Author Archive

Around The Courses in 80 Days 

Well, this is a different day and it is not football or cancer related but it’s such a great cause and it is a parallel story to mine! Please indulge me.

My Facebook friend, Graham Arnold is also off on a challenge. Not digital, not a pushbike, not a Jules Verne but rather he IS visiting all the UK racecourses. I cannot claim to have any knowledge of racecourses or horseracing and I think I have been to less than a handful over the last 60 years and they were usually for business presentations rather than spectating. Graham is obviously keener. Good Luck, amigo.

He started off at Exeter (see below) and he plans to visit all the 59 racecourses in just 80 days. I read, “Graham Arnold, a horse racing fanatic will be setting off in April 2024 to visit all 59 British racecourses on an actual race day all in 80 days. He’s doing this to raise money for Dementia UK, a charity very close to his heart. He will invite folk to join him to walk each course before racing. With your support, we can make a difference in the lives of those living with Dementia.​

We need your help to make this fundraising event a success. Join us in our journey to raise money for Dementia UK. You can participate in our walk before racing or make a donation to support our cause.

Our goal is to raise £20,000 for Dementia UK. With your help, we can make a difference in the lives of people affected by dementia.

We are looking for volunteers to join our team and help us organize this event. If you are passionate about horse racing and want to make a difference in the lives of people affected by dementia, we want to hear from you. Contact us to learn more about how you can get involved.”

You can learn more, check his route and agree where to meet on his excellent website

Good luck, Graham

Gary Thacker – Books on Spain

We had an interesting “day” last week talking about Spanish football and anybody who knows me knows that Steve+Spain+Football+Books equals “Almost heaven, West Virginia.”

One of my favourite writers about Spanish football is Gary Thacker who has written two of my absolute “must read, highly recommended” books about the non-league game in Spain. If you have any interest in the subject I’d definitely shoot to his website and get them both – “The Games People Play” and “A Whole New Ball Game.” In fact if you have any interest in football, give yourself an hour or two as there are dozens of great articles on subjects as diverse as Lineker, Escobar, CSKA Sofia, Raul etc etc etc. Four Four Two eat your heart out!

Gary has his fiction on Spain as well as definitive works about the Dutch and their “nearly-teams”, Chelsea, the English and Brazilian national teams and much more. Enjoy.

The Games People Play / A Whole New Ball Game – Gary Thacker
Two seasons and two separate docu-novels about life in levels 9 and 10 of the Spanish structure.

These novels follow an English coach in the lower leagues of Spanish football and his relationships, his successes and defeats both on and off the pitch. It is great escapist fiction, perhaps for your summer holidays by the pool or in the English driving rain as you dream about a holiday in Spain! Far-fetched? Yes. Impossible? Absolutely not. It’s life very far away from Real Madrid, Barcelona, the Galácticos, los Yeyés and their likes.

Like all great writers he is a great reader and he kindly forwarded his list of must-reads for anybody interested about learning about Spain. I have read or know of most and can’t disagree with any. I have added more details at www.ThisIsSpain.info

· An Anarchist’s Story (Chris Dolan)

·The Transformation of Spain (David Gilmour)

· Homage to Caledonia (Daniel Gray)

· Tales of The Alhambra (Washington Irving)

· The Anarchists in the Spanish Civil War (Robert Alexander)

· A New International History of the Spanish Civil War (Michael Alpert)

· Unlikely Heroes (Richard Baxell)

· For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemmingway)

· Barcelona (Robert Hughes) · Durruti (Abel Paz)

· The Spanish Civil War (Mark Lawrence)

· Homage to Catalonia (George Orwell)

· After the Civil War (Michael Richards)

· A People Betrayed (Paul Preston)

· The Spanish Civil War (Paul Preston)

· Comrades! (Paul Preston)

· The Last Days of the Spanish Republic (Paul Preston)

· Doves of War (Paul Preston)

· Hell and Good company (Richard Rhodes)

· The Last Stalinist – The Life of Santiago Carillo (Paul Preston)

· The Spanish Civil War (Francisco J Romero Salvado)

· Twentieth Century Spain (Francisco J Romero Salvado)

· Britons in Spain (William Rust)

· Brother Against Brother (Ed. Frank Thomas)

· To Make the People Smile Again (George Wheeler)

· Carteles de la Guerra Civil Espanol (Various)

· British Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (Richard Baxell)

