Author Archive

Flackwell Heath

Yes, it’s Sunday which can only mean one thing. I look back on Gillingham and FC Deportivo Galicia’s results and I watch Darren Ashley’s You Tube channel. Gillingham drew at home to Tranmere Rovers whilst Deportivo Galicia beat Bagshot 7-0 in a game that was not as one-sided as it seemed.

Darren was meant to have been at high-flying Flackwell Heath last week but it fell foul of the weather. Yesterday he was in more luck as he relates,

” Yesterday’s vlogging took me to South Buckinghamshire, after an invite from Rich, to his club Flackwell Heath, who happened to be top of the Combined Counties Prem Division North league.

I was meant to go there last Saturday, but it got called off that morning, which was no bad thing for me as I was feeling a bit under the weather.

This week, they were playing 16th placed Harefield United.

Recent league form for both teams…

Flackwell Heath W W W W W W

Harefield Utd L W L W L W

….surely only one outcome right?….

No spoilers though from me as I’d like you to watch the vid which is in the comments

As I try to do, I got there early, to find out a bit more about the clubs and to do some early filming, which, when complete, I can relax a bit before kick off.

Rich met me on arrival, and was great, giving me access to virtually anything I like, including going on the heavily sanded pitch and match filming on the gantry.

During my downtime before kick off, I chatted to a fair few home fans about their club.

It was clear, their team meant a lot to them and were desperate for promotion to step 4 for 1st time in their history.

Onto kick off then, where I soon found out, it was bloody cold up on the gantry with a very strong wind.

The game itself, was probably quite an awkward one to play in for both teams due to the wind and the pitch, but it was one of those matches where something always seemed to be happening, whether a great bit of skill, excellent goalkeeping,or, proper Non League tackles and a few verbals, which I found to be quite funny.

Special mention must go out to Harefield’s number 9, who was the grandmaster in dishing the verbals out

In no time at all it seemed, the full time whistle went, where, i did my usual thing of seeking out a manager for a post match interview and, to wrap up the filming at the club.

I bumped into Rich as I was planning to leave, but he invited me into the clubhouse for some food and drink…who was I to say no??!!!

In there, between mouthfuls of grub, I had a good chat with the match officials about how difficult the match looked to ref…although, I thought they did well as it was clear both teams were definitely trying to gain any advantage they could…if you know what I mean!

Home time came then, and the hours drive home where I reflected on the day and how wonderfully I was looked after by Flackwell Heath FC.

It is such a lovely club, in a nice setting, and I really hope they go up, where I will love to return up on that gantry….but on a sunnier day.”

Watch the highlights and the David Colemans here

I hope you subscribe to Darren’s blog. Like Christian he is doing a great job promoting non-league football. There is NO cost to subscribe to either blog/vlog. 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

British Heart Foundation FC Memorial Shirt

It’s Saturday and that means football. Today it is a home game against Bagshot FC. Sadly they are having a pretty torrid time this season with only one away win so far. I smell a banana skin. Let’s go for a 5-1 win. Mmmmmm!

Obviously, the tuktuk tour is to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer UK but I am not blind to the Tories continually ravaging the NHS so I am happy to promote this unique project, the British Heart Foundation FC Memorial Shirt.

They say, “Add the name of a loved one or a special person to our one-off Memorial shirt in partnership with Ignite Sports Apparel.

We always wear our shirts with pride and passion and can’t wait to represent these special names.

For £10 your loved one name will feature on the front of the brand-new home.

Money raised for British Heart Foundation

Shirt sponsored by Tension Twisted Realities

Ignite Sports say, “Charity is important to us. Not only because we love to be able to give a little back, but also as it’s exactly where our business started.

Our first ever kit was for a charity club that was founded and managed by our MD, Chris, who couldn’t find a kit he loved or accurately represented the spirit of the team! The rest as they say is history!

We’d love to be known as the kit supplier for charity teams. We offer bespoke pricing packages and structures for charity football clubs as well as offering a ‘give’ back’ scheme.” 

You can add the name on the shirt until the 13th March then the special shirt will be on sale for everyone to buy on Monday 16th March for £21.99.

Add name here

We are more than a Football Club

World Book Day

If anybody knows anything about me they would do a “What three words” – Steve, “football, travel, books.” I’d probably add chess and anti-Tory but the first three words are pretty accurate. This week it is World Book Day so it is a great excuse for me to share some books that cover at least two of the three!

