Author Archive

It was good to hear from Christian Obray yesterday and he advised me that he had been on the road again. Like Darren Ashley he is promoting the non-league game by visiting various non-league grounds and spotlighting them. I know that he is enjoying his trips and that mr readers are enjoying following Christian and Darren. Here is his Stafford Rangers, for example.

This week the spotlight turns on Southam United near Coventry. He says, “This time we are venturing through the turnstile looking at Southam United, based in Warwickshire.

Great Photo, Christian

Southam United, established in 1905 through the merger of two village teams, boasts a rich history of success in various leagues and cup competitions. From dominating the Coventry and North Warwickshire League in the 1940s and 1950s to achieving notable victories in the Midland Combination, the club has seen its share of triumphs and challenges.

Key highlights include winning the Coventry Evening Telegraph Cup and securing titles in the Midland Combination. Despite setbacks such as relegation due to pitch size issues, Southam United persevered, eventually reclaiming their place in Premier Division football.

Bob Hancocks stands as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and appearance holder, recognized for his remarkable contributions with the FA Long Service Award. In 2001, the club merged with Southam Town FC, further expanding its reach and development initiatives, particularly in youth and women’s football….

The full article is here. Read it to see the all important drinks and food reports too. Where are Southam in his Snacks League?

Sadly, FC Deportivo Galicia do not have a game today but we are at home on Monday againsy our old friends from Molesey. 11,30am k.o. All welcome!

Please remember that the purpose of this 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.

Newcastle

Well, after Sunderland it would be wrong oof me not to pop next to Newcastle. So, that is what I have done. By a coicidence best explained by the Facebook and Twitter algorithams who should pop up but my friend Matty? Matty is another great artist and has a whole bunch of Newcastle United products including a new keyring.

He says, “So after loads of feedback from you guys I’m officially putting these into production just after the bank holiday… 200x Available @ £7.00 each Size 50mm (5cm / 2″) Enamel / Nickel plated Everyone please hit repost and get them orders in ASAP Remember there’s still loads of £1 Prints in the shop as well as Limited Edition Prints, Canvases, T-Shirts, Mugs & Hoodies.”

You can check all his products for a huge number of clubs here – Matty723

Of course, thinkiing about Newcastle, I have top remember my trip there during the 2010 cycling tour I wrote, ” Today was my first real day out and I decided to have a quiet day sightseeing in Newcastle and Sunderland. It’s a long, long time since I had free time here and I really enjoyed travelling around the area. For just 8 pounds you can get a whole day pass that gets you on the buses, the excellent metro and the ferry. I took good advantage of the ticket! I was wandering around near Newcastle United’s St James’Park and stumbled over The Back Page which is a veritable Alladin’s Cave of memorabilia. It claims to be the “World’s largest football memorabila and bookshop”. I have certainly seen nothing better and it dwarves Sportspages. It has far more non-mainstream books and literally thousands of programmes from every club in the UK and many international teams too. I had a happy 30 minutes here and will be back on Monday when I will have more time. Happy Days!”

Well, the good news is that the shop is still in the centre and they have even opened a new one at the Metro Centre, Gateshead.

They say, “THE BACK PAGE is the largest website of it’s kind. Many items from our huge retail shops stock is added on a daily basis as the site continues to grow rapidly. Buy with confidence as we have been trading since 2003, specializing in Football Books, Memorabilia/Souvenirs as well as a huge range of North East Gifts and Books. As well as stocking a huge range Official Football Licensed Merchandise from Europe’s top clubs we also produce and sell a huge range of Bespoke Football items exclusive to us. We hope that the website will one day be fully stocked thus giving a true reflection of our World famous shops – The Back Page.” 

Shop Addresses The Back Page, 56 St Andrews Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5SF
Their website is here – The BACK page Website

Please remember that the purpose of this 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.

92 HAIKU – Andy Powell

Yesterday we talked about the “power” of Facebook. Today it is Twitter I saw a random post with the number 92 in it. 92 is one of those significant numbers like Lucky 7 or 666 and I clicked. It led me to a chat with Andy Powell the author of “Doing the 92 Haiku.” He says, “92 has always been the magic number in football. 92 tabs of pressed cardboard being moved religiously up and down league ladders every Sunday morning. 92 tribes praying for the magical rising intonation of their score line on TV or radio, a mere semitone making or breaking an entire week. 92 sets of turnstiles beeping and clacking their mechanical permission for eager supporters to congregate again.”

