Sunderland Miners' pitch invasion and projectile incident earlier this season put both the club and its own supporters under uncomfortable scrutiny. The aftermath, weeks later, is still working its way through the fanbase in ways that don't show up in any match report.
Big Baz Fenner has hosted the club's local radio phone-in for twenty-five years, and it has become, almost by accident, the place supporters go to argue it out — with each other, and increasingly with Baz himself.
Gaz Ferryman, who leads the club's largest organised supporters' group, has poured himself into the response: coordinating the boycott, liaising with the club, giving interview after interview. People close to him have started, quietly, to worry. His partner told a mutual friend he hasn't taken an evening off in over three weeks.
Gaz says the cause matters too much to slow down for. Everyone who knows him hopes he finds a way to slow down anyway.