First up I present Gareth Thomas and his love of Anguilla and Uprising FC (logo above). He sent me an excerpt yesterday. I am looking forward to the release of his first book.

“As I approach 20,000 words written for my book, just to wet the appetite I thought I would share a brief snippet of what I have written. This is my favourite passage that I’ve written so far.”

By coincidence Clare McEwen wrote that she was excited that she had written 25,313 words in her book about Women’s Football. I will let her introduce herself.

“A Girl In Love With the Beautiful Game. Hi, I’m Clare and I fell in love with football when I was about 9-years-old. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the exact moment the beautiful game touched my heart because that was nearly 40 years ago. But I do remember the moment I got my very own proper football. And the moment I put on my first pair of football boots (Golas for those who remember them). I was already in love with the game by then but these prizes sealed the deal. Now I’m writing a book on the history of women’s football so everyone knows how it has grown both in England and throughout the world. The stories, the struggles, the amazing women and men who fought against the governing bodies, defying bans, battling disrespect, and suffering abuse. “

More here

So Gareth and Clare new to the world of Dickens and Shakespeare but the the next two friends have both written multiple books each

Gary Thacker has just released his latest book O Jogo Bonito and Miguel Lourenço Pereira followed up with Bring me that Horizon

Obviously as a Gillingham fan, I am going to pimp Jim Norley’s great books

A couple of others I would like to highlight are Gavin Haigh’s definitive “Black and White Stripes”
and Stuart Kane’s book on the tragedy of Robin Friday.

Obviously we are fortunate to have so much written about “The Beautiful Game – O Jogo Bonito” and a couple of people I should spotlight again are Stanchion Books, Halcyon Publishing and Pitch Publishing for all things football, especially what I would call “non-mainstream”

Happy World Book Day

As I move around the clubs, life sometimes gets in the way. Today I had a HUGE blog scheduled for World Book Day and then I got a time sensitive newsletter that I thought deserved sharing. Apologies for those featured in the books and those waiting for my recommendation but today I give you Sutton United FC

It has been a very tough season for the South London club and they are in a tight spot towards the bottom of League 2 BUT they have found time and resources to support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Respect to them for that. The newsletter continues…

“To honour our new partnership with @royalmarsden we are delighted to unveil this beautiful limited edition shirt from @oneillssportswear
 

The club will also be launching a special, aubergine-coloured shirt, with £3 from the sale of each shirt to be donated to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity to support its vital work. This will give Sutton fans and the wider local community the opportunity to support this brilliant cause and help to raise awareness of all the wonderful work they do.  

This new special edition kit will be worn for Sutton’s home game on 23rd March 2024 versus Accrington Stanley in partnership with O’Neill’s, and could replace the green away kit for the forthcoming 2024/25 season. More details to follow in due course.  

We would like to place on record our gratitude to all the staff at The Royal Marsden, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and the team at O’Neills for helping to bring this all together. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this support.  

You can pre-order your special Royal Aubergine shirt here “

..and there’s more

To mark the start of an exciting new relationship between Sutton United and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, four Sutton United first team players, captain Craig Eastmond, Sam Hart, Louis John and Rob Milsom, visited The Royal Marsden’s Oak Centre for Children and Young People in Sutton earlier this month.

The players were also joined by Rob Milsom’s younger brother Nick, who was treated for leukaemia at the hospital in 1995 when he was only three years old.  

Rob commented: “It means so much to me and my family the work that they do here at The Royal Marsden, especially thinking about my brother Nick who was affected at such a young age and owes so much to the fantastic staff here.”  

The players met with more than twenty children and young adults, speaking with them one-to-one and gifting them signed Sutton United shirts. Club captain Craig commented: “Visits like this are special to us players as well. We look forward to coming back to visit again very soon.”  

Louis, Rob and Sam also took part in some fun football games with the children, and the positive impact of the visit for patients was clear to see.  

Louis said: “You could see how much it meant to these young kids to have us there visiting from the big smiles on their faces.”  

Sam added: “It really brightened up their day. For us players, it feels great to be able to give something back to these kids who have had such a difficult start to life. Everyone was really impressed with Louis’ keepy-uppy and ball balancing skills! He did get nutmegged on the goal line a couple of times!”  

As part of the relationship between The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Sutton United, the club will be offering young patients the chance to be included in the excitement of match day as they walk out with the team as honorary Mascots.  