So what is the book? He says, “Doing the 92 Haiku is one man’s quest to take the essence of all 92 English and Welsh professional football league grounds and distil each into just 17 syllables – all in strict 5-7-5 formation.

Every stadium is unique. From the architecture to the artefacts, each club’s story of highs and lows manifests in the place it calls home.

What started as a semi-drunken thought on the way into Southampton’s St Mary’s ground one fateful Friday evening became an obsession. Why else would you travel half the length of the country to witness Grimsby Town defeated in front of just 703 fans?

There’s just one small caveat: stadia are subjective. Please be aware that your footballing cathedral might be my soccer slum. And vice versa.”

Me, I started a blog, this blog back in 2010 when I set out to cycle to all the 92 clubs and Andy decided to go another road and write about it. He also decided to describe each of the 92 grounds in just 17 words. Impressive.

He continues, “You never forget the assault on your senses the first time you walk into a ground. The chatter and chants. The Bovril and beer. The green and the grey, of pitch and terrace, and the club colours you’ve worn since a baby.

If, like me, it was love at first sight, you quickly become comfortable in your newfound footballing cathedral, familiarising yourself with the lucky turnstile, the best view, the spot where your number 9 takes in the goal-scoring adulation.

And then, seemingly without warning, a second ground will hove into view. Maybe an away day, a pre-season friendly or a game grabbed on a weekend out of town. A new clunk, dissonant songs, a stand that cantilevers and rakes like an unfamiliar mathematical formula. On that concourse, you have something to compare. And your formative confirmation bias dictates that it can’t match the beatified patch of grass you call home.

Years later, you’ll make a fatal error. You will count how many grounds you’ve been to. Too late sucker, you’re on your way to an obsession, a membership you can’t tear up, an anger every time a league two part-timer moves into a new out-of-town identikit stadium and knocks one off your 92 total. I was in my 30s (grounds) and 40s (age) when I made this stupid mistake. Already travelling to most away games with my lifelong team, I started groundhopping as a neutral, poring over fixture lists whenever my game moved for TV and freed up a Saturday, and don’t get my wife started on how we were only taking holidays during international breaks.

Then one Friday night, I walked towards Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium several beers into an away day, and a thought formed. Would it be possible to distill the character of all 92 grounds into just 17 syllables at a time – in strict 5-7-5 formation? Curse you ale. I emerged from the underpass that reveals the St Mary’s symmetry. Six syllables. Dammit. Symmetry Mary. Five. We’re on.

That night, we lost, our manager got sacked and there were no trains home. Oh well, all the more material to work with. This introduction probably contains as many syllables as the rest of the book to come.

There’s just one disclaimer. Please remember, these are my own personal reflections. Sometimes of just one trip to your stadium, sometimes of many joyous victories, or that bogey ground that’s nothing but a painful chore. An infinite number of fans at infinite keyboards would generate an infinite number of haiku – all from the same 92 sources.”

…. and he repeats the warning

Stadia are subjective. Your cathedral might be my soccer slum. And vice versa.

You can learn more and order the book here

So, what is your favourite stadium? Remember, of course, that all answers other than Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium are incorrect!

The Majestic Priestfield Stadium – see more on Papilios Creative

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.

Sunderland AFC – Cecil Irwin

Yes, I know we all hate Facebook but if we are honest, we love it too! Yesterday was a loving day as I had the pleasure of “meeting” the grandson-in-law of one of Sunderland’s Legends, Cecil Irwin, in a football group. As often happens, the conversation develops and we learn that Cecil is not enjoying the best of health …. and that it’s his birthday soon.

Ben said, “Hi folks, bit of a long shot here but does anyone have any magazines, articles, memorabilia etc pertaining to Cecil Irwin who played for Sunderland in the 50’s & 60’s. Cecil is my wife’s grandad and is suffering a bit with dementia and other ailments, however loves to see and talk about things from his playing days. He has no problem remembering those days, so trying to get as much as I can for him.”

I have dug a few bits out and they are winging their way to Cecil as we speak. There were an impressive 74 comments, messages of support and a massive number of fond memories. The power of Facebook!

