March 1, 2001 16:51: IT was the biggest story of the week. Thousands of people were celebrating a historic victory. The town was literally buzzing. Banners hung across streets hailing our local heroes.

Of course, I can only be talking about one thing. Wycombe Wanderers' cup success.

But how many of you know the man who guided them to their latest triumph? If you spent just a few minutes reading your local paper, you couldn't miss the answer.

That's why I'm shocked to hear that Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Wycombe Chauhdry Shafique and his Lib Dem rival for the job, Dee Tomlin, could not name Lawrie Sanchez when The Times asked them the question last week.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect politicians to jump on the bandwagon and turn into pseudo-fans, but this lack of knowledge seems a bit of an own goal.

Our paper was peppered with Sanchez's name last week, and I'm sure it could be heard outside pubs in the town centre after closing time.

I would expect anybody wanting to represent the interests of Wycombe in the next parliament to be paying closer attention to what interests constituents.

Paul Goodman, the Conservative prospective candidate for the seat, had been swotting up and got the question right.

However, Mr Goodman has adopted the team since his selection two months ago so he couldn't have gone far wrong.

I presume he supported another team previously so might the football-loving public of Wycombe see him as being a bit fickle?

But Mr Goodman can take heart from fact that the local Labour Club in Wycombe could be a place to attract Tory votes. Its bar manager Alan Fletcher told The Times he was a true blue who always voted Conservative.

People who run bars are not known for their introvert nature so I can imagine there will be a few heated exchanges by the time the campaign eventually kicks off.

HERE'S a nice honest politician story. Wycombe district councillors were discussing the budget when Labour group leader Ted Collins got up to complain. He said it was hard to give a speech about the budget when the papers given to him about the budget had pages missing. But just before the the council ordered an investigation his colleague Nigel Vickery got up and said it was his fault as he had trouble working the photocopier. Nigel may have been red faced but councillors praised his honesty.

By.Lester Posner