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It's not everyday you see a jet plane at a non-league ground, well, apart from the decommissioned Red Arrow, Folland Gnat at Folland Sports FC ground! Last Saturday myself and two mates decided to attend the Wessex League Division One Step 6 game between Folland Sports and Romsey Town down in Hamble, Hampshire on the South coast. The reason for the visit was not only to tick off a new ground but also was the idea of my friend who was intrigued by the club who are known as the Planemakers after recently being offered the job to manage them on the Champoinship manager game! 😂 Two of us set off early from London and got the train down to Eastleigh to hook up with our other pal, the new manager of Folland Sports! who himself had travelled all the way down from the West Midlands to run the rule over his new team! 😄 After a few beers in Eastleigh we went back to the train Station to get on the rattler to Hamble Station only to find out their was engineering works and a bus rail replacement service! Considering the 3 of us are train drivers and hadn't realised, it left us more red faced than we was when we left the pub! 😂 So a taxi was called and we arrived at Folland Sports ground just before kick-off. In 1937 Henry Folland, chief designer of Gloster Aircraft, was looking for a new opportunity to pursue his own ideas so he left Gloster and took over the British Marine site and set up the Folland Aircraft Company. Folland began aircraft assembly at Hamble making parts for Bristol Blenheim and Beaufort bombers. Follands also made 15,000 rear portions out of the 22,000 constructed for the Supermarine Spitfire. The factory also had its own football team created by the workers in 1938 called Folland Aircraft who are now called Folland Sports FC. Although Hamble airfield closed in 1986, BAe continued to use the premises there for the production of major assemblies for Harrier and Hawk jets. So, back to the game, after all paying the £6 entrance fee including the new manager who was surprisingly not allowed free entry we made our way into the ground. The ground has a capacity of 1,000 and was pretty much what was to be expected for a tier 10 club with a covered area along one half of the side of the pitch with a small standing area and bench seats. First port of call was the Follands Tea Hut and the 2 friendly young ladies behind the counter served up 3 delicious Bacon, Cheese Burgers with onions which we demolished in record time and then took our place ready for the game. The players entered the pitch and the 1 minutes silence for Remembrance Day was impeccably observed by the 50/60 fans in attendance. The game kicked off and after a quick look at the League table to see how the two teams had faired this season, Folland were rooted to the bottom with 6 points with only 1 win in the 16 matches played whilst Romsey Town were midtable with 22 points. The first half didn't represent the teams standings as the home side looked to be the better side although chances were few and far between with both teams forward lines looking isolated. Hats off to the 3 young Romsey Town supporters who attended the game though with their banner 'Romsey Till I Die' behind the goal who gave the home keeper the obligatory bit of stick when taking a goal kick. 😄👏🏼 It was all square at halftime so we made our way outside the ground across to the social club where all the changing rooms were and had a chat with the officials about the game so far and then went into the bar which was really big and busy with players from the surrounding pitches having a post match pint, plenty of beers to choose from and lots of TVs to watch all the half time scores come in from around the country. Onto the the second half and Follands had an early chance which smashed off the bar! But Romsey then started to come into the game more and were in the ascendancy looking more likely to get the 3 points. As always at non-league football you get chatting to others at the game and we met two lovely fellas who were volunteers for the away side and told us how important the club is to the community and that they had a very successful fireworks display at their club the previous day bringing vital funds into the club and also invited us to come down to one of their future matches, which I'm sure we will. 👍🏻 As the game went on and the sun disappeared and the floodlights shone brightly but did very little to light up a very close game lacking chances that was clearly going to end 0-0 The referee blew up for fulltime and the spoils were shared and now it was time for a wander around the picturesque town of Hamble-le-Rice which is situated next to the River Hamble. What a beautiful hidden gem with many old pubs with open fires and a friendly warm welcome and a town well worth a visit. All in all it was a great day out, a new ground and town visited and catching up with friends, sadly for my mate, he has since been relieved of his duties as Folland Sports manager after accumulating millions of pounds worth of debt and has since started a new game on Championship manager! Best of luck to both teams in the future.