· The Spanish Second Republic Revisited (Manuel Alvares Tarido & Fernando del Reguillo)

· The Battle for Spain – The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 (Antony Beevor)

· The Spanish Civil War (Antony Beevor)

· Guernica (Dave Bolling)

· To Remember Spain: The Anarchist & Syndicalist Revolution of 1936 (Murray Brookchin)

· I am Spain (David Boyd Haycock)

· The Life & Death of the Spanish Republic (Henry Buckley)

· Blood & Faith – The Purging of Muslim Spain 1492-1614 (Matthew Carr)

· The Moor’s Last Stand (Elizabeth Drayson)

· Brigadista – An Irishman’s Fight Against Fascism (Bob Doyle)

· Modern Spain 1875-1980 (Raymond Carr)

I would personally add Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football (Phil Ball) and Fear and Loathing in La Liga (Sid Lowe) although I recognise that they are about football IN Spain rather than about Spain per se. Certainly, I believe if you follow Gary’s choices you have a fantastic overview of Spain through the centuries and, as importantly, Spain’s transformation in the last 50 years from a dictatorship to a forward-looking, economically-sound world power.

I hope these ideas help you. How can you help me back? Well, please kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for my local football 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. If you can’t please consider sharing this site on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn or wherever and if you want me to feature your club, kit, team etc just ping me.

Thanks in advance.

March for Men 2024

So much more than just a walk in the park

Walk side-by-side with your community on a charity walk around London’s beautiful Battersea Park.  

Join us on Sunday 2 June and help fund lifesaving research that could save men’s lives. 

Join us at March for Men

What to expect on the day?

Bring your family, friends and even your dog for a great day out with an important purpose. 

March alongside thousands as we share stories, celebrate loved ones, and walk towards a better future for men. 

Enjoy live music check out information stands and entertain the kids with a scavenger hunt. 

Join us Sunday 2 June in London’s Battersea Park

Choose Your Distance: 

Take on a 2.5km, 5km, or 10km walk. 

Whichever distance you choose, you’ll be walking together – taking on  

1, 2 or 4 laps around the beautiful Battersea Park. 
 
The route is fully pathed, making it accessible for both wheelchairs and buddies. It’s fully signposted and marshalled so everyone stays on track. 

Get Involved

Choose your own fundraising target

Your fundraising can change the future for men, and support those who’re already navigating their disease.

£75 funds 5 hours of specialist work to analyse prostate cancer samples, advancing research on how to stop the disease spreading.

£150 allows a researcher to utilise cutting-edge laser technology for half a day, exploring new treatments to support the immune system’s response to prostate cancer. (Most people aim for this)

£300 pays for surgery support packs for 25 men, these include incontinence pads, wipes, and informative guides for post-surgery expectations.

Your rewards! 

There are some exciting rewards to claim when you reach these fundraising milestones. 

March for Men T-shirt 

Everyone gets a March for Men t-shirt. Wear it proudly as you walk side-by-side with your community.  

Shoelaces 

Raise £150 and we’ll send you a pair of our brand-new shoelaces. It’s time to strap in and save lives. 

Coffee Cup 

Raise £300 and we’ll send you our double walled, stainless steel, vacuum insulation coffee cup. Perfect for when you’re on the move. 

Can’t make it to Battersea Park?

Join other March for Men supporters, up and down the UK, who are heading to their local parks on the first weekend of June to walk in solidarity and raise awareness within their community.

Organise your own March for Men

Donate Now

Got questions? We’re here to help.

Email us if you have any questions or need any more information, we’re here to help. You can also check out our handy FAQs.

Get in touch

Contact Us

Our dedicated team are here to answer your questions. Drop us an email and we’ll be happy to help.

Email us

Kempston Rovers

Goalmouth Action – Kempston Rovers v Aylesbury United

It’s Sunday so it must be Darren Ashley’s latest tour. This week he is at Kempston for a BIG match. To remind you, Darren chooses one match per week where he looks to spotlight the best of non-league football. If you do a search of this site you will see his latest trips and links to his YouTube channel. You can subscribe at no cost and see all his previous games.

He says, ” Yesterday, I travelled to Bedfordshire to watch a vital match at the bottom of the Southern League Division 1 Central match between Kempston Rovers & Aylesbury United.

Now, the home side were 5 points adrift of safety with 4 to play so it was MUST WIN for them really, whereas, the away team were 5 point clear of the drop, so, for them, it was MUST NOT LOSE.

