Our latest Proper Football 'On The Road' club visit saw us make our longest trip to date with us travelling up to the North East to visit South Shields football club for their National League North game against Kidderminster Harriers, and it was thoroughly worth it! With the teams situated 2nd and 6th respectively, this had the makings of a cracking game, and we hope you enjoy the article below as much as we did making it. As always, we kick things off with an opening chat, a

The venue for our latest Proper Football 'On The Road' club visit was the New Windmill Ground/Your Co-op Community Stadium, the home of National League North side, Leamington Football Club for their match against Worksop Town. A brief history Leamington FC is based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and was formed in 1933 as the works team for a local company called Lockheed Borg & Beck, which manufactured brakes and Clutches, hence their nickname 'The Brakes'. The original hom

'On the Road', this week takes us to Berkshire side Maidenhead United, situated just off the M4 where they currently play their football in the National League South, with the man at the helm, West Ham Utd legend Alan Devonshire for the last 10 years, relegated from the national league last season after an 8 year stint in Non-leagues top flight, Alan and his team will be looking to get back as quick as they can. One fascinating stat is that York Road has been the home of Maid

So, we’re on our travels again and we’re heading over to Cambridgeshire to the market town of St Neots, just off the A1 for our visit to the Power Plus Stadium for the Northern Premier Midland Division clash between St Neots Town and Lichfield City. With the sides taking up the seventh and eighth spots, both on 19 points, in what is an extremely tight league, this has the makings of a good competitive clash. On arriving, first impressions are very impressive, a great looking

On our travels today, we made the short trip to visit Arlesey Town FC for their Spartan Premier Midlands clash with Risborough Rangers. With both sides sitting at the top end of the table, this should be a good encounter today, so before we start, we'd like to say a massive thank you to Phil Cavener for inviting us down for today’s fixture. As the saying goes, on with the show: So, let's have a wander around the ground and see what Arlesey has to offer: Well, all in all, a n

The venue for our latest Proper Football awayday was Bristol Manor Farm FC. The club who are based in North West Bristol on the banks of the River Avon and play at step 4 of non-league in the Southern League - Division One South came to our attention after a mindless act of vandalism just before the start of the season caused thousands of pounds worth of damage after a car was driven into the goal mouth and set on fire which meant The Portwaymen couldn't play at home for the

Football is back and Saturday took me to Tividale in the Black Country, which is a stone’s throw from Dudley in the West Midlands. Tividale Football Club welcomed Clay Cross Town, who are based near Chesterfield. It was their first ever time in the FA Cup. The ground, which is called The Beeches, is located at the end of a residential road and was easily accessible and first impressions once inside were fantastic! The match ticket was £8, and the programme was £2, and I was g

Another football season has rolled around! The summer break is over, and football clubs and supporters up and down the country are eagerly awaiting their football fix as the beautiful game returns with hopes and dreams for the new campaign, and the anticipation of excitement and the unknown. It was quite apt that my first game of the 25/26 season would be the FA Cup extra preliminary round, as my last was the FA Cup final back in May, watching Palace lift the trophy of the ol

Stability the key to Diamonds success! Attendance - 813 As any avid follower of a non-league club, or like me, a follower of the non-league system as a whole would attest to, non-league football is about so much more than just a 3pm kick off and what what happens on the pitch. Non-league is a community, a family and so much more to those that enjoy the uniqueness of its very existence. I’m a firm believer that whilst accepting certain problems do exist and it is not perfect,

THE LAST CHANCE TO SEE STOURBRIDGE FC'S WAR MEMORIAL GROUND IN ITS CURRENT STATE! Stourbridge Football Club are one of the more...

Five-goal rout galvanises Drew’s promotion push! The ever elusive Saturday that we spend all week waiting for finally graced us with its presence again and the Proper Football team, as usual took full advantage, setting off on our travels once more. Leicester St Andrews’ aptly named Canal Street ground was my destination of choice, visiting what is yet another prime example of a well-run community club within the non-league pyramid. After passing over the picturesque canal br

Another Saturday and another Proper Football Awayday, whilst Dan was heading to Redhill for their clash against Jersey Bulls I was making my way to Leicestershire to visit Quorn FC for a clash against Rugby Town, with Quorn already crowned champions of the Northern Premier Midland division, today is the day that they get presented with the trophy, so I couldn’t have picked a better day for a trip to Quorn FC! For those that don’t know Quorn is a village just south of Loughbor

The venue for our latest Proper Football Awayday was at The Kiln Brow, the home of Redhill FC for their massive match against Jersey Bulls FC in the closely contested race for the Combined Counties Premier Division South title and automatic promotion to step 4 of the National League pyramid! The day started by sampling a few ciders in The Old Chestnut pub next to Earlswood station, and the sheer gravitas of the day was evidently clear when I walked into the pub to find it pac

Doughboys deliver the delight on Derby Day! NPL Midlands Division Attendance - 792 Derby day is always a momentous occasion, and the Proper Football boys were treated to a proper rivalry as we embarked on our travels once again, this time pitching up at the Dog & Duck Stadium, home of Wellingborough Town. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining cats & dogs, making suitable weather for ducks; we were instead graced with glorious sunshine, adding a buoyant spring to our step equally as e

With the games coming thick and fast as we head into the business end of the season, I decided to pick Leatherhead FC as my choice for a Proper Football Awayday for The Tanner's big Isthmian League South Central clash against Kingstonian FC in what was a 6 pointer with the home side making a late charge for the playoffs coming up against the K's who were 2nd in the league behind already crowned champions Farnham FC with the chasing pack breathing down K's necks. Leatherhead i

The welcome that was extended to Greg and me when we headed into the valleys on our visit to Merthyr Town FC was truly amazing. "The land of our fathers" truly did open its arms to welcome two Englishmen who immediately fell in love with the club, its facilities, the Stadium and, of course, the fans. Our Non-league day trip turned out to be a truly amazing experience that any groundhopper or football fan should make. Penydarren Park was the venue where Merthyr welcomed Cherts

When the date was set for the 2025 Non-League Day, a wonderful concept that was set up in 2010 by James Doe to champion all that is great about non-league football, one of the toughest decisions, as always, was to pick which game to go to! The day that is always scheduled to coincide with the international break enables a platform for grassroots clubs to promote the importance of volunteer-led community football whilst the cash cow that is the Premier League along with the EF

Ravens Swoop for All Three Points! After a long week of toil and longing for our football fix, the Proper Football boys were out on their travels again, this time making the short trip to the Mander Cruickshank Solicitors Stadium, home of Coalville Town. On arrival, we were warmly greeted by Club Secretary Gary, who, whilst relatively new to the role, clearly embodies the spirit of the club and demonstrates a perfect example of someone who has the club’s best interests at hea

Blue Skies & 3 Points for The Millers! As many football fans will attest to, we often find ourselves trudging the length and the breadth of the country following our beloved clubs accompanied by the typical Great British weather, and I take my hat off to all who travel in such conditions simply for the love of the game. I however was treated to a blue sky and sunshine throughout my visit to Carlton Town, which was not only a rarity for the month of March but an added bonus on

Our latest away day saw us take a trip to Nottinghamshire to visit our good friends at Carlton Town who were taking on North Ferriby in the Northern Premier East Division clash, with Carlton Town still having an outside chance of reaching the playoffs and North Ferriby sitting in a playoff place, this game had all the makings of an intriguing game. When arriving at the Bill Stokeld Stadium, you are greeted with a nice sized car park, always a good start, you enter through the