Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I have written previously about the decision to abandon the practice of FA Cup replays. The decision was taken at the behest of clubs who would never need to be involved in the First and Second rounds but the FA capitulated again to the demands of the “Big Clubs.” Well the second round was this weekend and a couple of non-league clubs managed to get through whilst a handful did themselves proud!

The draw for round three has been made and Arsenal must be disappointed. Their season is over! Liverpool pulling away in the league and the prospect of being embarrassed by a resurgent Manchester United in the Third Round of the cup. Spare a thought also for Pep. Just when he thought things could not get worse, he is thrown a massive banana skin with a tie against Salford. To be fair, I have been impressed with how he has faced this mini crisis. Unlike Wenger and Arteta, he has not trotted out every excuse on the planet. I wish him well.

Full draw….

(I don’t think Nil Nil Harris at Millwall will take Dagenham & Redbridge for granted. He is too wily for that.
I think that’s the game I will go to. Could be a real scrap on the pitch from beginning to end. Nice one for Accrington Stanley. Hope they get a decent payday.)

There is a nice competition to win tickets.

Check this out

Meanwhile our intrepid travellers have been out and about. Darren Ashley was as Amersham Town which I rate as one of my favourite step 4- step 6 grounds. See his report here and Christian has been asking all the right questions at Leek Town in Staffordshire. You can see his review here.



Christian also has a nice Christmas Raffle coming up and I will be donating some match tickets. If you can either donate or want tickets, shout him here

“Don’t they know it’s Christmas time at all?” Well, it currently isn’t in my book although I see Tesco disagrees with me but Sunday is the 1st of December so I think it is safe to spotlight the Christmas Programme fair in Kensington.

The organiser, Barry Dixey tells me that it is shaping up to the biggest ever. It is completely sold out and we even have an international exhibitor….. all the way from Poland! Lee Hermitage from N W M Football will have only a small selection of his stock on display and Les Easterbrook will have a huge display of badges available. Top guys. They can even talk music to you! Ray Margetson has launched a new book this week and I am hoping to catch up with him for an interview. Watch this space.

Andy Trailer from Cobblers Collectibles is back with plenty of non league programmes, pre 1960 league programmes, badges and pennants. Mark Barnes is a co-organiser and has a special offer on shirts. He asks that you let him know in advance if you are looking for anything special so he can be sure to bring it. His number is on the poster, above.

Long-follower of The Shirt Project and even longer football fan (Kingstonian, I approve of that!) has kindly sent me an update of his London tours. He has many years’ experience at some of the biggest grounds in the country as well as more general tours. If anybody is thinking of a tour in London whether it be football or non-football related, I recommend giving him a ping. I am sure you will be delighted.

He says, ” I am currently focusing on Changing of The Guard tours as well as my unique Ted Lasso tours which are both proving very popular with locals and tourists alike. I am building out a royal walk on non guard change days and a Jack the Ripper a couple of nights a week. The big interest at this time of year is Christmas so for the first year, I am hosting a Christmas Lights tour. People are surprised that there are so many streets/areas with beautiful lights and I aim to show them that some of the best aren’t in the most famous spots. It is an easy walk and if guests wish we can always finish in a traditional English pub for a beer, coffee or even something seasonal. I don’t have a dedicated page for those tours yet so please contact me direct and we can discuss what you are looking for.

Football? Well it has been forty years of my life. I have worked at the London Stadium, Selhurst Park, Stamford Bridge and Wembley and am pretty up on London football without being too partisan. Unlike Steve, I can mention Arsenal without going into an absolute meltdown and am happy to tour a ground with you and have a coffee talking over the past 100 years of English football. Just ping me and we can progress.”

Thanks Richard.

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Words from Our Team

 

Alice Dewey, General Manager:

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

 

Kevin Satchell, Chairman:

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

 

Jamie Cureton, First Team Manager:

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

Our Vision for the Future

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

BUY YOUR MATCH TICKETS HERE

BUY A SEASON TICKET HERE

 

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

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

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

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

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

https://prints.KingOverman.com/dreams

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

Kevin, aka King Overman” 

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

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

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

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

Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you all there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great week, everybody.

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

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

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

I am looking forward to both, as always

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great week