In the meantime, I called David Blight, my great friend and 60 year fan of Sunderland who said, “All I remember about Cec Irwin is the promotion team that he was part off in the early 60’s that remains imprinted on my mind… Montgomery…Irwin, Ashurst… Harvey, Hurley, McNab… Mulhall, Herd, Sharkey, Crosson, Usher I may have got which side the wingers were on mixed up – Mulhall and Usher; right or left – otherwise… to me, Cec Irwin was the biggest, baldest, full back in the league! Until Dick Malone came alone that is.” David kindly did a Sunderland overview recently….. here I have fond memories of Sunderland from the days of my cycling tour. It was indeed the first stadium I visited after the road “accident.”

Wikipedia does not offer too much but David did find a these fascinating articles “A Love Supreme” and “Northern Echo” (John Charles – who?)

11v 11 yielded this for the 63/64 season. The programme is for the last match of the season. Promotion was already assured as the Black Cats had wrapped it up with a home win over Charlton Athletic the previous week although Cec missed that match but he did start in 39 of the 42 games.

League Division Two table at close of 1963-64 season

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAvg	GD	Pts
1	Leeds United	42	24	15	3	71	34	2.088	37	63
2	Sunderland	42	25	11	6	81	37	2.189	44	61
3	Preston North End	42	23	10	9	79	54	1.463	25	56
4	Charlton Athletic	42	19	10	13	76	70	1.086	6	48
5	Southampton	42	19	9	14	100	73	1.370	27	47
6	Manchester City	42	18	10	14	84	66	1.273	18	46
7	Rotherham United	42	19	7	16	90	78	1.154	12	45
8	Newcastle United	42	20	5	17	74	69	1.072	5	45
9	Portsmouth	42	16	11	15	79	70	1.129	9	43
10	Middlesbrough	42	15	11	16	67	52	1.288	15	41
11	Northampton Town	42	16	9	17	58	60	0.967	-2	41
12	Huddersfield Town	42	15	10	17	57	64	0.891	-7	40
13	Derby County	42	14	11	17	56	67	0.836	-11	39
14	Swindon Town	42	14	10	18	57	69	0.826	-12	38
15	Cardiff City	42	14	10	18	56	81	0.691	-25	38
16	Leyton Orient	42	13	10	19	54	72	0.750	-18	36
17	Norwich City	42	11	13	18	64	80	0.800	-16	35
18	Bury	42	13	9	20	57	73	0.781	-16	35
19	Swansea Town	42	12	9	21	63	74	0.851	-11	33
20	Plymouth Argyle	42	8	16	18	45	67	0.672	-22	32
21	Grimsby Town	42	9	14	19	47	75	0.627	-28	32
22	Scunthorpe United	42	10	10	22	52	82	0.634	-30	30

26 Dec 1963	Leeds United v Sunderland	D	1-1	League Division Two
28 Dec 1963	Sunderland v Leeds United	W	2-0	League Division Two
04 Jan 1964	Sunderland v Northampton Town	W	2-0	FA Cup
11 Jan 1964	Sunderland v Bury	W	4-1	League Division Two
18 Jan 1964	Manchester City v Sunderland	W	0-3	League Division Two
25 Jan 1964	Sunderland v Bristol City	W	6-1	FA Cup
01 Feb 1964	Sunderland v Swindon Town	W	6-0	League Division Two
08 Feb 1964	Cardiff City v Sunderland	W	0-2	League Division Two
15 Feb 1964	Sunderland v Everton	W	3-1	FA Cup
19 Feb 1964	Sunderland v Norwich City	D	0-0	League Division Two
22 Feb 1964	Sunderland v Derby County	W	3-0	League Division Two
29 Feb 1964	Manchester United v Sunderland	D	3-3	FA Cup
04 Mar 1964	Sunderland v Manchester United	D	2-2	FA Cup
07 Mar 1964	Sunderland v Middlesbrough	D	0-0	League Division Two
09 Mar 1964	Manchester United v Sunderland	L	5-1	FA Cup
14 Mar 1964	Newcastle United v Sunderland	L	1-0	League Division Two
21 Mar 1964	Sunderland v Preston North End	W	4-0	League Division Two
27 Mar 1964	Sunderland v Rotherham United	W	2-0	League Division Two
30 Mar 1964	Rotherham United v Sunderland	D	2-2	League Division Two
04 Apr 1964	Sunderland v Swansea Town	W	1-0	League Division Two
06 Apr 1964	Leyton Orient v Sunderland	W	2-5	League Division Two
11 Apr 1964	Southampton v Sunderland	D	0-0	League Division Two
18 Apr 1964	Sunderland v Charlton Athletic	W	2-1	League Division Two
25 Apr 1964	Grimsby Town v Sunderland	D	2-2	League Division Two

Now that’s what I call promotion form!

