Author Archive

Arsenal FC

Yes, it had to happen. FC Deportivo Galicia Top Man, all round good guy BUT Arsenal fan Rogelio Loureda was aware that I would probably avoid visiting the Emirates on the tuktuk tour. He is aware that I am not universally known for my love of Arsenal, its football, fanbase, Library atmosphere or, in general, the shame the club brings on English football. People ask me what team I support and I subconsciously say, ABA. Many think it is probably some Estonian team or a 9th level Spanish village team. No. A.B.A – Anyone But Arsenal

Like so many Arsenal fans, he is still absolutely confident that the Dial Square Nomads will take the Premier League title. To cut a long story short, he made a very generous sponsorship offer to the cause if I visited the Emirates and uploaded photos of my visit in my blog. So, here they are. Proof that I have visited the home of Arsenal. You will notice the appalling weather. There was driving rain and biblical gales. The water was flooding down Highbury Hill carrying all before it. If that was a Thomas Mann novel, I would have thought it was a metaphor for the Arsenal fans having their dreams dragged away. As I am not a novelist, I will just say that the day was wet and depressing…… pretty much everything I expect about Arsenal. So, thanks for your kind donation to the cause, Roger. It is greatly appreciated.

So, there we are, I went to the Emirates and Rogelio made a donation. Please kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for his (and mine!) local club, FC Deportivo Galicia and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I hope that you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK 
If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

The Way We Were …..

No, not the Barbara Streisand/Kris Kristofferson film soundtrack but, yes, a similar era. I was looking at a Blackpool programme from 1968 yesterday which had the marvellous Football Review inside. How I miss those days!

Anyway, there was a little quiz asking readers to name the kits. Just look how “plain” they are in those days. No logos, no crests, no betting companies ……no nothing! No fluorescent lime boots, no square metres of tattoos and not an agent or VAR in sight.

Just for fun, can you recognise these kits? A couple of hints No.2 is NOT Manchester United and No.3 is NOT Gillingham nor Chelsea nor Everton. No.4 is not Leeds United. I would be impressed if you got all four and even more impressed if you named the players.

Whilst talking about kits, I got an email from Brentford FC with an interesting twist on the “retro” trend.

Brentford and Bees United have created a version of the club’s first-ever striped shirt, worn in the 1890s.

The shirt, which has the same claret and blue colours from 1889, is now available for fans to purchase. It features a club crest that was in use during the 1893/94 season.

This release follows the launch of Brentford FC and Bees United’s 1889 heritage shirt, a version of the club’s first-ever playing kit, made available in March.

The shirt, which has the same claret and blue colours from 1889, is now available for fans to purchase. It features a club crest that was in use during the 1893/94 season.

This release follows the launch of Brentford FC and Bees United’s 1889 heritage shirt, a version of the club’s first-ever playing kit, made available in March.

This second heritage shirt marks the club’s shift from solid claret to claret and blue stripes in the 1890s.

While the reasons for Brentford’s choice of design are not known, stripes were only made possible in the late 1880s thanks to new technology and textile capability. Hoops had been commonplace, but stripes were brand new.

Mundial

Mundial Magazine

“It’s taken us 29 issues and nearly a decade to dedicate an entire magazine to kits, but some things are worth the wait.”

ISSUE 29: THE KITS SPECIAL

Mad really that it’s taken us 29 issues and nearly a decade to dedicate an entire issue to kits, but some things are worth the wait.

We asked our favourite people, from Adam Devonshire to Jackson Irvine to Lee Trundle, to tell us all about the kits that meant the most to them. A smorgasbord of shirts, ready for you to devour.

Wimbledon founder Marc Jones took us into his laboratory to show us what it really took to design those Wimbledon beauties that had social media on fire.

There’s a dispatch from an undercover kit baron, a man who’s been trafficking fake shirts across borders, from Turin to Berlin to New Jersey.

You’ll also find Émile-Samory Fofana’s latest additions from his Champions League Koulikoro project from the frontlines in Mali.”

Sounds Great! As followers of The Shirt know, the project was started by Bjørn Heidenstrøm way back in 2009. A whole project was launched around that thing of beauty known as the football shirt. So, yes, we both still love the grounds, the stadiums and everything else that football is known for but “The Shirt” is clearly at the very centre of the project.

