Author Archive

BIG NEWS coming in from Cambridge City FC. Sean Coxon kindly replied to me and sent this excellent update.

After an 11-year wait, Cambridge City FC are finally coming home! 

 

We are thrilled to announce that after years of determination and resilience, Cambridge City FC now has a new home. Since that pivotal day when the City Ground at Milton Road was sold, the club has faced challenge after challenge, but thanks to the tenacity of the Supporters Trust, club owners, and investors, the wait is finally over.

 

A brand-new stadium has been constructed on the outskirts of Cambridge in Sawston, designed with the spirit of the old City Ground in mind. This project hasn’t been without its own battles, but we’re delighted to see it through to a point where we can start to play football there.

 

Mark your calendars: Saturday, November 30th marks the beginning of a new era, as we host Tilbury FC in the Isthmian North division. With former Premier League striker Jamie Cureton at the helm, the Lilywhites are poised for an exciting future. Along with a potential new fan base, this move offers the club a chance to grow and establish financial independence—marking the start of a bright new chapter.

 

The club would like to go on record to offer our sincere thanks to both St Ives Town FC and Histon FC, who have supported us with ground share arrangements over the past 11 seasons.   Without them it would have been very difficult to continue to and their generosity of spirit is greatly appreciated.

 

Words from Our Team

 

Alice Dewey, General Manager:

“As a lifelong City fan, becoming General Manager is a dream come true—especially now, as we finally have this chance to bring Cambridge City FC back to its former glories. It’s been a long slog and a long learning curve for me but we finally have light at the end of the tunnel and I can’t wait to get started”

 

Kevin Satchell, Chairman:

“This new stadium is a huge step forward for us. We dreamed of watching City in its own home again, and despite the obstacles, we are finally making that dream a reality. This is a proud day for me, my family, and all the City fans who have supported us through thick and thin.”

 

Jamie Cureton, First Team Manager:

“We’re thrilled to be here with Cambridge City FC. From our first meeting with the board, we were impressed by their vision and ambition to see this club rise to the higher levels of non-league football and beyond. I hope my experience in the game can help bring this vision to life.”

Our Vision for the Future

This stadium is just the beginning. While the turnstiles  are open, we’re still working on the internal fit-out of the main stand, which will soon include a restaurant and bar available year-round, and an executive lounge for matchday guests, events, and meetings.

 

Additionally, we’re excited to prioritize sustainability and create opportunities for young people. The club’s new academy is set to launch in September 2025, offering young players a path to a sports science qualification alongside their football training—a vital resource for nurturing local talent. We’ll bring you more information on this soon.

 

In the meantime, we can’t wait to welcome you all to the FWD/IP Community Stadium  for a taste of what is to come.

 

We are releasing a Sawston Season Ticket at a reduced rate of  £120 for adults & £60 for Concessions (Overs 65s & Students 16-18 ) This is for our 14 remaining home games.

 

Regular match day pricing is £10 adults, £5 concessions and all Under 16s are FREE

BUY YOUR MATCH TICKETS HERE

BUY A SEASON TICKET HERE

 

For all enquiries, please contact Alice Dewey, General Manager – alice.dewey@cambridgecityfc.com

Yes, lots of updates after a week in bed where a season ticket to Arsenal would have seemed preferable a few times. See below. First, let’s look at an exciting offer from my Facebook friend, Kevin aka King Overman. He says, “ I’m giving out free art to Man Utd fans 

Yes, really. I’m giving away prints from my art series ‘Dreams’, celebrating Manchester United’s iconic players.

I took up art in 2021 to rebuild my life after cancer. It has been a whirlwind ride with viral videos on Tiktok, selling paintings to a Hollywood director and an exhibition in New York.

Now I want to connect with people here at home. So I’ve set up this crazy plan to share my art with as many people as possible. I don’t know how long I can do this for, so grab yours while they are available 

https://prints.KingOverman.com/dreams

All the details about the offer and myself are there. Thanks for your time,

Kevin, aka King Overman” 

Well, that is as exciting as it is generous and I look forward to United players on my office wall. This afternoon we welcome the 456789th manager since Sir Alex and as always there is a feeling of hope and anticipation. Looking at the squad at his disposal you have to think “Sow’s purse, pig’s ear. ” Good luck, Ruben Amorim.

