Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Deportivo La Coruna
Real Club Deportivo La Coruña
Yes, the season is now in its death throes and I can sadly confirm that everyone’s favourite Spanish-ish team, FC Deportivo Galicia, did not win promotion. We go again. Our gallant youths will honour the pitches of most of Southern England in the Combined Counties Step 6 again this season. In Step 5 The CC management still has not decided who finishes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th in scenes shared with Brian Rix they have told the five clubs involved that they will make a final, final, final (probably) decision on Wednesday. Fantastic that means two teams are on standby to TRY get flights to Jersey for their team, management and fans in two days time on a bank holiday weekend. Good luck with that, guys! The best I can find is £540 return! (Mmmm,often £100ish if booked weeks in advance) That’s even praying that there are 20+ seats available ….. and I expect that price to have gone up by tomorrow!) So, as it stands Cobham and Fleet are waiting by the tel-e-phone (cue Blondie lyrics) not knowing which of four clubs they will be playing …..and hoping players can get time off work on the Friday!
Moving on to happier stories. Real Club Deportivo La Coruña, our “little brother club” in Galicia, North West Spain has off-the-field news. Sadly the days of Galicia Super Depor are over and this season they will finish mid table in La Liga 2 (second level of Spanish football, so one below Real Madrid, Valencia, Getafe etc.) However… “Deportivo La Coruña and Kappa have released a limited-edition shirt in two versions, marking 25 years since the club’s historic 1999/2000 La Liga title.
The commemorative pieces honour the achievement and legacy of a team that brought home the club’s first and only league championship.
The short-sleeved version features gold fabric with subtle vertical striping, a navy polo-style collar, navy trim on the cuffs, and navy sponsor logos. The long-sleeved version has a cleaner look with no sponsor and features navy cuffs. Both editions carry a special inside neck print marking the 25th anniversary of the title and highlighting Deportivo’s league triumph on 19 May 2000, when they defeated Espanyol 2–0 at the Riazor. Only nine clubs in Spain have ever lifted the title.
The shirts are individually numbered, with 2,000 units available for the short-sleeved version and 500 for the long-sleeved version. A collector’s badge with the Kappa and Deportivo crests is included near the hem. Each piece is part of the Kappa Kombat range and produced as a tribute to the golden era of Deportivo, with legendary names such as Djalminha, Mauro Silva, Fran, Donato, and Makaay central to the team’s legacy.”
Full details here There are some interesting new shirt announcements on the FootballShirtCulture.com site but as most involve Nike, Kappa, Adidas extorting huge amounts of money from people prepared to pay £1000+ per season for their favourite teams’ kit, I will let you “enjoy” the site.
Talking of money, Deportivo Galicia at Heathrow is looking for sponsors for next season. You, don’t need to be ABANCA, from Hollywood or even Colliers Wood, no, £25 gets you onboard! Please contact “el presi” , Leo Decabo , at the club and he will be delighted to welcome you to the fold.
Charlie
An interesting story and it ties up a couple of my interests.
I would like to introduce you to Charlie. I don’t know him personally but his grandfather and I are on a couple of football forums. Charlie has committed to attending all the 15 play off matches in the Championship, League 1 and League 2. Tragically Gillingham do not feature but he is currently visiting
Bristol City, Coventry, Sheffield United and his beloved Sunderland. In league 2 and 3 it is AFC Wimbledon, Charlton, Chesterfield, Notts County, Orient, Stockport, Walsall and Wycombe. The winners of the two legged semi-finals continue to Wembley where promotion awaits. To make things even more exciting for Charlie, Sunderland are guaranteed a place after two tremendous semi-finals against Coventry. They will play Sheffield United who bulldozed Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate.
That’s interesting enough but to take it to the next level, Charlie is raising money for a cancer appeal and has already collected over £1400 for Cancer Research UK. If you fell able to donate, please do so.
I have donated and have also offered to send 10 random programmes to anybody who donates £5 and 20 to anybody who donates £10. Just PM me here and I will pop them in the post to you. Any specific teams? Please ask and I will try to oblige. Here is the official fundraise page from Cancer Research UK.
Programme Fair
Well, the season may be over today for most clubs in the Championship, League 1 and 2 but your football fix can be satisfied with a couple of high profile events in the next few weeks. Whilst others are dreaming about the beach, my thoughts move to Morden in Sarfffff London (Sarfffff Lunnun, innit?) and Colchester. Today it is my pleasure to spotlight Barry Dixey’s “South London Football Programme & Memorabilia Fair.” The event is tomorrow 4th May at Tooting & Mitcham United’s excellent facilities in Morden.