What has Mundial delivered this edition?

Longform? This is where the big bits go. Inside, you’ll find an Owen Blackhurst odyssey around the Netherlands to explore Ruud Gullit’s legacy, an undercover story from a fake shirt seller, James Bird tracing the history of the world’s first gay football team through their kits, and you’ll find 20 pages of people we love—from Charlie Cooper to Lee Trundle to Flo Lloyd-Hughes to Cold War Steve—telling us about their favourite football shirts.

….and let’s see what magCulture has to say,

Mundial #29

190 x 260 mm, 98 pages

London, UK

Quarterly

First published 2014

Editor-in-chief: Dan Sandison

Art director: Alex Mertekis

Our favourite football mag, back on the magCulture shelves! Having resigned themselves to a digital-only future as the pandemic struck, the Mundial team was taken over by online publisher Footballco in 2022 with the express aim of relaunching the print edition. This is their eighth issue since the relaunch last summer, and it’s the Kits Special!

On the cover, it’s the odyssey of Ruud Gullit, orange-clad football hero from the Netherlands. Then, find a retrospective on Hackney Women’s FC – the first openly gay club in Europe – a photo-essay of kits on the frontlines, confessions of a bootleg shirt baron, and much more. 

On the Journal:
At work with editor Dan Sandison as they plot their return, ‘We’d had quite a few offers from weird and wonderful organisations to buy us out over the years, and we’d pretty consistently turned them down. This felt different though, they were publishers and football people. We got on.
‘Fast forward six months and we are working on a magazine for the first time in about three year…. It’s been a long time in the making, and we are all made up to be back.’
READ MORE

So, time to shoot to Mundial and buy the quarterly magazine.

Sunday again but for FC Deportivo Galicia the season is over. We played a rearranged game at Hanworth Villa against the London Samurai where we lost 5-4. Mid-table oblivion … tragically!

Sunday again so it’s Darren Ashley’s excellent vlog. I caught up with him earlier and he said,

” ….. sun beating down on a good natured pitch invasion and grown men crying with joy.

Those were the scenes at the final whistle of yesterday’s National League North play off final, where, Boston United, in my opinion, deservedly on the day, beat Brackley Town.

Although very much in the camp of really wanting Brackley to win, I couldn’t help but be happy for Boston and their fans. All in all, my experience of them, even before kick off, was that they were a great bunch.

When I visited St James Park yesterday to record my weekly Non League vlog I thought it may be tricky to do it in the way I usually try to, as, the ground was segregated. I knew that if I was to get a half decent recording spot, it would mean having to stand at the same spot for a few hours…one movement, and it would be quickly taken.

I managed to get bits and pieces filmed before finding my spot an hour or so before kick off, so, it actually was not too bad in the end.

Talking of “the end”, after the pitch invasion, and the high profile nature of the match, I thought it may be really hard to get any post match interviews from the winning team, however, I was wrong.

Keaton Ward, who had scored Boston’s equaliser, and incidentally was celebrating his birthday too, was great, and, although manager Ian Culverhouse was super busy with interviews, he kindly still had time for a small time Non League vlogger like me.

In fact, I knew the dressing room were waiting for Ian to make an appearance and I didn’t want to hold him up, so, I actually said it’s best you go in for celebrations and I would wait around for the interview.

Unbelievably, Ian appeared within a couple of minutes, and gave me as much time as I needed.

That just sums up Non League for me, no prima donnas and everyone has time for you.

One final thing, just after the full time whistle, I’m not sure how, but I found myself next to a very happy emotional and tearful man in a suit. I had a quick chat with him ( not recorded) whilst he was receiving congratulatory hugs….and it turned out he was Boston United chairman David Newton.

A fantastic day all in all, congratulations to Boston United, I hope they do really well next season, and, hopefully Brackley Town will pick themselves up, dust themselves off, go again and, in 2024/25, finally get promoted.”


Thanks, Darren. I hope everyone will pop over to his vlog and see this game and all the previous ones. No cost, no fee, Premier League please note! If you don’t squeeze another game in, I look forward to showcasing your non-league vlogs next season.