Meanwhile Gillingham continue to underperform and we lose at home AGAIN. This time we had the lead but lost to the mighty Harrogate Town. If we are to get promotion, these are three point games. I think that one point in seven games reminds me why I was not convinced that Bonner was the answer. Meanwhile Neil Harris and Millwall march on and Steve Clemence works wonders at Barrow. Oh well, hope springs eternal. FC Deportivo Galicia secured a hard fought 1-1 draw against high-flying Holmer Green and we are now unbeaten in four. Yay!

As for Darren, he was out again yesterday in the Midlands and Christian has been picking up a prestige award. He claims to be totally blown over, so if anybody is near the Medway, please pick him up.

As always, unless you are an Arsenal fan, have a great week. I know how grateful you are to your dear friends on White Hart Lane for their amazing (and deserved!) 4-0 victory at Manchester City. Spurs in the top six at this time of the season. “The Miracle of Christmas.”

Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show

“So here it is, this is Christmas (nearly.) Everybody’s having fun.
Let’s look at Arsenal. Yepp, they’re on the run.”

So, it is (nearly) that time of year where people put out their Christmas stockings, Gillingham fans start talking about “next season we will…” and Arsenal fans brood about VAR, refs, wrong type of grass, wrong colour ball and amuse everyone with variation number 34567890 on Wenger excuses. Spurs fans starting selling tickets to the annual, “Arsenal have blown it again Party.” They ignore that they are also looking at a season without silverware but mumble darkly about the Carabao cup or such nonsense.

More importantly it is the Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show at the unique venue of Chelmsford cricket ground, the home of Essex County Cricket Club. Great venue and a 10 minute walk from the railway station which offers easy access to London and, well, Essex!

I caught up with the organiser, Greg Lansdowne, yesterday and he told me,

“Steve, The latest Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show takes place at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford this Sunday November 17th.

On the back of the successful event in June, football and cricket nostalgists get another chance to come together at the home of Essex Cricket.

A wide range of stallholders will have plenty of Christmas present ideas, from books to programmes, shirts to cards and photos to magazines.

I will also be signing copies of my latest book, Panini Legends, published this month (November 7^th).

Greg said: “The upcoming Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show promises to offer a trip down memory lane for those who love the winter and summer games.”

Entry is free, pavilion doors open at 10.30am and a fully-licensed bar will operate throughout (show ends 2pm). The Essex Cricket Museum will also be open on the day, for one final chance to see the Nasser Hussain exhibition.”

I know Lee Hermitage of NW Middlesex Football Programmes is looking forward to his day out. He has a huge collection of complete seasons football programmes and, as always, they will be at fair/fare prices. The pun is my idea!) Other favourites of mine include Welling Collectables, Groundtastic and Cobblers Collectibles.

Further details are available on greglansdowne.co.uk and updates will appear on the Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show page on Facebook and @panini_book on X.

See you all there.

Edit: In the interests of not upsetting Port Vale fans, I have not written about Gillingham’s first win in seven on Saturday. I know they are confident that they will waltz the league but if you lose to a team that has one point from eighteen, I can only but wonder!

Here we go again, another FA Cup 1st Round Proper for Gillingham ….. and another defeat. This time it was at least at the hands of higher-league Blackpool who are managed by Gillingham legend, Steve Bruce. That makes 6 defeats out of seven this autumn and the only point was a draw against hapless Swindon Town. Pretty depressing reading but we go again this week and that is always the beauty of competitive sports. There is always an option to right a wrong but it’s against high-flying Port Vale so it won’t be an easy three points. The good news is that we can now repeat our normal November platitudes about being out of all three cups and, “Great to be able to focus on promotion.” Nobody believes it and least of all the person saying it! Obviously, Trump’s victory in the USA put me in slough of despondency but there has been a bright spot; Arsenal have imploded even earlier in the season than usual. Can I suggest a rousing chorus of, “Let’s All Laugh at Arsenal?”