A win for Grimsby would have saved them – NO mercy!

I whipped over to The Fans Museum (shouldn’t every club have one?) and the Sunderland Who’s Who book “All The Lads.” He is featured with a comprehensive bio.

A local lad, with a long career at Sunderland. Are those days gone by? A partner with Len Ashurst who later became a Gillingham manager so another link with the Priestfield men. Yesterday it was Bradley Dack Who will it be tomorrow!

Here are a couple of views of the two Sunderland stadiums of the last 60 years from Papilios Creative that hopefully will bring back happy memories.

Roker

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.

Alan Shearer and Jack Walker celebrate the Premier League Title

Aidan Wilson introduced himself to me on a Facebook group recently and explained that he was in need of some anonymous responses to a university survey. He is in his final year of university and is researching social media’s impact on football fan culture. He adds, “If anyone could spare a few minutes to answer a short survey, that would be massively appreciated.” I said I was happy to help and offered to add the link HERE

It is completely free and anonymous so I would be very grateful if you could all assist him in a very short general survey about football in 2024.

Aidan is a massive Blackburn Rovers fan but being of student age wasn’t born in the last glory years of the club. After finishing fourth in 1992–93 and runners-up in 1993–94,^[22] they went on to win the Premier League title in 1994–95 He kindly did a brief overview.


Blackburn Rovers were founded in 1875 and were one of the founding members of the football league in 1888. The East Lancashire club have won 6 FA cups, 1 League Cup, as well as 3 league titles including a famous premier league victory in 1995 under the support of superfan Jack Walker. With the investments and passion put into the club from Jack Walker along with a fantastic team that involved the great Alan Shearer, Rovers became known as the club that matched the big boys. Unfortunately, however, Jack Walkers passing and new ownership has led to many challenges on and off the pitch. Since Venky’s bought the club in 2010, the club has experienced some difficult years, including a relegation to the championship in 2012, and a further relegation to league one in 2017. But despite bouncing back to the championship in the first season down, Rovers have never been able to kick on and record a top 6 finish, even when it seemed almost impossible to throw a playoff potion away. Today, the club finds itself looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone again, and with new financial restrictions on the club’s Indian owners, Venky’s, the future for now looks rather uncertain for a once proud football club.

Alan Shearer – forever adored in East Lancashire

Reproduced with kind permission of Gillingham Legends. Do you want a Bradley Christmas Card?

Whilst Aidan might not have been there “that day” he does remember one of my great heroes, a certain Bradley Dack who was/is a TRUE legend at Gillingham. Bradley is without doubt one of my very favourite players of all times and I was broken when he was sold to Blackburn Rovers. I even went to West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers in the cup last season just to see him …. and he did not disappoint! Since then he has moved on again and is currently at Sunderland in the Championship although it has not been an altogether happy time there. He’s always welcome back at the Priestfield ….preferably in our colours!

Gillingham Legends – who would you add? Check with Gillingham Legends

So, a couple of quick reminders. Please complete Aidan’s short university survey. Please also 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.

You had one job, Darren.

Here we are again. It’s Sunday. Non-League Day has come and gone and by all accounts was once again a success and Darren Ashley’s Vlog hits my inbox. I know that a lot of you also enjoy Darren’s trips to the Non-League grounds and I am delighted that he has once again allowed me to share it. The absolute highlight of the vlog is, of course, the karma. Some will remember that his friend Thunder failed miserably recently when Darren gave him a fairly simple task. Well, the boot is on the other foot, today as it were. Read on!

Gavin Hurren (l) and Darren

” Non League Day 2024…..as soon as they said they would love to have my mate Thunder & myself back, I just HAD to return to Stratford Town FC, to vlog their home match v Long Eaton United.

We had previously been there in mid January, where we were treated brilliantly, and had seen a thriller v Barwell FC.

It was almost a déjà vu day, again, we were treated brilliantly, and, again, we saw a thriller…this time though, against different opponents.

I was keen to arrive at the ground nice and early, for two reasons in particular…1, I always always struggle with the opening on the vlogs, and need to record it quickly to get it over with, and 2, we would be probably be chatting for quite a bit to people we had met before.