As a Gillingham fan, I am not likely to be sympathetic to Brackley Town and as soon as I hear the word “Boston” I immediately think of Steve Evans so I guess if they had both lost 3-0 I would have been happy!
Anyway, congratulations and commiserations. Talking of Gillingham, the manager left during the week. Steve Clemence’s first attempt at club management was not a success and as much as I was not a fan of Nil Nil Harris, I am not sure Clemence really moved us forward. Of course, having the second-fewest goals in the league and trying to play without a recognised striker was never going to keep us in the play off spots! Next! Clemence seemed a decent guy, a hard worker but the results were not there. The chairman’s dream is bigger than the manager’s. Yesterday also was the day when Birmingham City went down to League One from the Championship. I had a wry smile on my face as Blackburn Rovers managed by John Eustace stayed up and Birmingham City went down ……. having sacked Eustace whilst they were sixth in the table! Crazy! Big shout out to Matt at Plymouth Argyle yesterday who also stayed up and congratulations to Sheffield Wednesday who won their audition for the Great Escape when all looked lost!

So, let’s all shoot off to enjoy Darren’s Vlog and feel free to subscribe, at no cost, so you will never miss a game. Please remember, if you would like him to visit your club, do make contact. I know he will be delighted to try to fit in another 40 games next season!

Please also kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for my local club and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I HOPE you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

Pick My Postcode

After learning of all the great works at Brentford for the last two days, it is time to move on. Where? Literally anywhere in the UK where there are postcodes! For a couple of years I have been a member of Pick My Postcode and yesterday I was checking to see if I had won £10 or £1000 and was pleased to see that my bonus was now touching £100. That’s £100 of “free money” literally for checking my postcode every day….. a 30 second job! What I did NOT know was that if I chose to donate my winnings to a charitable cause that Pick My Postcode would double it! So, that would be £200 for Prostate Cancer UK.

It is 100% free to join and your only commitment is to check your home postcode against their daily list of winners. If your postcode has been chosen at random, you claim the money and they transfer it to you. How do they make their money? Simple, it’s like a free newspaper, say the Metro or London’s Evening Standard and is funded by advertisers.

I only joined about two years ago but it has been around for almost 15 years. As Chris Holbrook says, “I had the idea for a postcode raffle in September 2007 when I heard a similar term on a Radio 4 report about the NHS. I was also inspired by milliondollarhomepage.com, and how advertising on the internet makes things free. I’ve never been a fan of paid competitions in general, because the consumer almost always loses, so worked on the concept of a daily, ad-funded postcode raffle that scaled the prizes along with the audience.”

“Registered postcodes are drawn at random by a computer and posted online. If you share a postcode with someone else who also enters, your chance of winning increases – just like names in a hat! You can win anything from £5 on our flash draw, all the way up to £200 on our main draw – more if you manage to snatch a rollover.” Chris Holbrook, Founder

So, today, I am encouraging each and every one of you to register at no cost whatsoever. They don’t ask for card details or have any type of subscription or fee. Obviously, if you win, you claim the prize money but perhaps you would be kind enough to donate some of it to Prostate Cancer UK or FC Deportivo Galicia. No pressure, no obligation but I would be grateful. Equally, you could use it as a way of raising funds for your club or team. I would wish you well. Note: you must be over 18 to play.

PS Hear from some of the winners here

As Jane Austin once wrote, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an Arsenal fan, in possession of a huge amount of optimism bleats, ‘Next Season’, mate.” Sadly for them the last twenty years have not brought a title but seasons effectively over by Easter. This obviously brings me infinite joy but this season there is still a miniscule chance that they MIGHT get close. This obviously is a source of deep regret. To cut to the quick, a huge Arsenal fan and Top Man at FC Deportivo Galicia, Sr. Rogelio Loureda assured me that this WOULD be the one and that he would donate £20 to the cause if I went to the Library aka “The Emirates” and took photos of me standing there. Whilst The Emirates is, obviously, a blot on the London skyline and the thought of having to go there voluntarily is not appealing, I did remember that Barry Dixey hosts an excellent Programme Fair next door on Bank Holidays. I particularly remember that the one last May Bank was excellent and so on Monday I shall indeed venture forth to North London and have a bitter-sweet day. Whether you are an Arsenal fan or not I am sure you will find something of interest at the Community Centre next to the tube centre. I know Les Easterbrook will be there with his huge selection of badges and many regular stall-holders will have programmes, magazines and all kinds of memorabilia. Enjoy. If anybody wants to make a donation to the Shirt appeal for Prostate Cancer and FC Deportivo Galicia I can be persuaded to wear an Arsenal shirt for a genuine donation too! See below.

