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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 at the bottom. 😂 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 and 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, I did my usual thing of seeking out a manager for a post-match interview and, wrapping 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 😀. Here's the Vlog and I hope you enjoy it! Big thank you to Darren Ashley for sharing his latest Vlog with us, please make sure to follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel .

The power of the Non League Football Facebook group lead to an invite from Lutterworth Athletic co-owner Lee English to vlog their UCL division 1 home match last Saturday, vs Radford. I have to say quickly, that, when Lee contacted me last Sunday, I asked if he was a fan or had connections with the club. Accompanied by a couple of mates, Thunder & Fieldy, we arrived just after 1.30pm and what struck me initially was, it was quite a large premises, with building work to improve facilities also going on. We were met by Lee, who then introduced us to co-owner, chairman… and dad Mike! Mike took the time from his clearly busy schedule to show us around, talk about the building work going on, aspirations for the club and how vital for the community it was for youth age footy to be played on the site. I then did some filming and got a quick pre match interview with manager Ash Brown. Now, before the interview and off camera, one of my mates, who really likes his food, commented that his name sounded like Hash Brown! Ash sighed, he had heard it before, but, this was a problem for me, as the seed was planted, I was really going to have to try hard not to call him Hash in the interview… I think I succeeded! Just before game time, Mike gave us permission to film the match from the balcony, which was in the middle of being built to extend it, so, up we went. Game starts, and it turned out to be a really good half, lots of action, too much actually to make the vlog. two good footballing sides made it easy on the eye. Half time comes, more filming, then, down to the main entrance where Lutterworth were providing plenty of free food… not just for us, but for everyone. A real class gesture. I know some of the Radford fans I spoke too were delighted with this. Second half starts then, with belly’s full!! Now, I had been desperate to get Mike on film for an interview, but he was super busy on the day , however the opportunity came, on the balcony as the 2nd half was about to start. I asked Thunder to film it and to film bits of the building work as Mike was talking. As we wrapped up the very quick interview, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Radford had a really promising attack. You will be able to see me pointing for Thunder to film the pitch, but… too late… GOAL!! He only had one job! The second half wasn’t as exciting as the 1st, but it was still a decent watch. Full time comes, down from the balcony, offers of more free food, and I managed to track down Radford manager David for a quick post match interview. It was soon time to go, where I had to find Lee and Mike to thank them for their amazing hospitality and generosity… they also happened to to be a couple of really decent fella’s too. Lee was working hard behind a heaving bar, and Mike was quite difficult to locate, until I found him settled with half a beer in his hand, I told him I hoped the finished vlog will show off the club in the light it really deserves, and we would love to return. So, that was that then, Thunder, Fieldy and I made our way separately home… if you can imagine the map at the start of dads army, that was basically us!! If any ground hoppers haven't been to Lutterworth Athletic, it’s hugely recommended to do and, it won’t do any harm to contact the club to let them know your intention. Quickly, a big thumbs up too, to the very vocal away following, they really were in fine voice. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the VLOG below! Once again a big thank you to Darren Ashley for sharing his VLOG with us, make sure to give Darren's YouTube channel a follow and please subscribe!

On Saturday, we took the opportunity to go and visit our very good friends at Carlton Town FC who play in the Northern Premier League Division One East, the eighth tier of the English football pyramid. Last season when we visited the Nottingham-based club they were fighting a relegation battle but by winning their last game of the season they successfully stayed up! On our visit last Saturday It was very clear to see the tables had turned and they are now in the running for a play-off position. What a great turnaround for the club! Saturday's game at Stoke Lane saw them get a 2-1 win over strugglers Winterton Rangers Football Club with a last-minute brilliantly taken headed goal by Khyle Sargent, this result has now pushed the Millers up to 4th spot and firmly in the hunt for a playoff position. Their was a decent crowd of 255 fans in attendance who paid the very affordable price of £10 for adults £8 cons and U16s just £2. As always, it was a pleasure to visit Carlton Town, a club who are embedded into the local community and just like our previous visits they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and a part of the club. The membership-owned club is run superbly well by some amazing people who give up their spare time to support their local grassroots club and has a proper family feel about the place. We had a chance to get the views of Carlton Town manager Tommy Brookbanks on todays win and and also asked him what has been the main reason for the teams remarkable up turn in form compared to last seasons relegation battle. Carlton Town kindly gave us the opportunity to have a Q&A in the clubhouse with the supporters to share what our Proper Football concept is about, the reason we started and what we stand for, we was overwhelmed with the reception and that many of the Millers fans in attendance agreed with us... top flight football has lost the fans and its soul, we have lost the connection we once had with our beloved boyhood clubs and its the reason why many of us are finding solace at our local non-league football clubs which in-turn has reignited the flame that was going out and why we now feel part of something, something that doesn't line the pockets of some fat cat far away owner or unscrupulous businessman with ulterior motives who doesn't care for the club and is chasing the carrot that is the Premier League cash cow, we now feel worthy and respected and most importantly of all a vital part of a local football club that has its best interests for the community at heart. We very much look forward to another visit to Carlton Town later in the season to catch up with the wonderful people who run the club and all of the volunteers and supporters of the Millers who are a vital cog in the wheel! A big thank you to Carlton Town Chairman Mick Garton who also took time to have a chat with us after the game. If you live in the local area get yourself down their and become part of something special, and fingers crossed it will be to witness a push for promotion!