Whilst all that was going on I am delighted to tell you that our intrepid traveller, groundhopper and videographer, Darren Ashley has been out again. This time he’s pitchside at Brackley Town who instead of beating Gillingham (again!) are toe to toe with Braintree Town, Essex.

He says, “So that’s me, far right, sitting on the ground, not on ballboy duties, but having a break from filming during a lull in play at the Brackley Town/Braintree Town FA Cup match on Saturday.

It was an amazing experience being pitchside, so close to the action, but, what was not an amazing experience was, trying to get my 50 something body to stand up afterwards after sitting down for so long

Please have a watch of the vlog I did at the match to ease the aches and pains I’m still suffering and make them more bearable”

Proving the point that the sun is in the ascendancy for non-league football, Christian Obray’s first edition of “Parks to Pitches” is completely sold out. Congratulations but, fear not, he has organised a new print run. Get over to his FB and reserve a copy and especially dwell on the article about the importance of the printed matchday programme. He will send out your copy just as soon as he gets the next run. Whilst you are there, it might well be wise to subscribe for future editions to avoid disappointment.

Final thoughts? Goodbye Erik. I think you are a decent, genuine guy but the Manchester United job was just too big for you too. I thought we would have got Ruud Van Nasalhair and would have loved “The Special One” but we have a young man from the Portuguese league. I wish him every success. To prove that the world is absolutely crazy, Trump is re-elected and I can 1% understand if not accept that. What I can’t understand or accept is Coventry City sacking Mark Robins. I can only say one thing, “I blame Thatcher/Wenger.” The one guy that has brought the first sliver of success to Coventry in 40 years. He’ll get a new job soon, I am sure. I wish him well. Pep next? Crazy world!!!

Have a great week, everybody.

As anybody who knows me will tell you. I have been something of a programme collector for many years. If I remember correctly (I do!) …since 1964. Nowadays I TRY only to acquire specials and programmes from matches that I attend but ….. I am actively trying to swop out scruffy Gillingham programmes for mint editions especially for the 60s. That all said, I do love a fair so am delighted we have a couple of crackers in the next few weeks.

Firstly it is back to the County Cricket Ground at Chelmsford (poster, above) which is as posh as it sounds! The guys there are looking to build on the success of the summer event and I am told it will be bigger and better than ever. I am obviously trying to avoid the Mariah Careys but, yes, you could solve a lot of your searches for presents on the spot.

Two weeks later it is back to the bi-monthly event in Kensington in West London for Barry Dixey’s fair (below) which is always very busy with a great range of stalls. Les Easterbrook will be there with a huge selection of badges and Lee Hermitage will have thousands of football magazines, programmes etc etc.

I am looking forward to both, as always

Whilst all this is going on, our intrepid groundhopper, Darren Ashley, is out and about as usual. Last week he was at Lutterworth Athletic and a good time was had by all. Pop over to his You Tube to see what happened. This week he was at Mickleover for their Trophy game against Telford and again he has an interesting story to tell. Over to YouTube, Darren!

It was good to hear from my friends at Copa today. They were upbeat and excited about a new FC Internazionale Milano Retro collection. It would be rude not to share it!

Inter Milan and COPA are back with a bang, uniting heritage and football excellence in one must-have retro collection. The new FC Internazionale x COPA retro collection features no less than 12 retro styles including retro shirts, sweaters and a tracksuit covering big part of the second half of the 20th century, evoking memories of great international successes and star-studded teams that graced the field of San Siro. From the commanding presence of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to the artistry of Dennis Bergkamp, the electrifying skill of Ronaldo, the leadership of Javier Zanetti, the dynamism of Iván Zamorano, the precision of Wim Jonk, and the fierce passion of Diego Simeone.

Discover the full FC Internazionale Milano retro collection online at https://copafootball.com

Enjoy, your weekend. Two HUGE games for me. Gillingham have lost five on the bounce but all will be excused with a big win (or even a little win) against Swindon whilst FC Deportivo Galicia have a top of the table tussle with Windsor and Eton FC.