…and in true, “Not Only But Also” style, here is advance notice of one in Chelmsford. Greg hosted two excellent events last year in Loughton and he tells me this one at a unique venue will be better still.

Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show Press Release

The inaugural Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show will take place at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford on Sunday 9^th June.

Following two successful Essex Retro Football Shows last year in Loughton, organiser Greg Lansdowne has revamped the event with a new venue and the addition of the summer game.

Stallholders will have a vast array of vintage football and cricket memorabilia on-sale to visitors, ranging from books to badges, shirts to stickers, programmes to photos and much more.

Held in the pavilion at the home of Essex County Cricket Club, to provide an even greater feel of sporting heritage, entry is free and the bar will be open to visitors throughout the event from 10.30am-2.00pm.

Show organiser Greg Lansdowne commented: “Having previously worked at Essex CCC as its first-ever Communications Manager, and edited the Yearbook for a decade, it is an honour to hold this event back at the club. It will be a great opportunity for nostalgia lovers to wallow in football and cricket’s past and hopefully a special guest or two will also turn up.”

Updates and further information can be found at www.greglansdowne.co.uk, the Essex Retro Football & Cricket Facebook page, @Panini_book on X or email essexretroshow{at.}greglansdowne.co.uk

I hope you are enjoying my journey around the grounds. (A cricket ground? That’s a first) To be honest, I am struggling to reach £500 for FC Deportivo and Prostate Cancer at £20 or £50 so this is a bit of a test/a trial if you like. I wonder how many of you would be happy to add just £1? I would be very grateful if you would consider a donation however small to support  Prostate Cancer UK  If everybody chipped in £1 I would easily hit my target of £5,000 and the charity would continue to fund their great work. Every single penny goes DIRECT to Prostate Cancer UK. As I said above, if you want me to wear an Arsenal shirt or something equally ridiculous, I am open to suggestions. Equally I will send you 10 programmes for a £10 donation or perhaps you prefer two autobiographies for £10 (Neville, Rooney, Sir Alex, Lampard, Crouchy etc etc) Just shout.

A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can donate. If you can’t you can still help massively by sharing this page about the work of Prostate Cancer. If you prefer to support FC Deportivo Galicia, their link is here

Brentford FC Logo

Yesterday we were at Brentford FC looking at their work in the community. As I said, I have always been impressed with how focused they are on remaining true to their roots. So, today we are staying here another day to learn about another exciting initiative. I will let Nikita Rathod, Brentford’s Communication Manager explain.

Brentford FC matchday audio commentary makes football accessible for visually impaired fans

The club releases immersive video featuring Andy Godfrey, a visually impaired Brentford FC fan who attends home matches with audio commentary as a part of Thousands of Stories

A new, immersive video from Brentford FC shares the story of Andy Godfrey, a visually impaired Brentford supporter that uses the club’s audio commentary to experience matches live at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Sound is the final video in the second series of Thousands of Stories, a collection of short films sharing the stories of Brentford’s community. The club’s fans have been the focus of series two.

The film shares the story of Andy, who was born blind and tells us what it’s like to experience a live football match as a visually impaired person.

The film, best watched using headphone, uses sounds recorded from a Premier League matchday at Brentford to create an immersive audio experience. The video is an opportunity for viewers to discover what a matchday is like for blind or partially sighted football fans.

In The Sound, Andy explains he came to Brentford to teach French and German at a local school and was approached by a colleague who suggested that Andy should try Brentford’s matchday audio commentary.

“One of the teachers said to me, “they have excellent commentary at Brentford, would you like to try that?” And I came to the club and it was everything that I could dream a football could be” said Andy.

Andy received that advice more than 50 years ago and he’s been a Brentford fan ever since.

He says, “It’s just unbelievable, that feeling of going to Brentford. I don’t miss many home games. On a matchday, I can’t think about anything else really, it’s just Brentford all the way through. I get the shakes sometimes!”

In the video, Andy elaborates on what his unique matchday experience is like, including the build-up to kick-off.

“I’ve listened to the excited shouts of the Brentford fans. I listen to them predicting a win. People are excited. There are excited conversations all around me.”