Having recently obtained a copy of the brand-new book, European Football's Greatest Grounds 'One Hundred Must-See Football Venues' by Leon Gladwell I felt the need to write a review in the hope that any Football enthusiasts, admirers of architecture, keen historians or someone with an admiration of stunning photography should not miss out on what is an absolute masterpiece. I could easily review and sum up this book in one short sentence... A STUNNING BOOK; JUST BUY IT! Doing so would allow me to get back to the hardback book consisting of 350+ pages packed full of wonderful vibrant photos which tell their own story and are accompanied by excellent descriptive writing that gives an insight into the stadium's history and the cultural and social makeup of the many different towns and cities across Europe from the Faroe Islands to Armenia. This book is the work of Leon Gladwell; he spent 2 years travelling all over Europe to visit, photograph and uncover the many quirky and fascinating stories that every ground conjures up. One of the great things about this book is the vast spectrum of grounds and stadiums that it covers, as you turn each page you go from the old to new, from Great Yarmouth Town's Wellesley Recreation Ground and the world's oldest football stand that is still in use to the brand spanking new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, from a sparse piece of barren land in the Outer Hebrides to a ground in Belgium that is in the shadow of a once thriving industrial past. This book takes you on a groundhopping journey through Europe, a continent that is one of the smallest in the world behind Australia, but the pictures tell a different story with the vast changes in the landscape and the cultural and economic contrasts no more so highlighted by a photo of a decommissioned Russian fighter jet on a terrace in Moscow to a modern day architectural masterpiece in Hungary that cost millions to build, from ski jumps in Finland towering over a football pitch like a gigantic playground slide to a ground in Georgia that is surrounded by a thick stone wall of a castle that has no doubt seen many battles. Even now, as I write this review and look back through the book for reference, I find myself engulfed in it again and completely forget the task In hand! I've tried to pick my favourite out of Leon's top 100 and change my mind every time I look through it! As the author states in the introduction his choices will no doubt create debate as every reader will have their own ideas of which ground should or should not be included, but for me personally, as it stands my favourite is The Estadio Silvestre Carrillo in Santa Cruz De La Palma, Spain, the stadium looks like a mountain has grown around it! WWII GERMAN BUNKERS FOR GOALPOSTS It's not just the architectural genius of some of the stadiums or the quirkiness of the many terraces that capture the eye, it's also the beautiful settings and jaw-dropping landscapes that add a mind-provoking backdrop to the overall picture, the many different buildings in view of the grounds tell the story of a previous time along with famous landmarks and historical structures, from a huge WWII bunker in Hamburg to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, from a mosque in Istanbul to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Tuscany and from the Harland and Wolf twin cranes in Belfast of Titanic fame to remains from the Roman Empire in Rome. I am running out of superlatives for this book, a book that I can't put down and keep going back to, it's akin to a brilliant series on Netflix that you binge-watch and recommend to your friends or like watching Only Fools and Horses on Dave, a classic that you can watch over and over again for the umpteenth time but never tire of it and see things you hadn't noticed before! Anyway, before I get carried away I'll make this short and sweet and refer back to my original comment... A STUNNING BOOK, JUST BUY IT! This book now occupies prime position on my bookshelf for everyone to see, and I can say without any hesitation... it's a masterpiece! And in the words of a football commentator... "Leon Gladwell... Take a bow son, Take a bow" European Football's Greatest Grounds "One Hundred Must-See Football Venues" is published by Pitch Publishing and is available to buy by clicking the link below. European Football's Greatest Grounds As well as Amazon the book is also available at all good book shops.

