WINSFORD United fanatic Colin Stoddard doesn't have to put his passion for the local football side into words when pictures can do it for him.

His witty sketches appear in the United programme for every home game, chronicling the most entertaining incidents from Blues matches and sharing them with the Barton Stadium faithful.

His life as United's official cartoonist began when he went to the club on the Monday after the FA Cup tie at Chester last November to see if anyone had returned a tobacco pouch he lost during the game.

It was during this visit that he asked to lend his artistic hand to the programme.

Colin said: "Ernie Welch was printing off the programmes and I didn't know the club did it themselves so I showed him some sketches I'd scribbled and I've been doing it for nearly a year now."

Despite Winsford's great start to the season, Colin's favourite moment so far came when Marine drew 2-2 at Barton Stadium - bringing with them the awesome aeriel power of giant striker Chris Camden.

He summed up the physical impact of the colossal forward with a hilarious sketch of the Winsford defenders climbing stepladders to challenge for the ball!

Colin explained: "Our strikers - Steele, Shaughnessy and Peel - are lovely players and very good forwards, but I've never seen anything like that man. From where I was stood he looked about nine feet tall and you can't cope with that kind of thing.

"But the lads are doing the business, scoring goals and we're going very well at the moment."

Retired Colin, aged 63, has always been drawn to football, since the days of following his home town club, Stockport County.

He became a Barton Stadium regular after setting up an off-licence business in Winsford five years ago.

He added: "I'm potty about football so I went to watch practice matches and fell in love with the club. It's a very homely and friendly club and a nice couple of hours out on a Saturday afternoon.

"It's a good grade of football - I never miss it."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.