So, we arrive at, as Thunder moaned, the ridiculously early time of 12.45

First person we bumped into, was chairman Jed McCrory We chatted for quite a while about everything from personal life stuff, plans for the football club and his opinion on this new regulator coming into football. I have to say, after hearing his thoughts on that, I would be quite keen to do an in depth interview on that subject, as I was taken aback on his thoughts on how it affects step two and lower clubs.

After catching up with many more familiar faces, it was time to do some more filming before taking our seats for kick off. Now, when I decide where best to sit, I tend to take in factors such as the position of the sun and, the end where I think there would be more action. I got this right in the first half, but let me tell you, it was soooo bloody cold with a really strong wind, I was struggling a bit with the recording.

At half time we went inside to warm up a bit….but, early into the second half, I was soon cold again and my fingers started to numb……so, that is my excuse for missing recording a vital goal in the 2nd half.

95 mins then, and the game comes to an end, and, like I said above, we witnessed a thriller.

As you know in these mini reports, I won’t mention the outcome of the match as I would like you to watch the vlog, which you can find here. You can also see all my previous vlogs including my previous visit to the stadium.


Back inside then to wrap up the filming, with more links and an interview. Once that was done, Thunder and I hung around for a while longer, talking to players, staff and fans about the club and match. Honestly, there is such a feel good factor about the place that it’s really hard not to be drawn into having a connection with “The Bards”…..in fact, I for one will now always be a bit of a fan from afar.

Time to leave the Arden Garages Stadium, where, once again, Thunder and I were reflecting on the journey home at what a brilliant place we have just visited again, and, if Stratford make the play offs, manager Gavin Hurren ( pictured above) has invited us back….and we have video evidence of that offer!!!!!

Thanks for reading. Until next time, Darren.”

Fantastic, Darren, although it would have been fantastic to see the missing goal. Perhaps you had better leave it to Thunder next time. I know my readers are enjoying your vlogs. I know I am. So, dear readers, please shoot over to see the vlog and try to imagine the goal that Darren inexplicably failed to capture for posterity. Don’t worry, Darren, we all make mistakes. It did not do the great Chris Kamara any harm, did it? Don’t recall the famous Fratton Park “miss?” Here it is

So, please remember 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.

Non-League Day

Yes, it’s Saturday tomorrow and a very special Saturday. We have an international break and James Doe’s seed of an idea has flowered and grown into Non-League Day 2024.

I will be at FC Deportivo Galicia v Oxhey Jets and as we scored seven last time we were at home, I sense goals again tomorrow. Where will you be?

In the evening England take on Brazil at Wembley but it’s all got a bit crazy this week. Nike have decided on a “playful update” on the St George’s Flag on back of the England shirt. It has not gone down well with the PM, the PM in waiting, fans and the FA all wading in.

This is what everybody expects.

This is what Nike have presented

The FA respond to calls from fans to scrap the new England kit over Nike’s ‘playful update’ with the St Georges cross.

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, warned about against tampering with national flags following Nike’s alteration of the St George’s Cross colour on England’s new shirt. Sunak says kit manufacturers “should not mess” with the St George’s Cross as he waded into a row over the new England shirt

The unveiling of England’s Euro 2024 kits this week features a white home kit and a purple away strip., but the row came when Nike announced the modification of the iconic red cross to include purple and blue stripes.

Nike referred to it as “a playful update” to the shirt for Euro 2024, drawing inspiration from the training kit worn by England’s 1966 World Cup champions.

Keir Starmer somewhat surprisingly made a powerful speech condemning the “update” whilst fans have started a petition in disgust. The Labour leader joins calls to replace the “playful update” of the St George cross on the back of the new England football kit with the original, after Nike switched it from its usual red and white to a red, purple, blue and black cross, ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament in June. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also called on Nike to “reconsider” its decision, as the symbol was a “unifier”.

While Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said it was “peculiar” and pointed out people wouldn’t expect the heraldic Welsh dragon to be swapped “to a pussycat” or the French tricolour to be changed.

I wonder what the Scots would say if Adidas decided that the Flag of St Andrew would look good with yellow bananas or perhaps change the dark blue to lime green!

What do you think?

Enjoy the weekend!