We recently got in touch with the man behind FootyWatch, Andy Stone aka Stoner who is a ground hopper and grassroots reviewer who is also an ambassador for The Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund charity after reading his fantastic thread on social media of the recent Wessex derby between Westbury United and Frome Town. Stoner has kindly shared his videos, pictures and match thread with us of the enthralling encounter in a derby game that had everything which you can see further down this article, but first lets get to know a bit more about the man himself and how he incorporates his ground hops with raising money for a charity close to his heart. Thanks for taking time to talk to us at Proper Football Andy, lets start by asking you what part of the country are you based in and who do you support? So… I'm Based in Bristol/South Gloucestershire and my team for my sins is Manchester United but my love for the game is definitely at grassroots level. How long have you been doing Footy Watch and what made you start? FootyWatch has been going for around 4 1/2 years and my first game was Hallen vs Shepton Mallet, I wrote some in game tweets and a guy from Shepton Mallet - Jon Burr pulled me after and said “this is what non-league football needs” and that was the day FW was born. Shepton Mallet have been great supporters of my work throughout and I have made great friends in Dan, Neil, Dec and Jon respectively. What do you love about non-league? I love the non-league scene as it allows you to enjoy the experience of the game at a more personal level, you get to see/meet great people, find out the history of the clubs through the gate men, tea ladies, club shop sellers and long serving committee members, for me, the personal touch out weighs the common “just a number” supporter in the professional game. Why have you chosen the Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund charity in particular to raise funds for and how do raise funds? The reason behind the Cystic Fibrosis Charity is I lost a close friend of mine at 21 year old and I’ve never stopped thinking about him, I’ve continued to raise money in his memory surpassing £10k recently in donations to the Comfort Fund Bristol, with my love for the beautiful game and the close community of grass roots the two go hand in hand to raise awareness and support for a great cause. This has allowed me to sell my #FW  merchandise donating all the proceeds to the charity. Do you stick to grounds in the Bristol area? or do you venture further afield? I tend to travel wherever it takes me, on average I would say within a 60-90min travel distance but planning games currently in Cornwall and London so to be honest, you could say I’d go anywhere, but I do have a lot of support from local clubs and I love to be able to give back to those so within my catchment area always remains my priority, but it’s great to see different parts of the country and different teams for sure. How many grounds have you visited and do you have a particular favourite ground or a specific match that stands out? Including some league grounds and European games with Manchester United I’ve done 96 grounds and since using the Futbology app 262 games, a lot of these being at grassroots level in recent years… Favourite grounds league wise it’s got to be Old Trafford, so many great memories there and also love Villa Park, at non-league level, I love visiting Shepton Mallet, Brislington, Cribbs and have had some great games at Hallen and Bitton. It’s hard to choose a favourite, they are all great. A specific match has to be the recent Wessex Derby beaten Westbury Utd vs Frome Town, the game had everything, and I mean everything! but truth me told every game I review I really enjoy and again like the clubs and grounds it’s hard to pick a favourite. What grounds do you plan to visit in the remainder of the season? I’m looking forward to a trip down to Cornwall in March catching two games whilst there, Bodmin Town on the Friday night and Helston on the Saturday and meeting up with Mr football of Cornwall Steve Massey, a trip I really can’t wait to do… The rest of the 23/24 season I will be getting in as many as I can really before the season ends. How best can people follow you on social media and get in contact with you? The best way to follow me is on X at @as_footyreview and Instagram also @as_footyreview also please check out the charity page on both Instagram and X which is @cfcf_bristo l and their on website . As promised here is Stoner's match thread from his X (Twitter) account of The Wessex derby match on a Friday evening under the floodlights between Westbury United Vs Frome Town in the Southern League Division One South game at step 4 of non-league. FRIDAY NIGHT IS DERBY NIGHT! "Finishing up work early this afternoon to make the trip over for “The Wessex Derby” between Westbury United vs Frome Town FC meeting up with The Dodge Ultras first to get a bit of the pre-match atmosphere from the travelling fans, and then will make my way to the ground for this beauty of a game!! Love a Friday under the lights!" "Quick pit stop before the big derby between Westbury United vs Frome Town FC a fair few have made the short trip on the train for this one, soaking up the atmosphere with “The Dodge” before taking the walk to Meadow Lane… this has the feeling of a real local derby this one!" "The atmosphere is building up now… Away supporters making themselves heard before kick off at the The Railway Inn… 40 mins till kick off, will start to make my way to the ground shortly for the big one, The Wessex Derby” "Now for the march to the ground…. The DODGE ULTRA’S are officially here!"