I caught up with Barry earlier and it’s clear that he’s very excited about this event. He has some well-respected regulars and a couple of new stall holders.
“SOUTH LONDON PROGRAMME & MEMORABILIA FAIR at Tooting & Mitcham FC. – This Sunday – 4th May. Doors open at 10.30.
12 stall holders + the Club are putting on an exhibition.
I have 11 confirmed dealers coming from all over the Country, who are as follows:
Tony Cavanagh. Based in Manchester and has a variety of Football Memorabilia. His stall always looks great and has a lot of interesting World Cup items.
Barry Dixey (Orpington). Organiser of this fair and the West London fair at Emperors Gate. His stall covers all manner of football items including programmes, tickets, autographs, posters and cards.
Elmo Books (Rochester). Emil & Karen specialise in books and are very knowledgeable on the subject. You will often find a hidden gem on their stall as well as a sought after book.
Lee Hermitage (NWM Football). NWM stands for North West Middlesex and that is where Lee is based. If he’s not at a match he is stalling out at a fair or market. He specialises in Football magazines and programmes but like most dealers he has other football memorabilia for sale.
Martin Lane. Martin specialises in Chelsea programmes but has a variety of items on his stall.
Richie Letts. Based in Sheffield and the new owner of Sportingold Sports Auction. Richie has a fantastic display of old and rare programmes.
Paul Manuel. Specialises in Football Shirts but covers other sports such as Cricket & Boxing and will be accompanied on his stall by his friends Mono & Stan.
Ray Margetson. Lots of interesting items of surplus stock from his own collection. “Among my collection will be original pennants from the 80s, Subbuteo boxed sets from the 70s, football shirts, non league programmes, sticker albums, tickets, pin badges, and a large collection of books – rare and classics.”
(Shall I ask if he has any tickets for the “Arsenal Have Blown it Yet Again Party” in Tottenham on Bank Holiday? Always a great event.)
Terry O’Neill. Based in Daventry and runs TSA auction house when he is not stalling out with his Football memorabilia that mainly covers football programmes.
Mike Pudney. A first time dealer so it will be interesting to see what he is selling on his stall.
Tommy Roe. The laird of Lytham St. Annes who is a larger-than-life character who has many interesting Football tales to tell. Has some great memorabilia on his stall and a story to go with each item!
Andy Trasler. Runs Cobblers Collectables outside Northampton Town FC ground. Andy is knowledgeable on football programmes and loves the non-league variety.”
Thanks, Barry. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
I know Lee Hermitage is there with his usual massive stock of magazines, programmes and general memorabilia and that Andy Trasler is coming all the way from Northampton. Both Lee and Andy have come up trumps this week. No, sorry, I can’t use that word. It makes me see orange! Seriously, they have both helped O-M complete his social media project so are due a coffee, beer, the comfy chair or my wife’s recipe for ratatouille. Maybe Gerald the Gorilla will turn up too with an “original” programme for the 1923 FA Cup Final. To make me believe it is original he will insist that the “Reprinted by Millennium Print Services, Neasden 2002” is simply for HMRC purposes! No, the Not The Nine O’Clock News cast will presumably be trucking elsewhere but anybody else who is anybody will be there.
To be slightly more serious, it’s a BIG shout to all who have helped. It is always invidious to name names but Lee, Andy and Stephen Morris have all stepped up when the gaps looked big. Thanks to everyone. If you want to know more about this incredible social project do give O-M a shout. It has been a privilege to try to help.
As I type this I am watching the victory celebrations at Home Park. I would like to congratulate Burnley on achieving 100 points and hope they survive in the rarefied airs of the Premier League. It would be rude not to mention Leeds United. So, I have. No doubt they will be towards the top of the Championship in May 2027.
Gillingham’s season comes to an end at Port Vale in a few minutes. “Maybe, next year.” Yes, maybe.