On arrival, my daughter and I were warmly met and were treated brilliantly by all at Kempston Rovers, which I can’t thank them enough for, but, for this review, I want to give my thoughts regarding the respective managers.

Firstly, I sought out Kempston manager Richard Keil, as I had got in touch with him regarding filming the vlog.

He was a great guy, and despite the pressure of the impending match, he gave me plenty of time.

We had a joke where, I mentioned that his name was the same as the actor who played the baddie Jaws in the James Bond films, and if his team won, I already had a title of my video in mind.

After a quick on camera interview, it was time to try to meet Aylesbury manager David Tuttle. Once again, he was a great guy. We had a good laugh off-camera, then we did a quick interview.

After the interview’s, the managers and I were chatting, and I assumed they knew each other pretty well, as they had an easy way with each other.

The managers pre match. David Tuttle on left. Richard Keil on right

So, the match comes, and goes, and, for once, I will give a spoiler….it finished Kempston 0-5 Aylesbury….which, now makes it almost certain Kempston will go down and Aylesbury will survive. As the teams and management walk off, I noticed Richard went back to the dugout on his own to just sit, and, I guess, ponder and think about what he had witnessed.

It was then I decided I wouldn’t ask for a post match interview with him.

Not long after, David came out, walked across the pitch and went and sat with Richard for a few minutes. I thought that was real classy from him.

They came back off the pitch together, and, now, I was certain they were mates from way back as there seemed a real decent bond, but, to my complete surprise, when I spoke to them again, they had only met once at the previous encounter between the 2 teams, which was David’s first match.

It was such a decent thing to see on, what was a crappy day for the home side, and honestly, these two fellas really are representing the teams clubs brilliantly, and, i just wouldn’t be surprised somewhere down the line they may end up a management duo ( you heard it here first.)

One final thing, Richard dropped me a line in the evening, thanking me for coming and apologising for not chatting much after the match due to how he was feeling…he had no need to apologise, he was great.

….oh, if you fancy watching the vlog ( it’s a bit longer than usual), as always, it’s in the comment.”

Thanks Darren, sounds like another great day. Always fantastic to see how well you are received. It truly showers the power of Non-League football. Fantastic. Darren pinged me earlier to ensure I recognised Kempston’s chairman. “I first met the Kempston chairman Steve Brookes yesterday whilst he was operating a turnstile . Another top bloke, who supplied everything I needed with a smile although he was clearly gutted at the end of the day with the result.” Hope it’s the beginning of a new era for all. It’s not a crime to go down, it’s a crime to stay down, Mr Brookes. Good luck. Tuttle?!? Yes, the former Spurs, Millwall, Palace player. Wondered where he was.

Sadly FC Deportivo Galicia did not have a game yesterday but the other results pretty much worked in our favour so that’s a boost as we go off to London Colney on Tuesday. Promotion via the playoffs is still on the cards whilst the home team are fighting to stay in the division. It will be a new ground for me but my enthusiasm is tempered in the knowledge that it is in the middle of nowhere somewhere near St Albans so it’s looking like a midnight return. Let’s see!

How can you help the club? Well, please 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. If you can’t please consider sharing this site on Twitter/FB or wherever and if you want me to feature your club, kit, team etc just ping me. Thanks in advance.

I thought it was time to remind everybody why I am doing this digital tuktuk tour. It is a twofold objective. To raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK and FC Deportivo Galicia.

So, rather than me try to explain, I am copying an email I got from them today.

“Hi Steve,

Without your support, we simply couldn’t continue to give men and their families affected by prostate cancer the information and support they need. The sad truth is, every ten minutes at least one man is diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK.  

A prostate cancer diagnosis can be daunting. Men are often bombarded with information and asked to make difficult, life-changing decisions.  

Our Specialist Nurses work hard to empower those who get in touch by providing all the free, unbiased, confidential support they need to make confident choices for themselves.  

£20 could fund one of our Specialist Nurses for one hour. Will you help give men and their loved ones the power, the support and the information they need to navigate prostate cancer?

YES, I’LL HELP

Last year, our in-house team of expert Specialist Nurses were there for men and their families almost 14,000 times, giving people the time they needed to talk and ask questions.