🧨🧨🧨 "Just trying to catch up….. this is mental 🤯🤯🤯 Friday night madness!" "Teams are out….. LETS GO!!!" "2 mins: ⏰ didn’t take the away fans long… 🧨🧨🧨 NoPyroNoParty" "7 mins: ⏰ now onto some football 🤦🏻‍♂️ what a start to the game, tempo is electric, ball being zipped around by both sides, got a feeling of a proper local derby this one!!" "10 mins: ⏰ corners for both sides but without any trouble for either keeper, both sides right up for this one" "17 mins: ⏰ free kick for the home side whipped in but comfortable for the keeper… not a lot between the two sides here in the Wessex Derby" "25 mins: ⏰ HOME SIDE IN FRONT!! Short clever corner into the front post, flicked back and placed into the bottom corner, simple yet effective!! The goal scorer runs towards the fans behind the goal cupping his ears and the goal silencing the travelling supporters.. home side in front!!" "Westbury United 1-0 Frome Town FC" "32 mins: ⏰ strong tackle over the far side from the Westbury full back draws a surge from both sets of players, first real bit of needle in the game but mostly handbags, the games slowed down in tempo and become very cagey… neither side really having the edge at the moment, home side will be happy to be a goal in front" "36 mins: ⏰ chance from a corner for the away side, delivered well and block on the line by the Westbury defender, shouts of handball waved away by the match official" "40 mins: ⏰ WESTBURY DOUBLE DELIGHT!! AND WHAT A HIT SON!! Home side double their lead, free kick delivered into the box, header is won and flicked onto the oncoming midfield man who volleys it into the top corner… Jheeeeeeeez!!!" 🚀🔝🗑️ "41 mins: ⏰ away fans showing their frustrations at going 2-0 down by sending a flare onto the pitch… they have been singing all half, shame the action on the pitch hasn’t supported the same behind the goal" 🧨🔥 "45 + 2: ⏰ big chance to grab one back then, great ball into the box and the header is fractionally wide of the goal, could have made an interesting end to the half had that hit the net!!" "HALF TIME: ⏰ home side with a 2 goal advantage as we enter the break, time for a brew!! Heard @mallet_flags is getting them in out of his pocket money" ☕️ "Westbury 2-0 Frome Town" Second half underway….. hoppers brew with two ☕️ "49 mins: ⏰ GOAL BACK FOR FROME Sorry no footage, it was cuppa tea time, but the balls delivered into the box, played back across the goal and smashed into the back of the net!! GAME ON!!" "Westbury United 2-1 Frome Town" "54 mins: ⏰ momentum with the travelling side now, all Frome currently, good ball into the box but it’s headed over the bar… some game now!!" "59 mins: ⏰ free kick for the away side sent in well but cleared by the Frome backline, different side this half Frome, got it all to do and they have came out the traps with intent second half… has the making of the great last 30 this one!!" "66 mins: ⏰ home side struggling to get out their half here, Frome causing all the problems here, that said Westbury are soaking up what they through at them… proper derby now this!!" "73 mins: ⏰ Frome continue to keep knocking but the home side are standing strong at the back, Frome need to find that little bit of extra quality with the final ball, last couple into the box have been wasteful…. Big 15 left in this one" "79 mins: ⏰ Home side starting to gain some momentum themselves now, chance from a free kick saved well by the keeper, that would have been the final nail that… big 10 for both now!!" "81 mins: ⏰ not sure if it was as a red but the no6 for the home side is leaving the field to cheerio cheerio… man advantage for Frome, can they make it count!!" "83 mins:  ITS ALL SQUARE!! MEEEEEEEEEEKS!! You couldn’t write it, from 2-0 down it’s all square!! It’s all happening I can’t keep up!!! WHAT A DERBY!!!!" "Westbury United 2-2 Frome Town" "88 mins: ⏰ I need a lie down…. What an end to this one, can someone grab the headlines, I need a second phone or a camera man… this is crazy!!! Nearly the 90’ be some added on… Will there be a hero!!" "90 mins: ⏰ it’s end to end… you attack we attack, defence to counter attack, balls in the box, tackles…. WHAT A DERBY!!!" "90 + 3 mins: ⏰ YOU COULDN’T WRITE IT!!! 🧨🧨🧨🧨 ITS THREE FOR FROME 2-0 down, down and out…. NOT FROME!! What a hit son, what a hit!! Unbelievable scenes… I’ve never seen anything like this at non-league, UNBELIEVABLE" 🔥🔥🔥 "Westbury United 2-3 Frome Town" "FULL TIME: WHAT A GAME 😮‍💨 I can’t lie, I’m absolutely stunned… lost for words, WOW, honestly WOW!!!" "Westbury United 2-3 Frome Town" "SCENESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! This is absolutely incredible….. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!" "Frome Town top of the league!" Once again we would like to thank Andy for sharing this thrilling encounter with us and we wish him all the best with his future ground hops raising awareness of non-league football and raising vital funds for the Cystic Fibrosis charity, please make sure to follow FootyWatch and check out all his social media platforms!