A PLEA

I would like your money, just £1 of it! I am struggling to reach my initial target £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 Let me know that you have done that and I will be happy to pay you in on Saturday v Oxhey Jets at 3pm.


PS I could also mention that the Italian national side’s new away kit is causing some debate too. Gli Azzurri are I Bianchi with a splash of …..

Better than their previous paint-splattered effort, in my opinion!

 

So, everybody is getting ready for Non-League Day and Sunday League Day this weekend. I know some clubs like Caversham United are really going to town. Other clubs like Sutton Utd are putting on great offers. It seemed a good time to look at books about life outside the Prima Donna League (oops, sorry, Premier League!)

“I Hope You Die of Cancer”

Ok, let’s get the negativity out of the way. I abhor the book title (* see below) but perhaps that should not detract from what is a good read. It is a genuine reflection of life in the beautiful game ….. without the beautiful “bits.”

The publishers say …….

“A million miles away from the rich uplands of the Premier League lies the Poundland world of non-league football. A far grittier version of the beautiful game, it’s a glorious ragbag of former EFL clubs on the down, impoverished minnows and ambitious outfits on the make, played by a mix of full-time, part-time and amateur performers. This is the inside story of life in the lower reaches of English football, seen through the eyes of a player with over a decade’s experience in the Conference and National Leagues.

Footballer X lifts the lid on never-before-told stories of dust-ups, bust-ups, backhanders and betting scandals, the players lucky enough to get contracts and the rest who live precariously from game to game. It’s a story of constant financial struggle, big sacrifices and small victories for owners, fans and players alike. Our footballer is still playing, so the cloak of anonymity allows him to give us a true picture of what life is really like playing as a non-league footballer today.”

The author:

Footballer X, who has played for six different Conference and National clubs, collaborated with Marvin Close to tell this story. Marvin is the author, with Chuck Korr, of More Than Just A Game: Football vs Apartheid, and Hope, the life story of Hope Powell. He co-wrote and edited FIFA’s Beach Football manual. Marvin is also a drama writer for TV, radio, film and theatre.


Reviews

“A really bad choice for a title… shouldn’t obscure the brilliance of the latest in ‘The Secret’ genre, first made famous of course by The Secret Footballer. Co-writer Marvin Close enables the anonymous player to delve deep into the realities of the part-time player with a full commitment to their sport, the harsh reality of life outside the league with hope for rising thru’ the tiers in equal measure, makes for a read quite unlike most player not-exactly tells-it-alls.” –Mark Perryman, Philiosophy Football.com, ‘Books To Brighten Up A Summer of Sport’

The book is available from out friends at Stanchion

Other books you might like to look at to understand life outside Top of The Pyramid include….

Dave Roberts is perhaps a parallel to Tim Parks’ classic “A Season with Verona” which remains one of my favourite books of all times …or maybe it is another classic “The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro”

“Dave Roberts was, for once, almost lost for words as the news sank in. Perennial underachievers Bromley, in the vertigo-inducing fifth tier of English football? It was the greatest achievement in the UK club’s 130-year history. This book takes Dave the length and breadth of the land on a journey of discovery, with Bromley games thrown in.”

… or maybe Gary Thacker’s great stories of Spanish non-league football.

…. and this is a great time to remind everyone of a big fair in Chelmsford where a huge selection of books will be available. I will be doing a full review nearer the time.

* OK, this is where I am on the choice of title of the book. I personally think it is in very poor taste and my first reaction was not to spotlight it. I then decided that if it makes one person think about cancer and especially being tested then it is not a bad thing. I absolutely respect your view to be different. Which leads me on to money. I hope that you will consider a donation however small to support Prostate Cancer UK  If everybody chipped in £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and help the charity to continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can. If you can’t you can still help massively by sharing this page about the work of Prostate Cancer. Thanks, Steve.

Sunday League Day

Yesterday we looked at Non-League Day. Today it is the turn of Sunday League Day.

Sunday League Day is a new concept to promote Sunday League football across the UK, piggybacking on the success of Non-League Day in recent years. The overall objective is simple: to raise the profile of Sunday League football and to get people out of their houses on a Sunday morning to go and watch their local grassroots football team.

Teams usually play in public locations so it’s often free to watch, fresh air is great for physical and mental health, and clubs really value seeing spectators at their games. Getting more people interested and involved in Sunday League football will only help to grow the beautiful game in its purest form, and ultimately increase participation too.