Sadly the sun isn't shining down on Morecambe FC at the moment, the birthplace of British comedy legend Eric Morecambe. The Lancashire club, who find themselves rooted to the bottom of League 2 with off-field issues compounding their current predicament, was the destination for one of us behind Proper Football on Saturday afternoon for their game against table toppers, high-flying Port Vale. It was an early start from South London to make the 300-mile trip up to the home of The Shrimps Mazuma Mobile Stadium. After meeting up with 6 other mates at Euston train station who were also taking advantage of the International break to tick off a new ground we boarded the 9:26 am train up to Lancaster before jumping on another train to Morecambe. The first thing on the agenda was to visit the statue of Eric Morecambe, real name John Eric Bartholomew of Morecambe and Wise fame for the obligatory photo for any away supporter visiting the town. The next port of call was the nearest pub, and we plotted up outside the King's Arms. To say it was fresh would be an understatement for us so-called Southern softies with the wind blowing straight at us from Morecambe Bay. 🥶 The pub and the town were swamped with Punks with a mix of Mohicans and Pink and Green hair with an array of body piercings which appeared to be the latest fashion and a flashback to the 1970s, only for us to realise it was the Morecambe Punk Festival weekend after being informed by the friendly locals! A few Port Vale fans were now arriving at the pub and a friendly fella struck up a conversation with us; "You Morecambe fans, lads"? "No, we're a mix of Palace and Chelsea" "Eh? What are you doing up here? 😂" After discussing how well Vale was playing this season under the stewardship of Darren Moore, we said our goodbyes and took shelter out of the freezing Antarctic-like wind (albeit some of the locals weren't even wearing coats! And we moved to the Wetherspoons in the town in the aptly named 'The Eric Bartholomew' to defrost and sink a few more pints before kick-off. Intrigued by the current situation at the club a Morecambe fan explained to us that there was going to be a protest at the match. The club's owner, Jason Whittingham, has been looking for a buyer since putting Morecambe FC up for sale more than two years ago, and in that time, the club, which is currently bottom of the Football League, has faced a points deduction, a relegation and a transfer embargo and the fans have grown increasingly unhappy with both the lack of communication from the owner and the time it's taking for a takeover deal to be done all whilst the club are facing the unthinkable of dropping out of the League. Kick-off was looming, so we drank up and started the 20-minute walk to the ground, and the fresh wind was now accompanied by driving rain! The welcome sight of the impressive entrance at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium was a relief to see with what felt like hyperthermia starting to set in. 😂 Unfortunately, we missed the pre-match march to the ground in protest at the owner, which also included some Port Vale fans who joined in to show support. 👏🏼 Food was now on the agenda, and the reasonably priced menu with plenty of choices in the Family stand, where we had paid a £25 entrance fee, was the first port of call. A meat and potato pie with peas, mash and gravy was ordered and served by the friendly and efficient staff, ready to warm me up and soak up all the pre-match beers and to soon be demolished in my seat! My first impression of the ground was a pleasant surprise: terraced stands at either end of the ground, one packed out with an impressive 1,389 following from Port Vale, including some in the big seated stands we were in on the side. At the opposite end was the Morecambe faithful who were creating a brilliant atmosphere from the off and continued to do so for the whole match. The seated stand we were in was also busy, and it was great to see many youngsters in attendance. The stands and terraces were awash with placards and banners along with black balloons in a display of displeasure at the owners. And on the 26th minute, which represented the 26 months the club has been up for sale, fans turned their backs to the pitch for two minutes, holding up for sale signs. Chants of "Get out of our club" echoed around the ground which was then replicated by the Vale following singing "Get out of their Club" 👏🏼 As for the match itself, in the first half it was a close affair and you wouldn't have thought it was top vs bottom, both sides had chances but nothing to write home about, the second half saw the Shrimps start the stronger and the home side had the ball in the back of the net which was chalked off for offside and it looked like a close call from where we were sitting, as the game neared the end you just had that feeling that Vale would nick it and they did just that from a corner in the 83rd minute sending the away end into pandemonium! Sadly we had to leave just before the full-time whistle to make it back to the station to catch our connecting train back to London, but all in all, it was a great day out, ticking off a new ground, meeting some great people and a day on the Sauce with your mates. Massive shout out to both the Morecambe fans, who continued to back the players on the pitch throughout, and to the Port Vale contingent, who travelled in numbers and joined in with the protests. Bring Me Sunshine? Well, it's safe to say we didn't see much of it but if reports are led to be believed the owner has said he'd agreed terms with a potential buyer soon after talks began back in July but the UK-based buyer wishes to remain anonymous while they work closely with the English Football League to complete the deal. Whittingham reiterated his desire to sell and said while there's a willingness on all sides to get a deal done, just like the fans, there's frustration at the time it's taking. Maybe there is a ray of sunshine, but time will tell, and we hope, in the words of Morecambe and Wise's famous song, there is a bright tomorrow. Bring me sunshine In your smile Bring me laughter All the while In this world where we live There should be more happiness So much joy you can give To each brand new bright tomorrow. Make me happy Through the years Never bring me Any tears Let your arms be as warm As the sun from up above Bring me fun Bring me sunshine Bring me love!