This weeks destination for the filming of the vlog was Stotfold FC, for their Step 4 Southern League Division 1 Central clash with Ware. With the awful rain all around this week, I fully expected to be watching a match on a 3G surface for the 4th week running, but was delighted to find a match that was a very reachable distance to get to that was to be played on grass. I initiated contact with the club via X, particularly with manager Brett Donnelly, just to make sure it was all ok to film. Brett was great, replying that they were happy to have me and would be happy to help out with interviews etc. Matchday, and I got to the ground nice and early, and, almost straight away, the club was very helpful with a steward called Paul telling me about the club and being happy to film my opening link to the vlog. As he was doing this, the, as I soon found out, the wonderful chairman Rob Parkin appeared in shot, and once the initial filming was done, I was introduced to Rob, and, he took me into the ground and showed me around. Honestly, he couldn’t have been kinder, allowing as much access as I wanted, and that even included going onto the pitch to film various links. I had to somehow get him on camera for an interview, and, with a small bit of persuasion, he was happy to do it. After initial filming was done, I had a little walk around the ground Stotfold ground, New Roker Park, where I met Brett properly for the first time, and, also Paul Halsey, the Ware manager, who was walking his dog around the ground whilst his team were warming up. They were happy to have a few words on camera at Full Time, no matter the result, although Paul told me he would be pushed for time as he was off to Arsenal that evening. You know what though, Paul actually waited around for me when it was time for the interview, which was very classy of him, and yet another reason why I now find Non League the absolute best. Onto kick off time now, in what must be said, a very unusually warm and sunny February afternoon. Now you know this next bit by now… I won’t write any words on the match itself, as I hope you will give the matchday vlog a bit of a watch at the end of this write up. Half time arrives, and I made my way into the boardroom, pre arranged with Rob, where I was treated to coffee and biscuits. I think I was enjoying the hospitality too much because, I nearly forgot to film my brief half time link. It’s not easy to talk when all I was doing was eating and drinking! Onto the second half now, and, half way through it, I had to move my position from the main stand to the other side of the ground, as my phone was struggling to pick up any clear action due to the brightness of the sun. It was around that side where, for the first time all day, I had contact with Ware supporters. The ones I spoke too were all a good lot, and we all had pretty much the same thoughts on what we thought of the match… a couple of them also were asking whether I would do a vlog at their ground… of course I would, if invited. So… the final whistle goes, on, what I thought as a neutral, a really enjoyable match. I sought out the managers ( by the way, they were a couple of decent fella’s and a laugh too) for the interview’s and once again, went to the boardroom where I was offered drinks and curry. I couldn’t turn that down, but I did make a schoolboy error, as I sent a quick video to my partner Melanie, showing her how well I was being treated and what I was eating. Her simple reply was “I hope that’s not your dinner as I’m cooking it now" What else could I say other than, don’t worry, I will eat my dinner when I get home… although, even then, I was pretty stuffed!! Time to leave then, but I had to find Rob one last time to thank him and his club for their amazing amazing hospitality. I cannot recommend Stotfold FC to visit highly enough for ground hoppers, yet a had mixed feelings as I left as I really want them to progress, yet, at the same time, not too much, so they could retain the charm and community spirit which they clearly have. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the Vlog! A big thankyou to Darren again for sharing another excellent Vlog with us and a great insight into non-league football. Don't forget to subscribe to Darren's YouTube channel and give him a follow!

I'm a season ticket holder for tier 9 team Redhill FC who play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South at Step 5 of the non-league pyramid and play their home games at Kiln Brow. Although I wasn't at the game this week away to the Jersey Bulls, I was their last week at the home game to bottom of the table but much improved Colliers Wood where Redhill won 1-0. This game will always be remembered as it was the first game I turned up dressed as a Lobster! 🦞 Yes, I know what your are all now thinking... what possessed me to go to football dressed as a sea creature! Some of you may not be aware that Redhill FC's nickname is "The Lobsters" a name that came into regular use in 1994 when a competition was held for people to think up a nickname for Redhill which would be more original than "The Reds". A local woman won the vote, after also naming a large toy lobster which was present at many home games called "Clawdius" The week before the Colliers Wood game Redhill's match was postponed so we went to watch another local side Merstham FC play and I noticed they had a mascot. After 4 beers I turned to my brother and said Redhill Football Club should also have a mascot! so I promptly went on Amazon and ordered a lobster suit! The new Lobster Mascot was a huge success and was welcomed by the other fans at the game with one young supporter giving me his pocket money to donate to a local hospital charity called SASH, https://www.sashcharity.org/ Here's the video of me arriving! Although the new nickname was believed to have started as I mentioned earlier in this post, it is believed that the nickname 'Lobsters' had been used long before the competition. In a 1928 Redhill FC handbook, "The Lobsters" was mentioned in the club's brief history and it is popular belief that the inspiration for the name came from the kit the club used in its very early days (which was still red & white stripes). When shirt manufacturing was not as it is today, the colours in the heavy cotton material would often bleed together after washing and the shirt would become a red-pinkish lobster colour! Redhill FC play their home games at Kiln Brow in Redhill, Surrey, Redhill were moved to the ground in 1984, following over 80 years at the Memorial Sports Ground. Kiln Brow boasts a 162-seat stand, a clubhouse with licensed bar and function hall, modern changing room facilities, a canteen, museum and a club shop. Kiln Brow was granted its E grading, making the club eligible for promotion to step 4, in March 2010. The Lobsters are having a good season and find themselves just outside the playoffs with games in hand and last Saturday saw them get a very good 0-0 draw away to Jersey Bulls. Redhill's next home game is on Saturday February 3rd against Knaphill FC, so if you want to see a Lobster in the stands get yourself down their! A big thankyou to Tim Cooper 'The Redhill Lobster' for sharing this with us!