With entry to the majority of Sunday League games free, we are keen to bring a charity element to the occasion and encourage spectators, as well as players, clubs and leagues alike, to raise money towards a good cause. For example, spectators could donate a notional “ticket price” to charity.

Another aim is to dispel some of the misconceptions of Sunday League football from a previous era. Pub teams are still a (great!) thing, and it’s good that people have an opportunity to play competitive, structured football. However, things have changed on a Sunday. The likes of Palmers, SE Dons and Hashtag United (who’ve now switched to storming up the Saturday pyramid), have brought Sunday League football to people’s attention through YouTube. Social Media has given clubs like Caversham United the opportunity to make a name for themselves outside of the local area. Sunday League is interesting to people – a purer form of the game – without VAR for a start. Another misconception is the quality of the football. The standard of the FA Sunday Cup teams would challenge the teams pushing up the Saturday pyramid.

The message to potential spectators is simple: turn up, watch some stripped back football, and enjoy! Sunday League football is way more accessible to potential spectators now, with fixtures online and a lot of clubs are on all the popular social media platforms and sharing fixture details.

Clubs can approach Sunday League Day with the freedom and creativity to mark the occasion however they want to. Sharing the #SundayLeagueDay and #SLD2024 hashtags on socials is a helpful start. Clubs should use the opportunity to try and attract spectators along, which can of course lead to many benefits as a result (more awareness, potential sponsors, etc). As an example, Reading-based side Caversham United have committed to getting involved and have suggested they will likely have a small programme available on the day and some form of refreshments (they are sponsored by a brewery…), whilst raising money for charity by “selling” tickets for a good cause.

We hope that media will engage and give SLD and its teams some coverage too! There’s been a lot of frustration with the elite game in recent years, that extends further down the pyramid too (see recently Reading’s ongoing ownership battle and #SellBeforeWeDai movement). Sunday League has an opportunity to shine, and the time is now!

We would like to encourage everyone to get involved!

If there are any volunteers out there who would like to get involved and support the #SLD2024 (and beyond) campaigns, please send @SundayLeagueDay a DM on X (formerly Twitter) or an email to sundayleagueday@outlook.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: Obviously. I would love all the teams to support @Prostate Cancer but each team/club can choose to support whoever they wish. In the meantime, I hope that you will consider a donation however small 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. If you can’t you can still help massively by sharing this page about the work of Prostate Cancer. Thanks, Steve.

Saturday 23rd March 2024 is Non-League Day

Non-League Day

Non-League Day was set up by James Doe in 2010 as a social media experiment, after being inspired by a pre-season trip to Devon to watch Queens Park Rangers play at Tavistock. It has now grown to become an annual part of the football calendar, backed by Premier League and Football League clubs, MPs, celebrities, media organisations, charities and most importantly the non-league clubs themselves and the fans who turn up on the day.

Always scheduled to coincide with an international break, Non-League Day provides a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable volunteer-led community football while giving fans across the country the chance to show support for their local non-league side.

Many non-league clubs are almost exclusively volunteer run, with money taken at the turnstiles often funding thriving youth set-ups, projects and facilities which are of benefit to the whole community. The level of skill on offer at non-league grounds might not be the same as that at the Etihad Stadium or Stamford Bridge, for example, but there are other sides to the experience, from which the smaller club will always win hands down.

Where can you go? There is a handy interactive map here

The vast majority of games still kick off at 3pm, ticket prices are realistic, you can often stand (and drink!) anywhere in the ground and will always be guaranteed a warm welcome by people who run their clubs for a love of the game.

Whether you’re a Premier League or Championship fan without a game, a League One or League Two supporter who can’t make an away trip, or just someone who is curious about what their local club has to offer, there is sure to be something to interest everyone.

An important aspect of Non-League Day is its support for Prostate Cancer so it makes absolutely total sense for me to bang the drum twice as loud! Obviously my local team FC Deportivo Galicia re involved and they host Oxhey Jets for a 3pm kick off at Hatton Rd, Bedfont. It’s near Hatton Cross on the Piccadilly Line and apart from goals, there will be pin-badges and a limited edition Deportivo Galicia wristband available. Mention my name at the turnstiles and you will get free admission …but I would like your money, just £1 of it! I am struggling to reach my initial target £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 Let me know that you have done that and I will be happy to pay you in on Saturday.