One of the topics that I have covered quite regularly on our Podcast is that of homegrown players in the modern-day game not getting the same opportunity as what may well have been afforded to players of yesteryear, the reason for this, and this is only my opinion is the mass influx of foreign players into every level of the English football pyramid with many of the top sides having more foreign players than homegrown, this quite obviously means there are far less openings and opportunities for homegrown players, there are many pros and cons to the advent of this in the modern game, but one of the pros as I see it is the standard of football in non-league which is the highest it's ever been with many talented players who in days gone by would have been playing much higher up the English pyramid but are now plying their trade in the lower echelons of the EFL and non-league football, this said you will find many hidden gems as our headline states playing in non-league football and today I would just like to highlight one of them hidden gems. Jake Tabor a 21-year-old lad from Watford currently playing for Amersham Town in the Combined Counties Premier North, this lad is something special, I would go as far to say he could be the next Jamie Vardy, you will understand why when you see his current stats for the last three seasons they are completely off the scale, You could almost say he’s the Haaland of non-league football. After playing for a number of clubs at youth level in the 22/23 season Jake played for Rayners Lane in the Combined Counties Division One (step6) playing a total of 27 games he scored an amazing 41 goals helping Rayners Lane to promotion (step5) and for the first time in their history winning the Middlesex cup thanks two goals from Guess Who! For the 23 /24 season Jake made the move to Amersham Town, after 13 games Amersham made the decision, a bold decision to sign Jake on a two-year deal, this was following an astonishing 29 goals and seven assists in the 13 games (not such a bold move but 100% the right move) Jake went on to score in 76 goals in 44 appearances with 25 assists once again helping his club to promotion to step five. This season, 24 /25, Jake has already scored 33 goals, 8 assists in 27 appearances, and Amersham town are currently top of the Combined Counties Premier League North!!!!! This is truly astonishing and with National League and EFL clubs watching Jake’s progress very carefully it won’t be long before the offers start rolling in, talking to Jake it was refreshingly clear that his loyalty to his current club was 100% and whilst the club and Jake will no doubt be looking at offers at the end of the season, it would take an offer from an EFL club which would greatly benefit Amersham Town for him to leave any sooner, fair play to Jake this young man is thinking of his current club as well as his own future, fantastic! One to watch out for!!!!