As the second part of my rambling pilgrimage around Lincolnshire football clubs I visited Grimsby Town FC on the 2nd March 2024 to see them play Forest Green Rovers. Grimsby seems not to have a great reputation as a town amongst people who may not have visited it but that is far from the truth. It does have a pretty rough dock area but the town itself is no worse than countless other English towns that have had to cope with a shrinking industrial heart and it does have the advantage of being joined to Cleethorpes a lively seaside town which is where Grimsby Town play. Grimsby Town have played at Blundell Park, Cleethorpes ever since 1899 (they were formed in 1878), it is a ground full of history and character and has seen them play over that time in all of the top 5 tiers of English football. The ground itself is a little old fashioned, if you want an unobstructed view of the pitch the best place to sit is in the lower “Findus’ Stand which is where I chose to sit. Parts of the main stand which is on the eastern side of the ground date back to 1901, the history and character seem to ooze out of the structure and it is part of what gives the ground a great atmosphere. The other part of the atmosphere is, of course, the supporters! From the walk to the ground onwards I found the supporters cheerful and full of optimism despite their position only 3 places from the bottom of League 2, lots of chanting, songs and banter before kick off no doubt helped by visits to the pubs on the way to the stadium and fortified by some traditional looking food from the stalls in the corner of the ground. The opposition was another club with a long history, Forest Green Rovers formed only 11 years after Grimsby but until 2017 it had never  been a football league club and now, following relegation after a season in League 1 they are second from bottom League 2.    For a description of the match I will give you the texts I sent to my family during the game, as an honorary Grimsby supporter for the day I was, of course, hoping for a Grimsby win. "After a great lunch of leftover Chinese takeaway I'm here to watch the match, 4ft above sea level, it is cold, possibly as cold as Boundary Park, Oldham's ground, it is Grimsby v Forest Green"   "The pitch looks ok, good for football but the wind is weird, nothing predictable at pitch level but a gale about 10 feet up, some rain"   "A decent crowd, nearly full for the home support but very thin from Forest Green, I’ve counted only 50 of theirs but there may be a few more"   "Supporters surprisingly cheerful, good singing"   "BTW, I have no idea where Forest Green is, it sounds like a paint descriptor to me (actually they’re from Nailsworth in Gloucestershire, the smallest town to have a football league side ever) "Early pressure from Grimsby, 2 corners"   "Grimsby score 1-0, nice goal, 8 minutes in"   "FG camped in their own half"   "Break in play, Grimsby goalie injured but all OK and the game resumes"   "A bit more even now, both attacks look threatening, until they get near the goal"   Half time report. No sign of relegation nerves here, lots of ambitious enterprising football, very little negative passing and Grimsby having the lion's share of attempts on goal. Where both teams are falling down is the quality of their crosses, overhit, underhit, wombling free etc, Ball retention and passing accuracy is another area both teams need to work on but skill on the ball is there, perhaps it is the rain and strong wind affecting them! An interesting second half ahead. Second-half "Pressure from FG, a series of corners"   "FG now playing good possession football, Grimsby can’t keep the ball"   "Just over 30 minutes to play, mostly FG pressure"   "FG winger is getting a hard time from the crowd by me, he has moved infield!"   "Grimsby struggling to retain possession, supporters becoming restless"   "FG still not threating the goal"    "Grimsby taking their time on free kicks etc tense"   "A bit of a scuffle between the two teams, nothing serious"    "Final score, Grimsby 1 Forest Green 0, phew" So, my reflections on an entertaining afternoon at Blundell Park. For a football experience, despite there being only 1 goal it was great, plenty of passion from the players, hard work, ambition and some good skills on show. The Grimsby support was fantastic, really getting behind the team, good singing, vocal and some great humour as the unfortunate FG winger found out. Yes, as its reputation suggests, it is a cold ground and I was glad of my multiple layers but it was well worth the £22 admission. I think for a really ‘proper’ football experience it is just about how it should be – it just needed a few more goals and a lot more away fans to make it perfect.   PS, Don’t forget the fish and chips on the way home, they are pretty much all excellent around here! Big thank you to Steve Boatright for another wonderful blog on his Lincolnshire Football Pilgrimage series, and we look forward to the next one!