Edit: just read Swindon Town have sacked their manager, Mark Kennedy. oh dear, dead cat bounce tomorrow!

I caught up with Christian recently and we had a good catch up. Many will know him for his website and Facebook profile of Through The Turnstile of No-League Football. If you have not visited the website recently, I recommend a read of some great blogs as he travels around the country

His BIG news is (drumroll, please) a new magazine that he is launching. Christian says, “I’m very excited to announce the launch of Parks to Pitches – a brand new magazine brought to you by Through the Turnstile of Non-League Football!

Bringing you the best stories, interviews, and insights from the world of Non-league football, Parks to Pitches is your new go-to for everything Non-league!

Release Date: November – Get ready to turn the page on a new era of non-league football coverage!

Follow @TTTONLF on Facebook, Instagram and X, for updates, sneak peeks, and exclusive content as we bring the beautiful game closer to you than ever before!”

So, there we have it….some BIG news but that’s not all. He has increased the range of his TTTONLF merchandise with pin-badges, T-shirts and now Bennies (below.) Please ping Christian if you fancy wearing these items as you cross the country. He has also got a shiny, new certificate (above) and raised a HUGE amount of money with a virtual duck race. Top man.

Meanwhile, his friend and partner in crime, Darren Ashley has been traversing the country producing insightful vlogs of a different non-league game each week. Catch up with Darren on YouTube every week. I subscribed (free of charge) so that I would never forget an episode. Incidentally, it looks like he has also become a Talisman for one particular Midlands club. Next stop Wembley? Well, no. There are a few rounds to go still but it is exciting to chart the progress. Enjoy.

Whilst all this good stuff is going on all around me, Gillingham have now lost five on a row. On Saturday we could have gone top of the table depending on results. By Tuesday night we are eight points behind Port Vale and looking doomed. Remine me, everyone, why we love football.

Have a great week

You might remember that I had the pleasure of meeting Brian last week at the Groundhop As promised he has sent me the overview of his book.

.

A Century of DERES

August 2022 marked the centenary of Erith and Belvedere FC.  It was on 26 August 1922 that the Deres played their first match, losing 3-1 at home to Chatham Town, and even in their first season they reached the quarter-final of the FA Amateur Cup, before being losing finalists to Clapton a year later.  To coincide with this landmark “A Century of Deres” looks back over the club’s first century, with its ups and downs,
Every season in the club’s history is featured: the story includes two Amateur Cup Finals (1924 and 1938), an all-conquering wartime team, the heyday of the Corinthian and Athenian Leagues, two thrilling Kent League titles and dark days when the club’s future appeared under threat.

There are also profiles of 100 major figures in the club’s history, from record-breaking strikers to loyal club men, from the club’s most successful managers to players who made a single appearance but had a great impact on football elsewhere.  Plus a look further back to the origins of football in Erith, when two Victorian working men set up a lasting tradition.

And you can find out the only person to have both played against the Deres AND appeared in “Blackadder”!

“A fabulous historical account charting the last 100 years. What an unbelievable feat of research and dedication to produce this fantastic piece of work. I would urge everyone who has Erith & Belvedere FC in their blood to buy one…” – Tony Beckingham, former Erith & Belvedere manager.

“Brilliant memories … not put it down since receiving it” – Gary Groom, ex-Dere.

“Brilliantly put together and the 100 profiles are great” – Phil Nourse, Charlton Life.

“Detailed and extremely well researched” – Non League Paper.

Available for £10 at the ground on matchdays or from ACoDbook@gmail.com

One of the questions that comes up almost daily on my London Facebook groups and especially those for visitors is the vexed question of how to get tickets for football games in the capital. I have attempted to give a comprehensive response multiple times and my friend Richard Atkinson has crafted a comprehensive overview. So, if you are interested in tickets for matches in London and want the FACTS from people living here who actually go to numerous games each season, read on!

Richard says,

” London currently has seven teams playing in the Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Brentford, West Ham United, Crystal Palace

Obviously there are other well known clubs outside of London such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City. Both Liverpool and Manchester are around 2 1/2 to 3 hours’ train journey from London and would probably require an overnight stay in either city if you can secure match tickets.