Random Thoughts
Well, the season draws towards its close. FC Deportivo Galicia and Gillingham failed to win promotion and Arsenal have bottled it yet again. Tonight Spurs and Manchester United fight for glory in Europe and a final in the Europa League awaits …… which Ange and Amorim claim will be a massive achievement for their respective clubs! Meanwhile Chelsea are in the Conference League against Djurgårdens IF Fotboll who are towards the bottom of the mighty Swedish league. So, theoretically three teams in their finals. Presumably if this week’s Chelsea manager fails to win a trophy he will go the way of 23765 others over the past 25 years. Ditto United, ditto Spurs. I see a picture emerging.
Other new is that Clare McEwen is writing about icebergs! I will let her explain…
“Hi Steve
I spent an hour planning this week’s football training for my team.
I spent a further 30 minutes chasing up parents about playing with us next season and availability for training/matches this week.
30 more minutes were used setting up a friendly match.
From door-to-door, I spent 2hrs 45 minutes at training.
More time was taken up with other admin.
I’ve probably spent 5 hours this week on coaching duties. But no parent knows this. Why would they? Unless they’ve coached or married a coach, they can’t possibly know the time we invest and all the prep that goes into an hour training session and an hour match.
It’s the same with women’s football. We are now seeing the tip of the iceberg.
We get to watch major finals (FA Cup and Champions League finals are on their way, plus the Euros of course) and amazing matches week in week out, but this is still very new.
If you want to learn about the rest of the women’s football iceberg, it’s not too late to buy my book “She Can Kick It” all about the history of women’s football across the world. Before the Euros in July, you could be right up to speed with all that’s happened in women’s football before this point.
You can find it on Amazon here but also from various retailers in paperback and ebook versions.
If you already have it, thank you so much. I celebrate every sale with a retro rave to Prodigy’s “Breathe”. Please consider leaving a review to help the visibility (if you’ve done that too, you also caused a rave to “Born Slippy”).
In other news, I’ve yammered on about the history on the Women’s Football Hub podcast . Check out the other episodes too if you’re interested in the health and wellbeing of players.”
In other other news Darren’s season as an intrepid vlogger is also coming to an end. He got wet (no, not French kisses or icebergs) but has a couple of tidy reports on Market Harborough and Brackley Town. As a Gillingham fan just the word b.r.a.c.k.l.e.y means November or December cold, wet weather and defeat in the FA Cup. Luckily he did not need to suffer. In the words of Thomas Mann, A vlogger is somebody for whom vlogging is more difficult than it is for other people. I am sure he was thinking of Darren at Market Harborough and Brackley. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to enjoy Darren’s Chris Kamara moments before the end of the season. His entire collection of vlogs is here. Mmm, wonder what the collective noun is for “collection of vlogs”?????
Izzy
I am always keen to spotlight artists who focus on the Beautiful Game so was delighted to be introduced to Izzy by her mother on a Facebook group.
“Our daughter is an A level fine art student. She is hand drawing her own gallery of sporting arenas in the medium of pen and ink and water colour. She has recently created The City Ground, Stamford Bridge, The Emirates, Anfield, Villa Park, Meadow Lane and Hillsborough. She has created a portfolio of multiple stadiums which can be found on her Instagram and will happily paint whatever stadium that people would like. If anyone is interested please let me know or message izzy on her instagram account. It would make a lovely gift for a sporting fan and they look very stylish in pen and ink as izzy has a unique style.
Give Izzy a follow on Instagram: football.fineart” See a small selection below.
So, good luck to Izzy. I wish you every success. Here are a few she has already completed but she says she can create a stunning piece of art for any stadium. Hopefully we will see the UK’s premier stadium (AKA The Priestfield Stadium with its iconic Ginger Rogers Stand.
In other news Liverpool have won the Premier League in style with a 5-1 demolition of Spurs whilst Arsenal’s weak attempt at a challenge has fizzled out to nobody’s surprise and will presumably be overtaken by Manchester City and Newcastle United in the remaining weeks. Arteta will moan about the number of games, Harold’s defence in 1066 and anything else he can to avoid the word “bottled.” Congratulations to Burnley too. They have conceded 15 goals all season. Millwall are dark horses and go to Turf Moor on Saturday. A win or maybe even a draw could see them in the play offs. Birmingham and Wrexham are up from league one with plenty to decide in those play-offs. Tragically Gillingham did not make it to the play offs but at least didn’t drop to the National League and we finish above the Plastics.




John O’Donnell
I was in contact with John O’Donnell this week on Facebook and he kindly offered to send more details of his recent books.