Yesterdays filming of my weekly Non League vlog took me to Hayden Road, to watch AFC Rushden and Diamonds, for their home match v Lye Town F.C. Now, I could spend ages writing about how fantastically Diamonds, and everyone connected with them, treated me yesterday... Put it this way, I was chatting to so many people, at time’s, I completely forgot the purpose of the visit was to film and give R&D, and Lye Town some exposure! To say they were friendly and welcoming is an understatement, but, for this post, I want to tell you about a Frenchman at the Diamonds and how it came about… Rob Usher, the R&D chairman (pictured left) told me the below… R&D recently received an order for a home shirt from a small town in France on the Swiss border. Intrigued by this unusual request destination, Rob had to find out more, so he contacted the buyer as to why they were ordering a shirt from a Non League team from England ??? Manu, the buyer replied that, for no particular reason, he started playing the computer game, Championship manager as R&D, and started to do quite well… so well in fact that he started to follow the real teams results from far away! When Rob heard this, he invited Manu and a couple of his mates over for a game…and yesterday was the day. Manu even presented Rob with a shirt from his team, Annancy. As I was chatting to them after the match, Rob was tongue in cheek exploring the possibility of a friendly in the mountains! 😂 Manu told me that he and his mates had a brilliant time at the match, meeting players, and basically, feeling like VIP’s… I actually felt the same too! So, yet another story about why I love Non League, and the way they treat people. It’s also encouraging that the reach out there is bigger than I thought. Absolutely brilliant. So… if you are still reading and want to see how the match turned out, as always, here is the Vlog below. Big thank you to Darren Ashley yet again for sharing his latest Non-League adventure with us and another great Vlog that gives an insight into football at the lower levels. Please make sure to subscribe and follow Darren's YouTube Channel as well!

As the third part of my rambling pilgrimage around Lincolnshire football clubs I visited Spalding United FC on the 23rd March 2024 to see them play Harborough Town FC, from neighbouring Leicestershire, a top of the table clash between Harborough in first place and Spalding in third. Spalding, a small town of around 31,000 inhabitants is situated in the south of Lincolnshire, the football team was formed in 1905 and has been playing in regional leagues ever since that date. You might think that their nickname ‘The Tulips’ lacks a little aggression (it is hardly a Tiger or a Wolf!) but really it shows great pride in the town and the area as it was the centre for English tulip growing and it still has an annual Tulip festival.  Spalding United play at the Sir Halley Stewart Field which is a small ground close to the centre of town, so close that a wayward shot at goal may end up in B&Q! There is a small grandstand and a covered terrace behind the ‘home’ goal and a small shed that may be for the away supporters. The rest of the ground has no seats but the boundary of the pitch has handy advertising boards and a rail which makes standing and leaning almost comfortable! It cost me £10 to enter the ground but with concessions at £5 it is certainly a cheap way to spend an afternoon watching football. You can get chips and burgers and tea from a friendly food stall but for fans of EFL and Premiership clubs there is the unusual sight of beer being available in the ground and to be drunk pitchside, or indeed anywhere in the ground you fancy! The atmosphere was good, even though there were only 605 supporters they were obviously proud of their team and plenty of cheering and applause at appropriate time with just the occasional groan at a mistake. Opposition supporters mingle with home supporters and there seems to be no ill feeling which again might come as a surprise to those used to the ‘robust’ attitudes found in the top tiers of football. The great thing about grounds like this is that you are very close to the players and the coaches and managers, you can easily hear what is being shouted and a hard tackle has added impact on the spectators when you can hear the contact and see the marks left on legs! And so on to the match, as usual, I live texted to my family and here is how it went:  Kick off A nice sunny afternoon but a tricky wind, I’m leaning on the barrier close to the coaching team An end to end match so far, plenty of commitment, the ball is getting plenty of air time Early pressure from Harborough, the Tulips are being forced back 1st corner for the Tulips comes to nothing A bit of long high ball tennis, both sides a bit wary of being caught in possession Ref is doing well, looks young  Good football now from Spalding, created an excellent chance Harborough relying on balls over the top. The pressure is all from Spalding now, playing good football Harborough’s number 6 is huge and looks villainous Another shot on target for Spalding but not enough power to trouble the goalie Harborough defence make a mistake and Riley (everyone here knows his name!) nips in steals the ball and scores , 1 nil to Spalding they deserve it Half-time report: On a good flat pitch with a smooth carpet of grass, the team that is playing the most football is leading. Harborough are very physical and are relying on that but Spalding are brave and keeping the ball increasingly well. 1-0 is a deserved score but in a game of swift counter attacks we are only a mistake away from more goals from either team. I'm enjoying it, a great feeling and it is nice when the players apologise to the spectators personally for hitting them with a cleared ball!   Second Half Still all action, it is a good watch. It can be confusing for me as a deaf person, come on Spalding sounds like come on baldy to me! I thought they were shouting at the goalie  Harborough free kick just outside the area Into the wall Change of tactics from Harborough, they are keeping it on the grass and playing passing football, it has opened the match up. Defenders still hoofing it though, as is right and proper  Pretty even now, both teams still highly committed, some robust challenges going in!  The players are touching distance away at throw ins  Spalding's manager is looking tense, shouting at the team to move up the pitch, they are being pressed back.  Spalding defender injured, subbed Lots of late pressure from Harborough They're committing everyone forward Corner Harborough, straight out Corner Harborough, cleared In to added time Another Harborough corner, the keepers up!!! And they score.... 1 - 1 It's all over, final score 1 - 1 a good match of football, very enjoyable So what did I think about my afternoon watching football in Spalding? Well firstly and most importantly it was a good football match between two evenly matched teams. These are players who are playing because they love football, they play with pride and commitment and that is worth everything. Compared to EFL or National League there are a few more mistakes and the tactics seem to be more straightforward but that doesn’t take anything away from the spectacle. It is true community football as well, the two teams really do seem to represent their respective towns and you have a sense that the spectators are all the more devoted because of that. I think the Tulips can be proud of their club and I would certainly recommend it as a club to visit if you are ever in the area. Big thank you to Steve Boatright for another excellent blog on his Lincolnshire adventures and we look forward to the next one! 