Four of us set off from South London for a doubleheader on Tuesday to East London/Essex. The first port of call was Romford Dog Track for an afternoon race meet and a few beers before the main event at Dagenham and Redbridge for their National League match against Aldershot Town. Before jumping on a bus from Romford train station to the track, I bought a cheese and pickle roll from a Cafe on the high street. To my surprise, they had no clue what Branston Pickle was! So after trying to explain and a few minutes of them searching through a fridge, a jar of Branston was located; worryingly, for me, it was a jar that would look more at home on an episode of the Antiques Road Show! They say betting is a mug's game, and after watching 11 races where the four of us didn't have 1 winner, the phrase was at the forefront of my mind, along with the Branston coming back to haunt me at some point! Studying the form didn't work, using combinations that my Granddad used to use were fruitless, and even dog names with a football link didn't work; I honestly thought Crafty San Siro would save the day! It obviously didn't 😂 So, with the last race imminent with only 5 dogs and a vacant trap 4, I settled on Trap 6; my three mates did 3 & 6, 3 & 5, and 1 & 6; yep, you guessed it, trap 2 romped home! 😂 That said, it was still a great way to spend the afternoon before the Daggers match which was only a short bus ride away and the bonus was I didn't end up in a trap myself with Branston's Curse potentially being the only cert of the day! Onto the main event at the Daggers Victoria ground which was the first visit for the 4 of us to the club that was formed in 1992 through a merger of Dagenham and Redbridge Forest. It was a reasonable £17 to get into the terraced stand, and some 50/50 half-time draw tickets were bought along with a few golden goal tickets in the desperate hope of winning some money back! My first impressions of the stadium were a good one, a compact stadium that holds 6,078, although the attendance was only 1,210 tonight, probably due to the recent poor form of both sides; there is terracing along one side of the pitch and behind the goal, which was mirrored by two impressive seated stands on the opposite sides. Before kick-off, it was time to get some food to soak up the copious amounts of alcohol consumed drowning our sorrows at the dog track and a quick pint in the big clubhouse at the ground, Julie's Fast Food Bar hit the spot in the home end with a reasonably priced Cheese, Bacon and doubled burger for £6 and the obligatory cup of Bovril to warm the cockles on a cold November evening. Onto the match, Aldershot looked the more threatening side with a few good chances and hit the post twice, with the home fans getting restless with their defence, who looked as tired and lethargic as the greyhounds we had bet on a few hours earlier! Half time came, and now we were all ears for the 50/50 draw, although deep down, we knew we weren't going to win; after ripping up our losing tickets, LOL, we took our places back on the terrace for the second half and would you believe it? The Daggers won a penalty bang on 49 minutes to the glee of one of us who had 49 minutes on the golden goal tickets! Sadly, in true fashion and cementing our bad run of luck on the day the stadium announcer said those fatal words, 1-0 to Dagenham scored by Pereira on 52 minutes! 😂😂😂 you couldn't make it up! The previously lethargic Daggers were now oozing with confidence and playing well, and then Aldershot imploded in the 57th minute by going down to 10 men. Their fate was sealed with a wonderfully well-taken goal just a minute late scored by Luca Woodhouse, which, unusually for me, I managed to catch on camera! Dagenham then wrapped up the 3 points on 77 minutes with a third goal... well, that's what we thought! Aldershot, to their credit, kept battling and got one back in the 83rd minute and then, in the 91st, added a second! The Shots almost clinched a late draw in injury time with 2 more chances with them going all-out attack albeit with a player disadvantage. The referee finally blew the whistle to bring an end to a very enjoyable second half and it was three points to the Daggers! All in all, it was a great day out despite the losses at the dogs and a thoroughly enjoyable Tuesday night out with a few mates. Best of luck to Dagenham and Aldershot for the rest of the season! On a sad note, I've been put off Branston Pickle for life! Oh, and gambling, but that's a good thing I guess👍🏻