This self published guide takes a detailed look at men’s international football management and begins with information on the major continental and global competitions, listing the countries and managers who have finished in the top four positions in every edition of them. A points based metric is then explained and applied, recognising the difficulty level of each tournament, to identify and provide further detail on the 50 most successful international managers coming from 21 different countries. Full of fascinating facts you’ll read about the Paraguay boss who then went to Real Madrid, the top scorer at the first World Cup who managed his country for 20 years, the qualified doctor who led a nation in two World Cup finals, the coach in charge of 18 national teams and much more. As for deciding who is the greatest international manager, that’s up to you.
More details here
Now that was interesting and we can all debate the contenders but the second book below is , one some ways, more interesting as it is a path less trod – the manager’s of the women’s game.
This guide takes a detailed look at women’s international football management and begins with information on the major continental and global competitions, listing the countries and managers who have finished in the top four positions in every edition of them.
A points based metric is then explained and applied, recognising the difficulty level of each tournament, to identify and provide further detail on the 25 most successful international managers coming from 14 different countries.
As for deciding who is the greatest international manager, that’s up to you.
More details here
Easter
Well, nearly Easter and there seems an awful lot of things to update on so without delay.
Darren continues to vlog. This week he was not vlogging a dead horse (sorry, I’ll get my coat) but revisiting his friends at Harborough Town. What a story! One hundred plus Spanish fans came to see the Step Three/Level Seven team. What’s the story?
“Spent Saturday afternoon at the wonderful Harborough Town FC, where, due to absence of some of their brilliant media team, I was asked do the post match interview with charismatic manager Mitch Austin…yep, I was really looking forward to doing this one, especially after ‘The Bee’s’ lost to a stoppage time wonder strike which brought their 10 match unbeaten run to a sudden end
….as always though, Mitch was fantastic and delivered, yet again, interviewee gold!
Here is us trying to make ourselves heard in front of an amazing Spanish contingent of over 100 fans ……oh, and the sort of vlog I did of the match is here “
So, who are the Spanish fans and what brings them to Market Harborough? “La Media Inglesa” is a Spanish “company” that says “La Media Inglesa es un medio dedicado al fútbol inglés. Todo con un toque de humor. No siempre inteligente.” Basically it is a Spanish language channel ALL about English football …all with a touch of humour. Think Skinner and Baddiel, TWTWTW, HIGNFY etc etc. Banter, news, rumours etc etc Whilst I love “Il Calcio a Londra” their Spanish cousins take an altogether more irreverent view of the Beautiful Game. I will be inviting them to FC Deportivo Galicia next season and hope they can double their numbers. Heathrow’s suburbs are a lot easier to get to than deepest, darkest Leicestershire. you can literally walk to our ground from the runway! See their video here
In news still breaking it looks like Gillingham will stay up 9despite having had more managers tahn goals this season, that FC Deportivo Galicia will not be promoted and that Arsenal have BLOWN IT AGAIN! (Oh, dear. How sad!)
Happy Easter.
Kilo Warehouse
Well, this is a bit different from my recent blogs but absolutely in keeping with TheShirt2010.co.uk
I heard about Kilo Warehouse from a flyer and read they had a good collection of second hand football shirts. So, Steve “Nil to Landfill” and obsessed with shirts took had a double reason to visit. It’s on the Elizabeth Line to West Drayton (Hayes & Harlington would do to but then with a short bus.)
In a huge, huge warehouse there are rows and rows and rows (and rows!) of second hand clothes all at discount prices. Interesting enough, indeed, and I love the ethos but what I really wanted to see were the football shirts and I was not disappointed. There was a huge selection and not just the usual Liverpool, Spurs, West Ham and Barca knock-offs. No, this was a very eclectic mix. If you in or around West London, it’s definitely worth a rummage.
Their website states ” High Street and Vintage Clothing by KG
Welcome to Kilo Warehouse in West Drayton, London which is open to the general public. We have a network of vans collecting pre-loved, vinted and sustainable unwanted clothes throughout the UK which can include retro, branded and vintage high-street fashion. Our team carefully selects desirable clothing so the public can visit our depot and buy clothes by kilo weight. Our warehouse is now open daily so come down to grab yourself some bargains.
We are one of the largest second-hand clothing specialists in London with a warehouse covering roughly 1000 square feet and 10000kg of clothes including footwear, sportswear, childrenswear, womenswear, menswear, summer and winter wear and a variety of accessories like handbags, wallets, purses and decorative items. You can expect to find fashion brands like Nike, Adidas, Denim, Top Shop, Marks and Spencers and many more.