Amy Mullins, Head of Community Fundraising at The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, said: “We are delighted to be working with Sutton United and are really grateful to those at the club who have made this memorable experience possible for these young patients. The club’s support will also help to ensure The Royal Marsden continues to provide the very best treatment and care and develop new treatments that help cancer patients around the world.” 

Yes, Christian has been on his travels again. Last time it was Stafford Rangers FC. Like Darren’s, his reviews are proving very popular on my site. This time he is at Ramsgate FC on the Kent coast. Think you will all love t.

I’d also like to do a BIG shout-out for Christian for raising a goodly amount for the vital “Head in The Game ” Charity recently. Congratulations, Christian. Yes, he loves his football and like me he is clearly keen to give something back to a sport that has offered us so much. GREAT WORK, WARRIOR.

If others are not aware of the reason for my tuktuk tour, please see the final paragraph below for details of my challenge.

A brief history of Ramsgate Football Club

Established in 1886, Ramsgate FC dissolved in 1924, leading to Ramsgate Glenville taking over Southwood Stadium. Post-World War II, Glenville vanished, making room for Ramsgate Athletic, holding onto the name until 1972. Their peak came in the original Kent League until its 1959 collapse, prompting a move to the Southern League, later returning to the re-formed Kent League in 1976.

From 2004, manager Jim Ward propelled the club to dual championships, reaching the Isthmian League Premier Division. The 2007–08 season marked a pinnacle, securing 5th place, reaching play-offs, and winning the Isthmian League Cup. However, relegation followed the next season.

This season has seen the historic and unprecedented feat, with the team reaching the FA Cup second round. They triumphed over National League’s Woking but faced a 5–0 defeat against League Two’s AFC Wimbledon in a memorable chapter for the club. This remarkable journey showcased the ups and downs in Ramsgate’s storied history.

Battling in the league for promotion the team look set to take it to the wire with themselves and Cray Valley PM battling away for the top spot and only automatic promotion place in the league.

Sources

Club legends (as told by Fan Darius Sarrafan)

Jim Ward – took Ramsgate to their highest ever league finish as well as a league cup win and the first round of the FA Cup 

Warren Schultz – record appearances for the club (458) and was an integral part of Jim Ward’s history making side

Kit

2023/2024 Ramsgate FC Home Kit

Replica Kit – Available online only, no club shop!

Stadium info

“Ramsgate FC game days are well worth attending, I have been attending for 57 years! I even volunteer my time as the clubs kit man now, giving back to the club that has done so much for me.”
Phil Butler – Ramsgate Fan and Club Volunteer.

So, to learn more read about the ground, read what fans say and, most importantly, find where Ramsgate are in the Food and Drink tables shoot over to Christian’s blog to learn more. Do you agree that the drinks are …. and ….? Is that fair, unkind or generous. Visit Through the Turnstile to learn more!

Congratulations, Christian

I would be very grateful if you would 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 continues 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.

Moving on, I was delighted to read the discussions about Clubforce’s fundraising guide in variousl online forums and groups. My page sparked interest. They also have an important communication guide and I thought that this too was worth sharing. Every week I read about financial challenges that the clubs in Steps 1 to 6 and below are facing. We have all heard of the high profile problems at Taunton, Nuneaton, Dover, Rochdale and more but below them every club is fighting. So, I hope this second guide is useful to many.

Engage your team and community.

Master the art of effective communication within your club and beyond, ensuring members stay engaged and informed every step of the way.

Learn about how effective communication is an essential part of a well-run sports club. Expectations of members and wider club communities have never been higher with an expectation of modern, speedy, and accessible communications.

We explore a number of different communication channels, as well as the importance of storing your member’s data securely and GDPR.

• Learn what is good communication for sports clubs
• Take advantage of different communication channels – and how to use them
• Understand how to remain compliant with online communications – especially mobile apps

You can download the FREE GUIDE here

Steve Clemence – Gillingham

It was a bit of a disappointing weekend in the steps 1/6 of the English pyramid with so many games called off. Fortunately FC Deportivo Galicia’s game was on and a last minute winner was a nice tonic. Minutes later I found Gillingham had won at Salford City in League Two so that was very welcome too.
I am not sure how many know but Steve Clememce is the new manager at the Priestfield Stadium. Yes, THAT Steve Clemence, the son of England’s great keeper, Ray Clemence. I had the pleasure of meeting Ray and Sir Trevor Brooking at Hereford as I cycled though England and Wales in 2010. Top guys!