It’s the Friday before Kettering Towns' big FA Cup game at home to Doncaster Rovers at noon on Sunday the 1st of December which is live on BBC 2, so with a little bit of time on my hands, I thought I’d have a little pop along and see how they were getting on in readiness for the big day. Well, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, the amount of effort and work going into preparing for a 90-minute football match was truly amazing, with all the BBC preparing their gantries and cabling, the installation of additional seating, additional toilets being delivered and installed, electronic advertising boards being installed on three sides of the ground this truly was a massive operation on an industrial scale. While these images don't give a real reflection of the amount of work being done, the club also have had to complete a lot of work to comply with FA regs, installation of CCTV, more entrances to the stadium along with segregation for the visiting supporters, more food vendors more toilets etc... but on a down note there will be no alcohol on sale at the ground, with the FA regs not allowing the opening of the bar inside the ground and with the media using the clubhouse the pumps will be dry. I think what was so evident was the hard work that a 25-strong group of volunteers had put in, from repainting much of the ground to sweeping up the leaves, cutting the grass, trimming the hedges... the list just goes on and on; these people really are the true heroes of football because, without them and the effort, passion and time they put into their local clubs, there would be no football. Massive shout out to them and all volunteers at clubs around the country!!!! The groundsmen are working hard to ensure the pitch is in its best possible condition for the big day, and I have to say they’re doing a splendid job and, at the same time, getting their daily steps in (-:. All in all, I am so glad I popped along; I never dreamed of what goes into laying on an FA Cup game at a non-league club. So well done all at Kettering Town! I wish you all the very best for your game on Sunday and would be great to see you in the hat for the third-round draw, I’m sure many of the Doncaster Rovers fans might find their surroundings rather different And like many of us don’t realise just quite what goes into setting up a live FA Cup second round game, Truly amazing!

Our friends at Carlton Town FC who play in the Northern Premier League East Division at step 4 have had a rough few weeks, not only have they had two break ins recently with mindless vandalism that is very costly for the non-league club they have also lost a club legend with the passing of their president Roger Smith. Roger pretty much devoted most of his life to the club who were originally known as Sneinton Football Club until they became Carlton Town in 2002. During the 80s Roger played for the Millers and also managed the team and then went on to be the chairman into the 90s, after a break from football Roger then returned to the club in 2004 taking up the roll of president of the football club. Talking to both Mike Garton the current chairman and current team manager Tommy Brookbanks it is clear that Roger was not only in their eyes a legend but also an inspiration to others, Roger gave 110% commitment to Carlton Town with an unwavering passion for the development of the football club as well as giving financial support where needed. It’s people like Roger who are the true heroes of our beloved game, without people like Roger there would be no football in our local communities, a place that becomes a hub and a lifeline for the locals which is something that is unfortunately overlooked far to often. Carlton town gave Roger the send off he so rightly deserved as you will see from the video and pictures in this article. Roger was 77 when he passed and he certainly won’t be forgotten at Carlton Town as they are proposing to name the main building at the ground after him which is a fitting accolade for a man who gave so much to the club. One quirky story about Roger was his love of the finest sausages and he was very insistent that the very best sausages were served on match days which have become legendary at the club, I myself was fortunate enough to meet Roger on one of our visits and he ensured I had a sausage in a roll, and no disputing they were top drawer! Our thoughts are with Roger’s family and everyone at Carlton Town at this very sad time, may he rest in peace. Thank you Roger.