‘I would never have got through this. But perhaps more importantly, my wife, my daughters would not have got through it without Prostate Cancer UK and the Specialist Nursing team.’ Gary Davis, Prostate Cancer UK Supporter

If you can spare just £20, our team could be there for men and their loved ones after a prostate cancer diagnosis and through whatever comes next.

Please donate today so that we can listen, answer questions and support people trying to navigate prostate cancer.

Thank you.”

Chiara De Biase
Director of Support & Influencing
Prostate Cancer UK

P.S. If you or your loved one are concerned about prostate cancer or a prostate problem, we’re here for you. Talk through any questions or concerns with our Specialist Nurses over the phone, email or our online chat.

Survey

Many of you will remember Christian Obray’s Overview of the Rise and Rise of Non-League Football.
Here it is again.

Blackburn Rovers’ fan, Aidan Wilson recently added a survey to his final university thesis and a lot of you were kind enough to help him. Today it is the turn of Adam Kelly a Sheffield United fan at Sheffield University who again has a survey on why fans are leaving the top four divisions for Non-League Football. Or are they?

Attendances recently released by Statista show that 19 out of 20 clubs are running at 95% and several are 99%+ sold-out! As of March 20, 2024, Manchester United had the highest average attendance in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season, attracting crowds of around 73,523 to Old Trafford. Meanwhile, city rivals and Premier League champions Manchester City had an average attendance of 53,194. Sheffield United were over 30,000 but hover around 95% capacity. Impressive, though, for a club having such a disappointing season! Sorry, Adam!

Anyway, please help Adam out and complete his short and interesting survey here

A study exploring the rise in attendances in English non-league football. Participant Information 

This research aims to explore fan consumption of non-league football and the rise in attendances. Your participation in this study is voluntary; you can withdraw from the study up to two weeks after data collection and you can decide not to answer a particular question should you wish. Please see the link below for information on the study in full: participant information sheet

Now a plea:

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.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

It’s just a rant really. Already clubs are “launching” their 2024/2025 kits. Many do not even know what division they will be playing in BUT are nevertheless charging TOP DOLLAR. That’s “bad.” What is worse in my opinion is the prevalence of third and even fourth kits ….and what is WORST is the new phenomenon of special kits for one off matches sometimes with no names or for fairly arbitrary causes. It seems to me that in most cases they are there SOLELY to take money out of fans’ pockets. I suppose grammatically-speaking there is nothing worse than “worst” so I will simply say “even worse” is the case of goalkeepers’ European second kits! (Obviously, sarcasm alert, the dedicated fan will be expected to lay out for both a short-sleeve and a long-sleeve version of a shirt that may never ever be worn in mortal combat!) Juggling those prices in my head is that TEN keepers’ shirts at an average price of well over £50 each? If you want the outfield shirts, you can be looking at £1000 (sic) per season! Let’s not even thinking about having fan-issue and player-issue versions. £2000, here we come! If we add socks, shorts, pre-match tops etc etc can Manchester United or Barcelona hit £3000? I bet some clubs are praying they get drawn away in Norway where no betting logos are allowed so will we see a “Goalkeeper Europa League Away Shirt Special Edition No Logo shirt?” These clubs will no doubt expect their loyal fans to fork out another £50+ for a replica that would only have been worn once!

…and then the season ends, clubs are left with hundreds or thousands of shirts that they are forced to sell off at prices nearer a genuine value. So, no, I am not showing you Real Madrid’s or Arsenal’s £100+ 24/25 “new” shirts but here’s Wolves’ away shirt at a reasonable £18. It is available in the club shop on the official Wolverhampton Wanderers’ website

It would be wrong not to congratulate Wolves on an excellent season in the Premier League. As I write this they sit tenth and I think most people will consider that an over-performance. They are free of relegation fears, have an excellent young manager in Gary O’Neil and, in fact, have a chance of a European place! Not bad for a team that many wrote off in August! I have always had a soft spot for Wolves and ever since I got a fantastic guided tour of the ground by Mel Eaves back in 2010 I have looked out for their results. To be honest he was a legend (at Gillingham too!) before the launch of You Tube but here he is gracing the airwaves in the way he died the penalty box.

Picture © Matty 723

Marcus Cunha

Now a plea:

“I am not asking £100 for a Goalkeeper Europa League Away Shirt Special Edition No Logo shirt. I am not even asking £18 for a Wolves away at 70% off. I am asking for £1”

Yes, 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.