“The atmosphere is electric. You can hear the shouts of the players, the cries of the crowd. People are getting nervous, you do sense that”.

Andy’s matchday experience wouldn’t be what it is today without his access to live matchday audio commentary, broadcast by Brentford Fc in-house at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The club’s long-serving matchday commentator, Mark Burridge, is the voice behind the microphone that Andy relies on to follow the match as it happens right in front of him when he’s sat in the stadium.

“Having a commentary really enhances the whole experience of going to Brentford. When I was growing up, all the blind spectators had to sit together. In those days, you had the plug your headphones into a console.”

“Now we have wireless headphones with are absolutely super because you can sit anywhere you like with your friends. The best thing about it is the commentator keeps up with play, never misses a shot or a kick and describes everything”.

“It means the world to me, it really does”.

Wireless audio commentary at Brentford is one of the many ways that the club is making football accessible for all. To help blind fans enjoy the matchday experience at the Gtech Community Stadium, fans can bring along a carer, free of charge. Andy discussed why these initiatives are so important to him.

“Obviously not all blind people like football, but loads do. I just wish more people would come to the ground.”

“I think the more people you can get into football, the better it is. If there was no commentary at Brentford, I wouldn’t go.”

“I think football is a great introducer to other people and other walks of life. The impact of football on my life is immense. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the kindness I’ve received at Brentford.”

About Thousands of Stories

Thousands of Stories is a film series from Brentford FC that highlights the club’s community.

Following the success of the inaugural series, the series two of Thousands of Stories consists of four films which delve into the experiences of our fans, what supporting the Bees means to them and how the club has impacted their lives.

Accompanying The Sound in this series are:

• The Moment – the story of Raymond Harrison, a lifelong Bees supporter who experienced a cardiac arrest at Gtech Community Stadium before our fixture against Newcastle last season
• The Dream – the story of Connor Wolfheimer, a Brentford fan who came through Brentford FC Community Sports Trust’s football programme and is currently on a two-year scholarship playing for Brentford’s Under-18s
• The Local – the story of Claire Peleschka, the landlady of The Griffin, one of the four pubs surrounding Brentford’s previous stadium, Griffin Park

So far, the series has attracted more than 1.4m views across social media.

Speaking about the return of the series, Sally Stephens, Brentford’s fan and community relations director, said: “Thousands of Stories shines a spotlight on some of the incredible individuals who make up our vibrant community. We’re fortunate to have such fantastic fans.”

“The films share how being a Brentford fan is about much more than football. Being a Bees fan means being part of a trusted community, supporting each other and showing togetherness during the good times but also through adversity.”

“We look forward to continuing to celebrate the stories that make our club so special.”

You can download The Sound video in 16×9 or 1×1, and video stills to use in your piece using this WeTransfer link.

The Sound is available on all of Brentford social media channels.

X (Twitter)

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

More information on Thousands of Stories, including all other films from this series and last year can be found on the club’s website.

BRENTFORD FC LAUNCHES NEW SERIES OF THOUSANDS OF STORIES

I have always had a lot of time for Brentford FC and particularly their Community Sports Trust. I recently received their latest press release which I think deserves sharing with readers of this blog. Enjoy.

Thousands of Stories, Brentford’s series highlighting its people, returns with a new edition of short films focusing on fans

Brentford FC has launched the next series of “Thousands of Stories”, a series of short films sharing the stories of the club’s community. 

Following the success of the inaugural series, the upcoming instalment consists of four films which delve into the experiences of our fans, what supporting the Bees means to them and how the club has impacted their lives. Thousands of Stories shares the tales of the people that make up Brentford. Every story is important, and unique and makes the club what it is today. 

Series two kicks off with The Moment, the story of Raymond Harrison, a lifelong Bees supporter who experienced a cardiac arrest at the Gtech Community Stadium before our fixture against Newcastle last season. Thanks to our stewards and medical support staff performing CPR, Raymond’s life was saved. In The Moment, Raymond explains how his life has changed since that day. 

Three further films from Thousands of Stories will be released across the next three weeks:  

• The Dream (17 April) – follows the story of Connor Wolfheimer, a Brentford fan who came through Brentford FC Community Sports Trust’s football programme and is currently on a two-year scholarship playing for Brentford’s under-18s.  
• The Local (24 April) – shares the story of Claire Peleschka, the landlady of The Griffin, one of the four pubs surrounding Brentford’s previous stadium, Griffin Park  
• The Sound (1 May) – tells the experience of Andy Godfrey, a long-standing Brentford supporter who is visually impaired and uses the club’s audio commentary to experience matches at the Gtech. 