30th November 2024 a day of significance in the history of Cambridge City Football Club, hosting the Isthmian league clash against 4th in the table Tilbury, It was the day their new stadium indeed their new home was to be officially opened after 11 Years in the wilderness, a day of happiness and emotion for many, a day which Proper Football had the honour to be there to experience. On arriving at the stadium, my first impressions were simply WOW. I was greeted by a very large car park (always a winner) and the very impressive main stand. On entering the ground you have the main stand on one side of the pitch with the dugouts just in front then you have covered terracing on the other three sides, whilst I am not a fan of 3G/4G pitches I completely understand the benefits to many clubs it was a pleasant surprise to see a grass pitch (call me a traditionalist), they have a 3G/4G pitch at the back of the stadium which is a very good idea. The main stand itself is where all your usual facilities will be housed. It also looks like executive boxes positioned behind the seats; the completion of the internal facilities is estimated to take 6-12 months but will be exceptional when finished. As the 3 pm kick-off drew nearer, the crowd began to grow larger, the buzz and anticipation could be felt all around the ground, and the atmosphere was building. I must give a shout-out to the Tilbury fans; whilst not in great numbers they made a lot of noise, adding to the party atmosphere. Taking the opportunity I managed to talk to the vice chairman and Fans: Game On! highlight of this historic first game at the FWD- community stadium:

The main ethos behind us starting Proper Football was to shine a spotlight on the game outside of the Premier League and give a platform to champion all that is great about non-league and grassroots football and the wonderful pyramid that is the foundation for our beautiful game. There are many other individuals on social media who share their love of non-league football and Ray Margetson's excellent content that details his travels around the country visiting many grounds, giving a fantastic insight into each club is always a great read, so to say we were overjoyed to hear he was publishing a new book would be an understatement! Ray's new book 'The Beautiful Grounds 2', A Journey through the non-league Clubs of England, is a fantastic read, 200 pages covering 64 different teams from step 1 to step 6 of Non-League Football. Ray's zeal and passion for non-league really shine through in this book, travelling to all corners of England, clocking up 1000s of miles in the process, from Berwick Rangers on the English and Scottish border to Ramsgate on the Kent coast. In the book, Ray's enthusiasm and dedication are mirrored by the many unsung heroes who work tirelessly for all of the clubs, clubs that are a hub and a vital main focal point for the surrounding communities and are mostly run by volunteers. Ray's knowledge of the game is second to none at this level having played for Ilford Town and holding the role of club secretary along with coaching youth football teams at Chichester City and Bosham, Ray details the importance of youth football in the book and highlights the amazing work many of the clubs are doing to incorporate the local children with both boys and girls given a pathway into football and hopefully going on to play for the first teams. A perfect example of this is the 3-page writeup on Ascot United, who claims to be the biggest grassroots football club in the country, with 73 boys and girls teams playing in a variety of leagues each weekend! Each of the 64 teams highlighted in the book receives a well-written insight into their history and their current standing along with detailing the terracing and stands and the facilities at the ground along with conversations with those behind the scenes and the chairman and owners of the clubs along with a brief rundown of the match taking place on the day The book covers clubs from both ends of the non-league pyramid from the National League to The Combined Counties Division 1, it covers the opening fixtures at brand new grounds like Cray Wanderers to the oldest football team in the world at Sheffield FC, The book is full of quirky stories, fun facts, and hundreds of pictures and is written with a sense of humour that adds to the enjoyment of the overall read. This book is a brilliant intuition into non-league and grassroots football and one that highlights the importance of what it brings to the game as a whole and those who work tirelessly to keep it alive. The Premier League may take all the limelight on our TV screens and across the global media with its corporate branding and its billion-pound industry, but we'll take non-league football over it all day long, and reading Ray's book makes us love it even more! This is clearly a labour of love for Ray, and he has also been travelling around the country delivering personalised books to many of the clubs involved, which is another really nice touch. We can't recommend this book enough and are currently reading Ray's first book, which has 190 teams featured in it! If you would like to buy a copy of Ray's new book you can visit his new website by clicking here; https://margetsonpublishing.com/ We also caught up with the author at the recent opening of Cambridge City's new stadium which you can watch below,

Our friend and Podcast team mate Darren Ashley does some amazing Vlogs under the name dash71_ , check out his latest Non-League Vlog below, you wont be disappointed: https://youtu.be/9Pgtxdq0p18