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 Deja 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 2 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 and 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 2 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 sooo 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 is found below! 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) has invited us back… and we have video evidence of that offer!!!!! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the Vlog! Big thank you to Darren Ashley once again for sharing another one of his excellent Vlogs and make to sure to follow his YouTube Channel and don't forget to subscribe!

Non-League Day was set up by James Doe in 2010 as a social media experiment and has grown from strength to strength ever since and this year marked the 10 year milestone of the charity, Prostrate Cancer UK working alongside the annual day to raise awareness and vital funds for the most common cancers to affect men. As always Non-League Day is scheduled to coincide with an international break to provide a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable volunteer-led community football while giving fans across the country who usually go to a Premier League or EFL match the chance to show support for their local non-league side. One of the hardest decisions on Non-League Day (NLD) is to pick which game to go to! so the very handy local match finder on the NLD webpage came to the rescue and we decided upon Tooting & Mitcham United, a ground we hadn't visited before, for their game against Sandhurst Town. One of the special things we have found with Non-League football in the main is how all the clubs we have visited welcome you with open arms and treat you like a fan and part of their community and this was highlighted just minutes after we posted on X (Twitter) that we was going to watch TMUFC when the club sent a message informing us if we need anything, just message us when you get to the ground, how good is that! I arrived in good time to take a look around Tooting & Mitcham's ground but as I got out of my car and walked across the road the sunny spring day transformed into what looked and felt like a tornado! after retrieving my hat and being pelted with hailstones I quickly retreated back to the safety of my motor which gave me an opportunity to read up on on the form of both teams in action today. TMUFC and Sandhurst Town (who for some reason I kept calling Sandford🤦‍♂️) both sit in mid table 1 point apart, safe from relegation and to far away from the playoffs. The monsoon finally cleared and I made my way to the ground. I met some mates in the sports bar/club house which is situated outside the ground and was pleasantly surprised by the very reasonable price of a pint, we settled down and watched the early kick off game on the big screen whilst placing our losing bets for the day 😂 and then made our way to the turnstiles where you was allowed to take your drinks in with you! After making our way into the ground and only paying £5 I realised the singing turnstile operator must have thought I was an OAP and possibly heard me call the away side a completely different name, it was then time to buy another beer from the bottle bar next to the club shop and then buy a Golden Goal ticket from the friendly fella in the aptly named hut! I've got to say TMUFC's Imperial Fields Stadium blew me away! 3 sides of the ground include large terraces at both ends and an impressive seated stand behind the dugouts which holds 612 with the total capacity of 3,500, the record attendance was against AFC Wimbledon back in 2005 when 2,637 fans packed out the ground, also hats off to the ground staff who have done a great job with the grass pitch considering all the rain of late. The sun was shinning again as we took our place up behind the goal on the terrace that the home team was attacking against, with beers and programmes placed on the barriers it was time for kick off! It was a close fought first half with both teams getting stuck in which was good to see considering their wasn't much at stake with both teams being in mid table obscurity but after reading the home managers article in the programme it was clear he was looking for a reaction with Tooting losing their last 3 games with the last 2 games against teams near the bottom who they would expect to beat, but the deadlock was broken on 36 minutes with the youthful looking away side scoring a penalty. Its half time and time to sample the food and the Jerk chicken I've heard good things about from The Shak which is situated in the ground but is open 7 days a week. We was gutted that they had ran out of boneless Jerk Chicken but that was soon overcome when we served up with Brown stew Jerk Chicken with rice which tasted amazing! With the Jerk chicken demolished and washed down with a cider from the bottle bar to cool my mouth down we had to rapidly take cover under the roof of one of the terrace stands as another tornado hit Tooting! It was their I found myself chatting to another groundhopper who was also taking shelter from the sideways hailstones, he was a Redhill fan and a lovely fella called Darren who was visiting a new ground like myself, that's one of the great things about non-league football, you can go on your own but you can bet you end up chatting away to someone for ages! With the second half looming and the monsoon having gone I just had enough time for a trip to the toilet where Its always great to see the stickers from the away sides fans plastered all over the toilet cistern, its not normal practice to start taking photos in the men's lavatory but the coast was clear 😂 so here's a few pics including the Peckham Town one which was my favourite. Into the second half and its still nip and tuck with both teams still going for it and some last ditch defending by the home side with some goal line clearances clearly with the managers programme notes fresh in the players minds and then Tooting equalise on the hour mark to make it all square and in traditional fashion I didn't get it on camera! As always at non-league football the fans swap ends at half time so the Tooting faithful moved round to the opposite end but we stayed where we was and when their was a break in play we had the added bonus of watching another game on the pitch behind! The game is getting into the later stages now and anyone can win it but in the 74th minute Sandhurst win a corner and they retake the lead! Fair play to Tooting as they are doing all they can to get the equaliser and with a few minutes left the pressure pays off and they win a penalty to potentially make it all square! Meanwhile I'm getting abuse from my mates for using my phone! 😂 That's it, the referee blows the full time whistle and it finishes 2-1 to Sandhurst Town who in reflection deserved the 3 points, fair play to Tooting who definitely put in the effort but they come up short against a youthful energetic side who were deserved winners. Summary of the day... So glad I chose to come to Tooting & Mitcham United for Non-League Day, the experience from start to finish epitomises what non league football is all about, from the message on X from the club to the singing turnstile operator encompasses all that's great about football at this level! One thing I said to my mate on the day is that all the volunteers who worked on the turnstiles, club shop and at the bottle bar and else were all clearly passionate supporters of the team BUT they end up missing parts of the game through their shear dedication to the club! We know Non-league Day is over for another year but that shouldn't stop you from getting down to your local club and experiencing all that's great about non league football!