I was talking to FB friend Chris Lee this morning about books, Spain and football. After 60+ years as a bookworm, 20 years in Spain and 60 years following football these are three topics I am meant to know something about. OK, let’s rephrase it. These are three topics I am fascinated with!

Chris has updated the Outside Write “Best Spanish football books, podcasts and blogs.” We were asked to comment.

Let’s look at the “runners and writers” ….sorry, I’ll get my coat

Following the success of our post on the best Italian football blogs, podcasts and books, I have put together a similar collection for another country that gets a lot of interest on Outside Write – Spain. It’s a country I know well, having lived in both Madrid, where I wrote my final year dissertation on Spanish football and regional identity, and Valencia.

Chris, “Here are the best Spanish football books, podcasts and blogs that you need to know about”

Steve, “I am not the right person to comment on podcasts but as for books we are pretty much in agreement! That in itself might be some type of record for football fans who can normally start World War III over the size of the corner flags.”

Morbo

Steve, “If you have not read this, you don’t understand Spanish football.”

Chris, “If you read one book that summarises the entire history of Spanish football, from Spain’s first football club, Recreativo de Huelva, up until the success of the 21^st century, then read Morbo. ‘Morbo’ is a Spanish expression for the tension between two sides, and sums up the intensity that can exist in Spain. Ball chronicles the entire story of Spanish football, putting it in the context of the political, historical, regional and cultural circumstances that have influenced – and continue to impact – the Spanish game.”

Fear and Loathing

Steve, “If you have not read this, you don’t understand Spanish football.” (Yes, again!)

Chris, “The epic rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is brought to life brilliantly by Sid Lowe in Fear and Loathing in La Liga. The reader is taken on a journey from the very first meeting of the two sides in the 1900s, through the Franco era and controversy around Alfredo di Stefano’s signature, through to the democratic, uber-commercial era.

Lowe myth-busts any preconceived ideas around politics and identity and sets them into historical context.”

Los Leones: The Unique Story of Athletic Club Bilbao

Steve, “I absolutely need to read this!”

Chris, “This 2024 release from debut author Christopher Evans is an absolutely superb and comprehensive insight into one of the world’s most historically significant football clubs, Athletic Club de Bilbao. As well as reading Los Leones, please listen to our podcast with Gaizka Atxa, from the Athletic Club peña (supporters’ group), Mr Pentland Club, about the history and culture of Athletic Club de Bilbao.”

La Roja: A Journey Through Spanish Football

Steve, “An excellent read although normally I am fairly indifferent to national sides.”

Chris,” In La Roja, Madrid-born Jimmy Burns tells the story of the Spanish game with some key interviews to articulate how the Spanish game became the unique and admired entity that it is. How has the Spanish game been influenced by affairs off the pitch, and vice versa?”

As you can see, Chris is more incisive than I am! Best bet is to pop over to the blog and enjoy the full overview.

I am going to add a couple too

Gary Thacker’s two books about Spanish Non-League Football are quasi fiction and everything you read is implausible …. but highly probable! Absolutely recommended. Gary has also written non-fiction about English and Dutch football.

Bring Me that Horizon

Written in English by  Miguel L. Pereira, a Madrid-based author, about the PORTUGUESE game. Lots of interesting parallels and, of course, since early days of football many of the very best Portuguese players have plied their trade in Spain. Miguel has also written about Spanish football in Spanish ….and, a little birdie tells me a definitive book about Spanish football is due soon. Publishers, queue up!

Toni Kroos : Anatomia de un genio for Al Poste and published in 2014
Noches Europeas: 1897-2015 for TB Books in 2015
Sueños de la Euro for Panenka in 2021

…and finally, at a tangent,

Ghosts of Spain

No, this book is NOT about football but if you want to understand football in Spain, I would argue that you need to understand modern Spain. Tremlett’s book is “the one.”

The New Spaniards.

Another excellent read about Spain – John Hooper’s book, if read, in conjunction with Ghosts of Spain should give the reader a great overview of Spain in 2024.

Talking about Spanish football, l hope FC Deportivo Galicia are always in your thoughts. This was set up as a migrants’ team in London in the 60s. lt has thrived and is now looking for promotion to Step 5 in the English pyramid. Please remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for the 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 £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity continued their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

Hungerford Town

Happy Easter everyone. Hope everybody had a great time. There were some BIG games played and Darren Ashley, who is making a name for himself with his fantastic vlogs, took the opportunity to go down to Hungerford Town.