Due to demand we are now open Monday – Sunday 08:00 – 16:00
We have been working in a second hand clothing business for over 35 supplying our best quality product to various customers across the world. We are very proud of the positive environmental impact our second hand product have and now we are very happy that we can share our best British, Worldwide, vintage brands we have with you. All our clothes are checked and prepared by our dedicated team. Please, visit our shop and go on a hunt for best brands and price available only at our store.
We open our warehouse doors to the public 7 days a week. See our Contact Us page for our opening hours.
You can browse through our extensive collection of clothing and purchase items by kilo weight. With the cost of living crises upon us all, we provide a much cheaper alternative to buying brand-new clothing. Our friendly staff are always ready to assist in any way they can.”
The website has full details of contact details, directions and opening hours etc …. and if the chance of finding a Peruvian Fifth Division match-worn away shirt is not enough you could always throw eggs at Stockley Park* right next-door.
* Stockley Park, most famous for the VAR studios for the English Premier League!
David Atherall
Oh, the life and loves of a Brighton fan. Just when you were recovering from being kicked out of your home, playing your home matches at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium, the embarrassment that was the Withdean …you draw at home to Leicester City! Yes, Brighton and Hove Albion reminded every football supporter why we love and hate football in equal ratios by drawing 2-2 at home to the surely-doomed Leicester yesterday. Note Leicester had not previously scored since January and had lost their last eight HOME games without scoring a single goal.
The good news is that a new book about the trials and tribulations of being a Seagull has hit the shelves. Maybe today’s fans can take solace in that and muse over how instead of pushing for European qualification they might well have been playing Horsham, Dover Athletic or Chatham Town in the Isthmian League or worse!
The writer, David Atherall, kindly sent me his press release.
Brighton fan and local writer, David Atherall has chosen Brighton and Hove Albion for his latest novel, ‘Embers.’ The novel is set in 1996/97, an iconic season for the Albion. They looked destined to drop out of the football league and potentially go extinct. They’d sold their home ground, The Goldstone Ground and the situation for the club looked desperately bleak. Every Brighton fan knows that the arrival of Steve Gritt as manager and Dick Knight as chairman changed everything for Brighton that season.
The novel follows the chaos of that season alongside the life of sixteen-year-old fan, Danny. Not only did it look like he was losing his football club, his dad had walked out on his family and without a job, his days were filled with watching Neighbours and playing Sensible World of Soccer. All he wants is to follow the Albion up and down the country but getting and keeping a job are tough tasks. Brighton fans have immediately connected with the book, enjoying the nostalgia of going back to the toughest time in Brighton’s history. Steve Gritt has written the foreword; super-fan, Atilla the Stockbroker has described it as an ‘excellent tale’ and Brighton winger, Paul McDonald has called it an ‘amazing story.’
Find out more here
Bradford City

Sadly, I did not hear about this until after the event but it deserves a BIG shout-out and if nothing else I want to show my respect.
The University of Bradford Stadium’s centre circle was the finishing line for the 56for56 Walk – a fundraising campaign marking the 40th anniversary of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster – prior to last Saturday’s match against Crewe Alexandra.
Crews from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Bradford Fire Station embarked on a remarkable 75-mile journey from Lincoln City to Bradford, raising vital funds for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) in memory of the 56 supporters who tragically lost their lives and the hundreds more left with life-changing injuries on May 11 1985.
The walk will began on Friday April 4 from Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium, with firefighters from Lincoln Fire Station accompanying the Bradford crew on their journey towards Valley Parade.
Among those joining the walk at its halfway point were Bradford City legends Gary Jones and James Hanson. They will bring with them a football that has been partially signed by the Lincoln City squad. After the match, the ball will be completed with signatures from the Bradford City squad before being auctioned to raise additional funds.
Fans can still show their support and donate via the following channels:
- Online: https://www.justgiving.com/page/56for56
- Text donations: Text 10BRADFORD or 20BRADFORD to 70470 to donate £10 or £20.
The 56for56 campaign also includes car washes, fire station open days, a Legends match and a black tie dinner, with all proceeds going towards PSBRU, with the target of raising £56,000.
Here is a short video for those who don’t want to go on Twitter