Following the sad news that Nuneaton Borough FC were to be no more at the end of the 2023 season with the club falling into financial difficulty which led to their removal from the Southern League at Step 3 it was heart breaking to think that the town would no longer have a club ending 130 years of its proud footballing heritage. So, we was overjoyed to hear a new phoenix club was going to be set up and Nuneaton Town FC were formed! Nuneaton Town FC is now an officially registered Community Interest Company and currently reside at step 6 in the Midland Football League Division One marking the rebirth of the town’s historic football club. We invited one of the clubs directors, Mark Lacrouts onto our recent Proper Football Live Podcast where he gave us an insight into what has happened at the club. Here's a little snippet of what The Boro director had to say; If you would like to watch the rest of the podcast on our YouTube channel which features our resident ex pro Nigel 'Cally' Callaghan of Watford and Derby fame and Darren Ashley aka @dash71_ on X from the excellent theNONLEAGUEvlog and Mark Lacrouts from Nuneaton Town FC then you can below with the boys covering all the latest from Non-league and up the football pyramid and please feel free to subscribe to our channel while your their

The venue for our latest Proper Football away day was Hadley Football Club thanks to an invite from one of our followers Tom Hammond who is not only a big fan of The Bricks but also a volunteer at the club and one of the many unsung heroes you find around the country who are the heart and soul of non-league football. On arrival at Brickfield Lane, the home of Hadley FC, which is situated in North London near Barnet, the fog had descended, and the weather looked like something from the 1980s Horror film of the same name! Thankfully, the game turned out to be anything like a horror show; in fact, it was an enthralling, action-packed thriller! We received a very warm welcome from Tom along with one of the club directors, Oliver Deed in the cosy clubhouse, who both gave us an overview and a bit of history about the club who are currently playing at its highest-ever level in Step 4 in the Southern League Division One Central. After a quick pint in the clubhouse, we headed into the ground with Tom and he told us about how he started supporting the club and how the Bricks have gone from strength to strength on and off the pitch since they returned to a refurbished Brickfield Lane in 2016-17 following over £500,000 worth of improvements including the installation of floodlights, fencing and a new stand after eight years of ground sharing with Potters Bar Town. With kick-off fast approaching, fans were starting to filter through the turnstile and the fog! taking up their positions around the ground which has a capacity of 2,000 with a covered seating area and covered terraced areas on all the other sides of the ground. Have to say the Hadley fans were in great voice from the start with a repertoire of original and humorous songs, but it didn't stop the away side from dominating the play in the first 25 minutes with Hertford Town playing some lovely one-touch football resulting in them taking a deserved lead in the 22nd minute. The goal seemed to spark the home side into action, and with what looked like a couple of tactical tweaks, The Bricks started to win the midfield battle, and at the break, it was fair to say it was a game of two first-halfs! Now it was time for the much anticipated half-time tennis ball challenge! Also, during the interval, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Nash, a Hadley FC fan and vice president at the club who took The Bricks out to play a side in San Marino last year to complete his mission of visiting all 55 European UEFA Nations to watch a game of football! Into the second half, with the fog now dispersed, it was end-to-end action from the off, with Hertford Town looking to extend their lead and Hadley trying to get the equaliser, and the home side did just that with the goal coming for The Bricks in the 53rd minute! Unfortunately, I was en route to get some food and, in typical fashion, was in the toilet when the goal went in! 🙈 thankfully, Gary caught it on camera, which you can see at the end of the article. Time to grab a bit of food and it didn't disappoint, I was going to go for a burger but unfortunately, they were sold out, no doubt due to an excellent attendance of 251 so I opted for the chilli with rice + soured cream and nachos which went down a treat whilst watching what was an enthralling 2nd half with both teams going at it hammer and tongs with both keepers making great saves and neither side happy to settle for a point. The referee brought an exciting game to an end and a point a piece was a fair result for the two sides which sees Hadley move into the play-off positions in 5th place and Hertford Town consolidate in 15th which I must say looks like a false position with how they performed on the day and the fact the improving Blues are now 6 games unbeaten. Before we left Brickfield Lane, we caught up with Oliver Deed, one of the directors, to tell us about the plans for the club going forward. We can't thank Tom enough for getting in touch with us and inviting us to come down, he is a credit to non-league football along with all the other club officials and staff we met on the day, also it was great to speak with many of the supporters who took time to talk us at what is a super friendly club and a club who are doing things the right way! Here's some of the footage we took of the game, and if you would like us to come down to your non-league club, feel free to get in touch. 👍🏻⚽️