He said, ” I had a bad feeling that it was going to be anything but a Good Friday.

I contacted Hungerford Town & their manager Danny Robinson midweek to see if it was ok to film my vlog for their home match v Bracknell Town. As I’ve always found in Non League, they were happy for me to do so and were warm with their responses.

Now, all week, it just hadn’t seem to stop raining, and on Thursday, Hungerford announced on their X account that they were to be holding a 9.00 am pitch inspection. Credit to them for doing it early, but, to be honest, I kinda thought, this will be off, so I started to have a look elsewhere where there may be a game, but, to my surprise, the following morning, they announced GAME ON!

The great Easter getaway on the roads…don’t you just love the thought of driving in that but, to be fair, traffic in my direction was pretty good…unlike the opposite direction.

Turned up at the ground then, where it was raining so heavily that it was best to stay in the car until, hopefully it would pass….which it did within 10 minutes, and by the time I recorded the opening part of the vlog, it was beautiful.

I was met at the gate by the very friendly Dean and Gemma. Gemma introduced me to her partner/hubby Chris, who, that week had stepped in as temporary chairman of Hungerford Town FC.

Obviously, I’m always sniffing an opportunity for an interview, but Chris told me..in his words, “ I’d rather not as I have a face for radio”!!!

After some chat, Chris introduced me to media man Martyn, and asked Martyn to show me around.

Martyn was brilliant, a really good guy, and he showed me all around the club.

I was advised that, as Hungerford have an award winning burger…the Bulpit Burger Beast ( something like that), it was best to get it early, as it was very popular and big queues would form.

I declined for now, as I wasn’t hungry, but regretted trying it later on when there was a space in my stomach that needed filling….shame it shut by then .

Met some more nice people, including Danny the manager, and Jordan Ive, his Bracknell counterpart.

They, again, were really nice guys and obliging for a quick on camera interview.

On to kick off now, and a really strong wind was blowing, with ever changing weather throughout the 90 minutes.

Now, I don’t usually give spoilers regarding the game, as it would be great if you watched the vlog found in the comments below, but, the strong wind contributed to the opening goal of the game…a hopeful pass upfield from the Hungerford player, from inside his own half, that bounced a couple of times before bouncing over the Bracknell goalkeeper…who, incidentally, had a cracking match.

That’s it for spoilers.

90 minutes later, game was over, filming and interviews done, it was time to eat this award winning burger.

Oh well, next time. A kind lady gave me a recommendation where to eat in Hungerford high street, so, it was time to go.

So, that was my Non League day out.

Hungerford had been on my radar to do for a while, and was so glad I went because, the people around the club were so lovely to me, and, you would love a day out at their quirky, yet charming Bulpit Lane ground, and if you ever go, or have been, please let me know what THAT burger is like

Oh, one other thing, whilst milling around the ground, a chap called Jeremy approached me, we had a chat, he said nice things about watching the vlogs, and, he has invited me up to Matlock Town to film. So, not sure when that will be, but , that’s another one I have pencilled in at some stage, along, Soham Town Rangers ,Sherborne Town and Belper Town…and, with Kettering Town to do this Saturday, I’m open to more offers.

In the meantime, here is the You Tube of Darren’s trip to Hungerford. You can see the vlogs of all his previous games this season and also register/subscribe free of charge so you will always be the first to see his games. Enjoy!

Photo © Hans Henrik Appel 2024.

Notts County

Every football fan anywhere on the planet will know one thing about today’s team. “Notts County Football Club is a football club in Nottingham, England, and also the oldest professional association football club in the world.” Many will recite that it was founded in 1862 and a few continue that it should be Nottingham County and Notts Forest as County is based in Nottingham City and Forest yards (literally) over the boundary in Nottinghamshire. Whatever. It is a club with a LOT of history behind it yet currently languishing in the level four. Indeed, in 2019 they suffered the ignominy of being relegated to non-league football and there they stayed for four seasons. The official Notts County Database notes, ” With a total of 15 promotions and 17 relegations, no club has moved between the divisions of the Football League and National League on more occasions than Notts County. Promotion years – 1897 1914 1923 1931 1950 1960 1971 1973 1981 1990 1991 1998 2010 2023 Relegation years – 1893 1913 1920 1926 1930 1935 1958 1959 1964 1984 1985 1992 1995 1997 2004 2015 2019.” Something of a yo-yo club, you could say!