You will note the Prostate Cancer “Man of Men” badge on Steve’s jacket. He often wears one …and there’s a reason.

Ray Clemence’s son says “People saw him as a football legend. To me he was just Dad”

Ray Clemence won more than 50 caps for his country and was a club legend at Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Scunthorpe United. He lived with prostate cancer for more than a decade and a half while tirelessly supporting our work — sporting our Man of Men badge, gracing the front of Insights magazine twice, and walking and talking with hundreds of our supporters at March for Men. Ray sadly passed away in November 2020.  

Stephen and his family were blown away by the support from the football family after Ray’s death. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, England and Scunthorpe United all played very personal tributes following the news. 

Stephen said: “My memories of my dad will last forever, and we had such a wonderful relationship. A lot of people see him as this England, Liverpool and Tottenham legend, but for me he was just my dad. 

“The tributes that came after he died were a source of great comfort to our family. For so many people to show such love and support was wonderful and we will always remember that universal outpouring of grief, and the messages that followed.”

“The fact nobody has a bad word to say about my dad says so much. Whenever he went back to Anfield or White Hart Lane, he mixed with the old players and they all just loved him. He was a big character in the dressing room at both of those clubs and those relationships live on now.” 

“For so many people to show such love and support was wonderful and we will always remember that universal outpouring of grief, and the messages that followed.”

Football would unsurprisingly play a big part in Ray and Stephen’s relationship, and in latter years they would enjoy golfing breaks too, always with a competitive edge.  

He continued: “I always remember dad taking me on the pitch before the FA Cup final in 1987. I was only nine years old, and I think dad thought it would be the last time he played at Wembley, which it was. He managed to get me on the pitch and there was a few of the other players’ sons that got on the pitch as well.  That was a great experience.” 

“Growing up we used to talk all the time about football, and I remember when I was younger one of the first pieces of advice he gave me was to not be a goalkeeper!”

“There were times in my playing career when my mind wasn’t right or I wasn’t playing well, but he was always able to say something to help me concentrate. He really helped me . 

“When I was playing and he was watching, at the end of the game, I’d look up to the stand where my mum and dad were and if he was looking at me, I knew I’d probably done alright as he’d give me a little nod of approval.  If he was looking away, then I was in trouble. So I definitely valued his opinion.” 

“He was such a great man, full of so much knowledge and you couldn’t not listen to him. He lit up every room he was in. He was competitive, just like me, and was a great laugh too.” 

“He was also so positive too despite the hand he was dealt. There were times he was struggling, and we worked hard to pick him up. But no one outside our family unit would have known that.” 

One of Ray’s final ambassadorial acts for us was to greet the walkers at the end of Jeff Stelling’s 2019 four-nation March for Men, handing out medals and posing for photographs as selflessly as ever. 

Stephen added: “My dad was a tireless campaigner for Prostate Cancer UK for many years, and it’s a cause that me and my family will continue to support. So I’m so proud and grateful that Jeff Stelling will be marching to honour his memory this year and I’m so glad Spurs and Liverpool are involved. Me and my family are looking forward to supporting his efforts. 

“Prostate cancer is a devastating disease. We are an incredibly close family, and it was so hard for all of us see him suffer, but he never moaned, never complained. He was the strongest man I’ve ever known. 

“Whenever I see Prostate Cancer UK’s Man of Men badge, I think of my dad. I think the charity has really helped to make progress, and Jeff’s been a great supporter of the charity for many years now. We were all very touched at his tribute to my dad on Soccer Saturday. The fact they met each other at the end of Jeff’s last march makes it extra poignant too. 

“My dad was a tireless campaigner for Prostate Cancer UK for many years. Whenever I see the Man of Men badge, I think of Dad.”

Tragically Steve and his family are not alone. One male in eight will be affected by Prostate Cancer.
I hope you, dear reader, can help.

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 £10,000 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.

THANKS, Steve.

Well, it’s Sunday so I would normally be sharing Darren’s vlogs but his trip to Flackwell Heath ….

It gives me the opportunity to spotlight this interesting new book, “Admiral 50 Years Of The Replica Shirt”
In the 1973-74 season, pioneering sportswear brand Admiral changed the British football landscape forever with the introduction and sale of the first ever replica shirt. The move sparked an explosion in football design, manufacturing and culture from the early 1970s through to the present day, a journey that in 2024 has been chronicled in a commemorative, limited edition coffee table-style book, which goes on sale today.

