in any which way they choose, of course, but it just makes me wonder what drives these people, who ranged from late teens to mid-40s and appeared to represent varying levels of class in society.

After all, their passion could not have stemmed from the quality of football on show - because it was a poor game - and the only thing at stake for mid-table Alsager was three league points.

I think ale had a lot to do with it because, as most adults know, you tend to show your emotions more when you've had a bellyful of loopy juice. A day out, football and lager do seem to mix well for some.

But I'm sure if they had been sober they would have thought more about the songs they were singing, wouldn't they?

Their catalogue of tunes was quite impressive, Premiership standard in fact, but what the hell has German bombers flying overhead got to do with Warrington Town versus Alsager Town at Cantilever Park on a Saturday afternoon?

Then they all started bouncing up and down as though they were on pogo sticks (remember them?) before one or two of the men slipped off their t-shirts on the back of a rare sight of winter sun.

They were quite funny at one point. When the referee failed to realise he had booked Town's new striker Chris McDonagh twice they burst into song with Are you Graham Poll in disguise?' referring, of course, to last year's famous World Cup moment for England's top whistler.

But when they started chanting We hate Kidsgrove more than you' I really started to think What's the point?' and What planet are you from?' Credit them for their passion of Alsager and non-league football.

The gates need boosting to help clubs survive at that level and there's no harm in vociferous support swilled down with a few pints as long as they also behave themselves.

But I just could not understand how those 15 men, one woman and a brown wheelie bin could become so emotionally involved with the occasion of the day.

Perhaps I should not try to.