Anyway, what’s all this about? Well, today I met a very interesting Dane on Facebook Hans Henrik Appel, who like Christian and Darren delights in visiting the English grounds and writing about them. We chatted and he kindly offered to share an exceptional blog about Notts County. Meadow Lane was the very first professional ground I visited way back in 1962 or 63 for a schoolboy game between Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. I can assure you that it was VERY different to what Hans Henrik saw. What has not changed is that County definitely consider themselves a community club and that is something both Hans Henrik and I applaud.


He writes, ” It is about time I get to see a match at Notts County. They are the oldest league club – from 1862. They were the first league club to become a limited company in 1890 (Small Heath, now Birmingham City, had done it in 1888, but they were not a league club at the time). And they are one of the inaugural 12 football league clubs. And probably the main reason for being chosen among the 12, was their football ground.

The league was set up by the leading professional clubs from the Birmingham FA and the Lancashire FA. When you look at the teams invited to join them – Everton, Stoke, Derby County and Notts County – they had all hosted FA Cup semi-finals in the preceding couple of seasons. And the league needed teams that could attract as well as accomodate large crowds.

Notts County were playing at the Trent Bridge cricket ground. It had been chosen as venue for a succesfull 1884 FA cup semifinal, and was therefore chosen again the following season, although this time the Notts County Cricket Club decided to block the planned semi-final between Blackburn Rovers and the Old Carthusians to protect the pitch. This semi-final was moved to the Castle Ground in Nottingham instead, but in 1887 Trent Bridge was chosen again.

In the next couple of years, Trent Bridge saw major developments after the Cricket Club purchased the ground in 1884. A new boundary wall on Gainston Road side with a permanent stand in 1884, a new Trent Bridge Inn in 1885, a new pavilion (in the ”Queen Anne’s style”) in 1886. Also in 1886, the Notts County Football Club erected a covered stand along the eastern boundary wall for their matches. And in this way the ground had developed into a state-of-the-art ground in 1888, when the founding fathers of the league assessed potential new members. Therefore, I find it appropriate to begin my visit at the Trent Bridge. I start with a walk around the ground. The football pitch bordered up to Fox Road and Hound Road, and I recognize a lot of the houses in these streets from the background in old photos of football at the Bridge. I take a walk around the Forest ground – or rather as much of it as I can, because the car park behind the Brian Clough Stand is locked off. Well, if they have to lock off one side of the ground, they have chosen the right one. It is almost brutalist in style. From the outside it does not have many redeeming features. But the Trent End with the river giving it a beautiful setting, and the Bridgford stand and main stand surrounded by terraced housing, look really good. It is probably my last sight of the old main stand, as it is about to be replaced – although only the previous day, I heard something on the news about the negotiations between club and council having stalled, with the possibility of a ground move lurking.”

Photo © Hans Henrik Appel 2024.

Hans Henrik has chose a game against Salford City …. a club as new to league football as County are old and he describes his day and the stadium. It finishes with an unexpected turn of events. He meets Ryan Giggs!

Three grounds in one shot. City Ground in the middle. Floodlights of Meadow Lane can be seen on the left, floodlights of Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on the right. Photo © Hans Henrik Appel 2024.

“I stay behind after the final whistle, while the stewards check all the seats. The supervisor takes me to the main stand. He goes inside and asks if I can be allowed a look around. I don’t know if he had hoped to take me upstairs, but I am just allowed inside the reception to see a trophy and the blue plaque commemorating County being an inaugural member of the league. As I leave the reception, there is a small crowd outside waiting for autographs. I just have time to think that maybe there is a reason why the matchday programme is matte, writable paper, and why the supervisor has taken me to the main stand. I turn around – and there is Ryan Giggs leaving just behind me. After all those years waiting for him in vain after matches at Old Trafford, of course I had to get his autograph here in Nottingham – in the triangle of historic sports grounds.”

Ryan Giggs Photo © Hans Henrik Appel 2024.

Thanks! What a terrific read, Hans Henrik. I hope you will allow me to showcase some of your other articles. I particularly enjoyed your articles about Stockport County and Welford Rd so I may well squeeze your arm over the coming weeks!

To read the blog of his trip to Nottingham in its entirety, please jump over to his website and if you like it, do feel free to subscribe at no cost. Please also note that all his photos are copyrighted.

Now a plea:

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.