The fixture list for the Premier league is released mid June with games generally taking place August- May

Unfortunately tickets for premier league clubs are rarer than gold hens’ teeth unless you are a season ticket holder or club member (although even this doesn’t guarantee you a ticket.) Your best bet for these teams is hospitality packages, however these can easily run into hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

Also many teams will run some sort of membership scheme and categorise matches so for example let’s take Chelsea when they play the bigger more widely supported teams such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool etc these games will be highest demand for tickets so they have a points based system in place where fans collect points by going to lesser matches against say Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich etc which then gives them more chance of tickets for the “bigger” games. The more points you have the more likely you can get tickets. This ensures that fans that go regularly can get tickets to the bigger matches, but does mean it’s even harder for visitors to get tickets for these games.

Another option is that these clubs have supporters’ groups all over the world (especially in the US and Australia.) Have a search online if there is a local supporters group near you and contact them as they occasionally have access to tickets or can perhaps point you in the right direction. Be VERY Careful when using third party sellers as they may not be legitimate tickets. ALWAYS buy directly from the club or through the clubs recommended ticket agents.

Perhaps consider a game outside of the Premier League lots of London based clubs in the lower divisions

London Teams in Lower Divisions

Championship

Queens Park Rangers, Watford (Just outside of London) ,Millwall

League 1

Charlton

Leyton Orient, Reading (Outside of London but now easily accessible via Elizabeth line)

League 2

Gillingham ,AFC Wimbledon

(I hate to recommend these two as these are both big rivals of the team I follow )

You SHOULD be able to get tickets for these teams easily for Championship it’s worth looking a few weeks ahead leagues 1&2 should generally be available a few days before or even on the door.

Again register on the websites for updates on tickets

Please be aware that Premier league and occasionally Championship games can be moved to different dates and time due to TV schedules or if a team does particularly well in the various cup competitions so just keep an eye out.

Another option is an England match at Wembley Stadium. They have generally more general tickets on sale and is often cheaper than Premier League check online for schedules. They generally have games about every 6-8 weeks between October and May

If you are travelling in July/early August this is the start of pre season matches often friendlies or mini tournaments against teams from other parts of Europe tickets for these games are relatively easy to find.

Again depending on the time of year early rounds on the various cup competitions are fairly easy to get tickets especially the league cup or Europa league, note that the Premier League teams will not enter The FA Cup until the third round in January. The Premier League will have eight teams in Europe; Manchester City Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League, Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham will be in the Europa League Aston Villa (Based in Birmingham 1.5 hours train from London) are in the Europa Conference League, although note that often the higher profile players will not play in these games and the manager may well select younger/reserve players to give them a chance in the team.

Alternatively Women’s football has become massively popular in recent years and the big clubs are now taking it much more seriously the Women’s matches tend to be played in smaller stadiums often in the suburbs of London but easy reach by public transport, occasionally they play in the main stadiums and can attract crowds of up to 50,000 so it’s maybe worth keeping an eye of the fixtures for Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham Women’s teams as well this may well increase due to The Women’s World Cup last summer. If England do well (as expected) interest and attendances may well increase further and more games may be played in bigger stadiums as a result.

Outside of all this there is a huge amount of lower league teams all over London who play regularly I found this amazing website. Which will list that weeks matches with a handy map note the lower the division obviously the smaller the stadiums and smaller the crowds many of these teams will attract fans from anywhere from 1000 to literally just a handful.

http://www.tlfg.Uk

Alternatively, if you want a sports’ fix why not try other sports such as Rugby Union (Harlequins and Saracens in London), Rugby League (London Broncos) or Cricket particularly in the T20 or 100 tournaments (Surrey or Middlesex)

For “US” sports London has leading teams in basketball (London Lions) or ice hockey (Guildford Flames/Streatham Redskins)

Don’t forget London also hosts world class sporting events such as Wimbledon tennis tournament, and often major championships in Athletics, Swimming and Track and Road Cycling.”