The series last year included four stories focusing on Brentford manager, Thomas Frank and cardiac health in The Pressure, staff member Mariia Manirko in The Chance, participants of the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust’s women’s football recreation session in The Team and Peter Gilham’s legacy at the club in The Voice.  

Sally Stephens, Brentford’s fan and community relations director said: “Thousands of Stories shines a spotlight on some of the incredible individuals who make up our vibrant Brentford FC community. We’re fortunate to have such fantastic fans.   

“The films share how being a Brentford fan is about much more than football. Being a Bees fans means being part of a trusted community, supporting each other and showing togetherness during the good times but also through adversity. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the stories that make our club so special.” 

Find out more about Thousands of Stories  

With special thanks to all those who were involved in the production including:  

Mark Burridge 

Andy Godfrey 

Raymond Harrison 

Jacob Mead-Baker 

Claire Peleschka 

Jamie Tompkins 

Connor Wolfheimer 

Studio Something  

Land Of The Giants – Subbuteo

Today we move on from the Channel Islands and the intricacies of the play-offs to a “New World.” When Covid-19 struck the UK in March 2020 and the country was plunged into the trauma of Lockdown, Derek Air took his Subbuteo pitch down off the garage wall and together with his son, started playing again.  At the time, rather like a dystopian film, he believed they were the only ones still playing the game, but on closer investigation he discovered a rich and vibrant online community of players, collectors, team painters and even stadium builders.  Following the lifting of Lockdown, he decided he wanted to find out more about these people so he set off on a virtual, and then actual, journey across the country and finally abroad, to meet them and bring their stories to a wider audience.  

Land of the Giants:  My Journey Through the World of Table Football takes you on an odyssey where you will meet the players who search for glory on tables at both home and abroad; the collectors who scour the internet, car boot sales, charity shops and collectors’ fairs in search of the rarest of the rare items; the men and women who create works of art in miniature and the stadium builders who wake up one morning and decide to build a replica of a football ground in their spare room. Land of the Giants takes the reader inside the world of the table football and Subbuteo. From the collectors and team painters, to the players and stadium builders, their stories are all here. technological change.

This book is a love letter to a game that was once thought long forgotten, but which is, as you will discover, very much alive and flicking. Yes, a love letter to an old-fashioned favourite, still loved by so many, and a game which refuses to die in an age of technological change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Derek Air has been playing the game of Subbuteo on and off for fifty years. A former school teacher, he has written a number of articles on German football for the fanzine Halb Vier and produced four series of the podcast Finger Flickin’ Good in which he chronicled the stories of the Subbuteo community both in the UK and further afield. Land of the Giants is his first non-fiction book. A proud Scot, he lives in the Black Country.

Editor’s note: I must admit that I last played Subbuteo as a chronically sick child back in the 1960s and I was surprised and delighted to find the game is a live and well. I seem to remember that there was no official Gillingham Subbuteo team (below) – so I could be Everton or Chelsea (if I lost!) or my beloved Gillingham when I won.

Things have changed a lot, I see, and I am now tempted to buy the official Gillingham 23/24 away (!)kit. Crazy world. Perhaps like vinyl, cinema visits, books and DVDs a cycle is inevitable. The book is available from our friends at Pitch Publishing

I hope you enjoyed Derek’s Journey into a New World. Interesting niche! To be honest, I am struggling to reach £500 for FC Deportivo and Prostate Cancer at £20 or £50 so this is a bit of a test/a trial if you like. I wonder how many of you would be happy to add just £1? I would be very grateful if you would consider a donation however small to support  Prostate Cancer UK  If everybody chipped in £1 I would easily hit my target of £5,000 and the charity would continue to fund their great work. Every single penny goes DIRECT to Prostate Cancer UK. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can donate. If you can’t you can still help massively by sharing this page about the work of Prostate Cancer. If you prefer to support FC Deportivo Galicia, their link is here

I am delighted to introduce you to a new guest writer. I have been following Ollie Boletta on social media for a while and he was kind enough to agree to add a post about his beloved Jersey Bulls FC. Welcome, kind sir, your stats are very impressive.