Blending newly commissioned photography with archive images, original design sketches and contributions from collectors, presented with Glory’s hallmark approach to design, the book also features:

• Longer-form essays on notable kits and their context from some of football’s best writers, including Harry Pearson, Rob Bagchi, Daniel Gray, Andi Thomas, Ian King and Ian Plenderleith;
• Contributions from famous fans including Maisie Adam, Mark & Paul Watson, James Brown and Guy Mowbray;
• Academic insight into the design, manufacturing and socially pioneering nature of shirts from Professors Jean Williams and Andrew Groves;
• Recollections from players and managers who have worn them, including Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Sue Smith, Peter Shilton, Roy Hodgson, Viv Anderson, Mark Hateley, and many more; and
• A comprehensive illustrated Admiral kit directory by designer John Devlin

Marking the first year of replica shirt sales, an initial 1,974 individually numbered, hardback books are now on sale on a pre-order basis, These will be the only books of this type produced, before a softback version is released for retail later in 2024.

John Devlin wrote, “This book by Admiral commemorating 50 Years of the Replica Shirt and their crucial role in it is going to be something REALLY special! I was thrilled to be asked to contribute illustrations for the shirt directory at the back of the book – which will all be in my new style.” Follow John on Twitter

PRE-ORDER HERE

My Favourite Retro Brentford Shirt

Obviously a lot of clubs now look to the retro market as another source of income/as another way to fleece fans. QPR have had spectacular success with theirs and Copa have brought out some absolute class shirts for many sides. I have a fantastic Brentford retro shirt I got in Amsterdam recently and they have done great work for AS Roma, Juve, Porto and Portsmouth among others.

Well, it’s Saturday again and that can only mean that Darren is off to a game and we’ll be following his exploits tomorrow and that FC Deportivo Galicia’s gallant youths will have continued their season. Today it was Windsor FC who I have always liked if nothing else for their fantastic kits. Now, I know “love is blind” and that anybody saying they like something is entirely subjective but look at these beauties!

The Windsor team has had a pretty tough season but are safe from any relegation fears with Hillingdon Borough and Holmer Green unlikely to catch up. Before today they had amassed only three away wins and altogether had conceded 89 goals (Amersham have conceded 30!)

Probably the bigger story of the day is the FA writing to step 5 & 6 clubs telling them that the season will NOT be extended. Now, that’s a bit of an issue as some clubs have almost twenty games left to play! Hillingdon Borough have I think 19, London Colney not many less and Westside in Step 5 have only played 20 league games this season because of their cup runs. As at 1pm today the ONLY games left on in the Combined Counties four divisions were:
Epsom Vs Sandhurst
Broadfields Vs Wallingford and Crowmarch
FC Deportivo Vs Windsor
Langley Vs Westside

(..and Hillingdon Borough have wisely arranged a 7pm KO at neutral Bedfont Sports against British Airways just to squeeze a game in on the artificial turf.)

So, that’s going to add a huge number of problems for the clubs and fixture secretaries. Somebody wrote, “The whole of S.E. England is a puddle.” I think “a pond” may be a better description.

Not the greatest game but a 2-1 win courtesy of a 90th minute own goal secured three points for the home side. Why we love football…maybe!

I would be very grateful if you would 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 continues 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.

Gifts In Wills

Hopefully, you will all be aware that the purpose of the Tuktuk tour is to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK. I got a regular newsletter from them today reminding me they are grateful for donations through wills. They have an important update where they can help you to help them to help you. Win-win!

“Gifts in Wills fund around 1 in 4 of our research projects. This March, we’ve partnered with the National Free Wills Network , so you can have your Will written or updated for free.

It was important for me to leave a gift in my Will, as Prostate Cancer UK need money to fund research. If I could save one life with that money, then I would have achieved the aim.”
Ron, Prostate Cancer UK legacy pledger

Ron was diagnosed with prostate cancer after noticing his PSA level rising each year. After successful treatment, he chose to leave a gift to Prostate Cancer UK in his Will. He did this by using our Free Wills Service. By leaving a gift in your Will like Ron, you can help fund long-term research to save more men’s lives.

For more information (NO personal details required), click here

I hope that the details of the free will service are helpful. Equally, whether it was or whether you have alternative arrangements I would be very grateful if you would 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 continues 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.