His credentials: Richard is a vastly experienced London Tour Guide having worked in the industry for over two decades. Starting his career for Historic Royal Palaces based at Hampton Court Palace and moved on to becoming a tour guide with both Toot Tours and Guide manager with Golden Tours. His career has seen him work at many of London’s major attractions including The Harry Potter studio tour, The Tower Bridge Exhibition, The London Film Museum, both Chelsea and Wembley Stadium Tours and even Buckingham Palace itself.

Richard currently runs a variety of independent small group walking tours across London via Guruwalks, including Changing Of The Guard, Harry Potter and The Beatles in London, using his vast passion for his home city , and deep knowledge especially for all things Royal, to bring London to life for thousands of happy visitors every year and he looks forward to welcoming you as part of his tours.

SCEFL Groundhop

It was a busy, busy weekend. Lots of ups and a few downs. #life The Saturday was the SCEFL Groundhop and I caught up with this at Fisher in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division. It’s amazing that I have never seen a game there. Something always seems to get in the way and although it was not an evening game with the iconic views, it was a prefect opportunity to visit this Step 5 /Level 9 team which is famous for its views, its incredible youth set up and (cough!) some “interesting” ex owners and fans! The ground is easily reached on a direct bus from Peckham or Waterloo but I walked from the DLR at Canada Water. On the way there was an unedifying street fight between a dozen hoodies, mainly on hacked Lime bikes. As I walked ahead purposefully I saw police cars and ambulances racing to the scene.

It was much more orderly inside and a huge crowd of 400+ were entertained to an enjoyable game where the home team never really came to terms with a very front-foot Faversham side. The atmosphere reminded me a bit of Clapton CFC although with no structured singing. There was plenty of vocal support but the away team prevailed and confirmed why they are tipped for the title. Tashi-Jay Kwayie was a particular thorn in the side and his aggressive challenges were frequently successful and set Faversham up for another attack. I have found out since he is a professional model too. Maybe I should not tell Roy Keane or Red Card Roy McDonough!

I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Spurrell, the author of a a number of books about football and he has kindly offered to send me an overview in the next few days. His “History of Erith and Belvedere F.C.” particularly caught my eye. More soon!

So, a good day out and I will definitely be back to Fisher. Cheap coffee, great atmosphere, good transport options, a great printed programme and a friendly crowd …. what more can a man want?

On the terraces I also met Terry Hall (no relation) of Terry’s badges. We had texted and emailed previously but never met. So that was a pleasure. If your club needs badges or you are yourself a badge collector please ping him and I am sure he will be delighted to help out.

Sunday was busy too and it was one of Barry Davey’s West London Programme Fairs It was a hugely successful event. The best ever? Maybe! In attendance were David Pleat who was talking football, shaking hands, reminiscing and promoting his new book. I have to say he looked very well at (There’s hope for me yet!) Barry tells me that if you want a copy of “Just One More Goal” to get in touch. As always my friends Lee Hermitage and Les Easterbrook were there. Lee gets an extra tick as he helped me from making a very dubious but expensive purchase. Free coffee next time, amigo. Les was selling badges like they were going out of fashion, as the saying goes, but it seems they are very much IN fashion. Lee owns North West Middlesex Programmes & Memorabilia and found me a mint Gillingham programme from the 60s to replace a very tatty one. Have a look and if you abuse Arsenal in your email, I am sure he will love you for ever! Barry, Lee, Les …. top guys!

David and Phil at the Fair

A novelty was the presence of David Pleat who looked very sprightly and enjoyed talking all things football as he signed copies of his autobiography. Next to David was Phil Duffy who wrote the comprehensive “They Played for David Pleat at Luton Town.” I was quickly in conversation with Phil who again has promised to send me an overview of the book and what he has been up to since the book was published. I am looking forward to sharing that with you all on here.

Whilst all this was going on Gillingham were getting a lesson at Crewe and FC Deportivo Galicia came very close to creating a huge upset at Yateley. In sunny Leicestershire our intrepid Darren was again in action. Enjoy his latest offering and his gourmet guide to Burgers in Barwell.