On Saturday they played my local Spelthorne Sports in the Combined Counties, Step 5 with a crowd of ca. 700 and earned a 3-0 win. Their regular season thus ended and they finished runners up to Farnham guaranteeing a home game in the play-off semi-finals. Their next game is in the play-offs against AFC Croydon Athletic on Jersey this Saturday. A crowd of 1000 are expected – incredible on a tiny island at Step 5.

It seems only yesterday that FC Deportivo Galicia hosted them in their first ever away game in Step 6 and it was clear from that day back in August 2019 that this was a phenomenon waiting to happen. Two seasons were voided by Covid but the Bulls eventually made it to the Combined Counties Premier Division South.

As I said, this was the last game of their regular season and it is clear that despite their second spot it has not all been plain sailing. Ollie mused, “There was a certain point in the season where I thought this isn’t looking good. Goals hard to come by, and general performances lacking quality.

I am delighted to introduce you to a new guest writer. I have been following Ollie Boletta on social media for a while and he was kind enough to agree to add a post about his beloved Jersey Bulls FC. Welcome, kind sir, your stats are very impressive.

On Saturday they played my local Spelthorne Sports in the Combined Counties, Step 5 with a crowd of ca. 700 and earned a 3-0 win. Their regular season thus ended and they finished runners up to Farnham guaranteeing a home game in the play-off semi-finals. Their next game is in the play-offs against AFC Croydon Athletic on Jersey this Saturday. A crowd of 1000 are expected – incredible on a tiny island at Step 5.

It seems only yesterday that FC Deportivo Galicia hosted them in their first ever away game in Step 6 and it was clear from that day back in August 2019 that this was a phenomenon waiting to happen. Two seasons were voided by Covid but the Bulls eventually made it to the Combined Counties Premier Division South.

As I said, this was the last game of their regular season and it is clear that despite their second spot it has not all been plain sailing. Ollie mused, “There was a certain point in the season where I thought this isn’t looking good. Goals hard to come by, and general performances lacking quality.

Since that game against Alton when I went home feeling that, we have put 120% effort into every single game, huge or less so.

Couldn’t be more proud of this group of players, from the ‘where do we go from here?’ after Alton at home, to ‘who are we beating in the playoffs?’ after yesterdays brilliant win. What an amazing group. The youngsters that have come in have been stellar week in week out, genuinely think the older players have had their best seasons too. Whatever happens in the playoffs, this group have done the island proud and made us some great memories along the way.

35 matches. 86 goals. Take this game against Croydon as a chance to get a cup final and as a chance to move island football up. Let’s get up to the same level as ‘them’.*

See you in the playoffs. Thank you @jerseybullsfc

Editor’s note: *Them are Guernsey FC who play in the Isthmian League – South Central Division – 2023-2024 which is one step above Jersey Bulls.


He says, “Hi! My name is Ollie Boletta. I am a 17 year old aspiring Sports Journalist from Jersey, Channel Islands. I run a TikTok channel, a Spotify podcast, an X page and an Instagram account documenting my football adventures and getting genuine opinions from genuine fans, mostly following Chelsea and Jersey Bulls. I started social media properly in March. Since then, I’ve hit 140,000 likes on TikTok, 1400 Instagram followers and 300 X followers as an example. I’d really appreciate it if you joined the journey, and followed me on any of these channels. You never know, you could be the next interview I do after a toughly-fought step 5 non-league relegation battle! Thank you, Ollie.

I hope you liked Ollie’s blog. Like Christian and Darren he is doing a great job promoting non-league football. There is NO cost to subscribe to any of their blogs/vlogs. On the other hand, I would like your money, just £1 of it! I am struggling to reach £500 for FC Deportivo and Prostate Cancer at £20 or £50 so this is a bit of a test/a trial if you like. I wonder how many of you would be happy to add just £1? I would be very grateful if you would consider a donation however small to support  Prostate Cancer UK  If everybody chipped in £1 I would easily hit my target of £5,000 and the charity would continue to fund their great work. Every single penny goes DIRECT to Prostate Cancer UK. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can donate. If you can’t you can still help massively by sharing this page about the work of Prostate Cancer. If you prefer to support FC Deportivo Galicia, their link is here