For our latest Ground Hop we decided to make the short trip on Easter Monday to Rotherhithe in South London which is situated on a peninsula of the South bank of the River Thames to watch Fisher FC take on Holmesdale FC in their Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division match which is at Step 5 of the Non-League pyramid. After a short train ride to London Bridge and then 2 stops on the tube we walked 20 minutes from Canada Water (as Rotherhithe station was closed) to the ground with a quick pit stop in one of the very nice river side pubs 🍻 en route and arrived in good time to take a look around. After going through the turnstile paying the reasonable entrance price of £8 for adults, £5 concession & £1 u16 (free if accompanied by an adult) we was greeted by the very friendly volunteers where we bought the obligatory programme (very good quality) and pin badge! Fisher FC’s origins lie in the Fisher Catholic Club for Boys, founded in 1908 by Mr Norman Potter, aided by Michael Culliton, headmaster of the Dockhead School in Bermondsey, to provide sporting and recreational facilities for underprivileged youths. It was named The Fisher Club in memory of St John Fisher. The first football match on record was also against St. Patrick’s, a 2-1 win for Fisher at Norbury, though a fascinating transcript of an earlier fixture also survives: It was the very first football team “The Fisher” put on a football field,……It was a very good team. Its defence I would describe as reliable and clever, and its forward line would never have been arrested for loitering or hanging about near the goal, as the game very early in their career against Mauzi’s (Manze) shows when the lads won 29-0. Mauzi’s were the far-famed eel merchants and meat pie manufacturers of Tower Bridge Road and Blue Anchor Lane… Sadly on 13th May 2009, Fisher Athletic were wound up due to accumulating massive debts, but on 28th May 2009, a supporters trust was formed to take control of all club matters and they become a fan owned club and renamed as Fisher FC. They continued to play at Dulwich Hamlet until they returned to a new community football facility at the St Paul’s playing fields site, just over the road from the old Surrey Docks Stadium on Salter Road and began the 2016/17 season back in their spiritual home of Rotherhithe! Once inside the ground you are immediately struck by the stunning backdrop of the Canary Wharf development with the skyscrapers rising behind one end of the pitch, at the other end of the pitch is a covered terrace called 'The Dockers End' and along one half of the side of the pitch is another seated stand. With kick off fast approaching between the two sides who both sit mid table in the league with Fisher 11 points better off than Holmesdale FC we just had enough time to grab another drink from the very nice well equipped little clubhouse which was situated right next to the pitch. Kick off! We took our place up along the side of the pitch and watched what was a very close first half between two evenly matched sides, clear cut chances were few and far between but both teams were giving their all and it was end to end in a very entertaining first 45 minutes, it was great to se quite a few young players on show and the Fisher left winger , 16 year old Sam Sene-Richardson on loan from Chatham Town immediately caught the eye with some excellent deliveries from a series of corners and a calmness on the ball which led to making the right decisions under pressure with good use of the ball. Half time It was time to soak up the beers and cider so we headed to the little burger van situated in the car park next to the ground and was treated to one of the tastiest burgers of our ground hops this season... The Sharpie! served by the two lovely ladies behind the counter. After almost slipping into a food coma we had quick pit stop in the club house to get some more beer and cider and took our place on the opposite side of the ground ready for the second 45 minutes, as always at non league football you find yourselves chatting to other fans and we met two lovely fellas who follow Fisher in the crowd of 179 who told us a bit about the club and the history. Second half The second half saw the home side on the front foot trying to get back into the game but chances were still at a premium and when fisher did look like equalising the Holmesdale keeper pulled off an excellent finger tip save to direct the ball onto the bar, their was another goal to come in the match, and what a finish it was! Full time The referee blows the whistle and brings a good game to an end! The highlights of a very enjoyable day were many, the 16 year old Fisher left winger, the wonderful Holmesdale away kit, the mammoth Sharpie Burger! an excellent volley and some good football from both sides. We can highly recommend a day out down at Fisher FC, a very welcoming club in the heart of the community and a place you are made to feel at home! We finished they day off sampling the delights of a couple of local pubs including The MayFlower and The Ship and looked back on a fantastic day out and all agreed we would definitely be paying another visit!