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After the early postponement of the match I was meant to attend (Winslow Utd v Buckingham) yesterday, I found a different one to VLOG that was almost certain to go ahead as it was to be played on a 3G surface. I turned up at Oxford City’s ground to take in bottom side Long Crendon’s home match with 13th placed Southam United in the Hellenic League Division One. In the quick research I had done, I discovered that Crendon hadn’t won since the beginning of September! I had visited Southam earlier in the season, and found them a super helpful club, so, I contacted chairman Michael Davis  to see if a interview with manager Richard Kay could be arranged… and of course, the answer was a yes, and, Richard was great with his time for me. What I wanted to really know when I arrived though was, why was Long Crendon, in step 6, ground sharing with a National League team? I found Tom Folley, the assistant manager, Director of football and a committee member at Long Crendon, who happily agreed to an interview on camera to give me the answer. Tom, like everyone connected with the club who I met yesterday, was fantastic, especially manger Waheed Ramzan, who, before the match, agreed to give me a full time interview, even though, realistically, it had the real potential to be another defeat for his team. About 15 minutes before kick off, still trying to decide where to film, I got talking to Ben, also part of the staff for the home team, who, unbelievably, told me I could go up on top of the stand, onto the camera balcony, to do match filming from there….honestly, you don’t know how happy that made me. Some of the Southam players who I had been talking to earlier whilst they were warming up, spotted me up there and gave me a bit of friendly banter! So, primed in an ideal spot, the match kicked off. Of course, I won’t tell you what happened, as I want you to watch the vlog at the bottom of this post, but, trust me, what I saw, I really didn't expect... there were goals and I thought the team of officials were excellent! At full time, I climbed down from my lofty perch, did the pre planned interview with Waheed, and headed into the clubhouse where Crendon chairman Gerald Reilly bought me a welcoming cup of very hot coffee. Once that was sunk, and final link filmed, I headed home, buzzing that I had had another brilliant day out at Non League! Huge thanks to Long Crendon and Southam United for the generosity they showed me, and also, to Winslow United for calling the game off early enough which gave me plenty of time to rearrange. Here's the VLOG, hope you enjoy it! Thank you to Darren Ashley for sharing another excellent informative VLOG with an insight into Non-League Football. Please make sure to subscribe to Darren's YouTube channel.

We had a very pleasant day out down in West Sussex to watch Chichester City on Saturday for their home game against Sevenoaks Football Club at Step 4 in the Isthmian League South East Division. The first thing to say... what a beautiful Cathedral City it is with plenty of old pubs to wet the appetite before and after the game. After sampling a few of the local establishments en route to the ground from the train station we arrived at Oaklands Park in plenty of time and received a very friendly welcome from the man on the turnstile and paid the reasonably priced £10 to get in and was happy to see a match day programme on sale for £2! So, Into the ground we went and bought the obligatory 50/50 half-time raffle ticket off another friendly club volunteer who happily pointed out where all the facilities were. As always the first impression of a club is the most important one and Chichester passed this test with flying colours! We made our way upstairs to the impressive bar area and had another pre-pre-match pint lol. The ground and facilities looked quite new and I believe it was redeveloped around 2008. There was plenty of covered stands which were located on 3 sides of the pitch along with a seated stand which holds 100 people and there was a decent crowd in attendance of 188. On to the game, my first thought was Chichester had a slight advantage having the choice of seven different goals to shoot at but I soon realised the cider consumption was playing with my eyes lol. The game finally kicked off after the referee had tested his whistle and it was a very close match and nip and tuck with not much between the two sides and in typical fashion I missed the first goal of the game in the 36th minute scored by Jimmy Wild whilst having a slash, which was clearly down to the pre-pre-pre match beverages! Half-time rolled around with the score at 1-0 to the home side so it was time for some food and it didn't disappoint! The snack bar on site had loads of hot food to choose from and was very reasonably priced served up by the friendly ladies behind the counter! In fact, the bacon cheese burger was that nice a second one soon followed! Just had enough time to grab another cider and get ready for the second half. The second half continued in the same vain as the first with not much between the two sides and their was some good old banter from the home fans including cries of "what the ****inhell was that in response to a couple of misplaced passes and shots from the away side and giving the well built centre forward some stick. A rain shower soon cleared up and the sun was back out with a rainbow setting the scene as Sevenoaks pushed for an equaliser but they just couldn't break down a well drilled Chichester defence with the home side also having a few chances to extend their lead. Chichester held on and ran out 1-0 winners which continued their good run of form and they now sit just one place off the playoffs. All in all it was great day out at a fantastic welcoming club that is well worth a visit. We headed back into town and picked off a few pubs we didn't get to before the game and plotted up in front of an open fire and looked back on a thoroughly enjoyable day out watching non-league football in the delightful historical City of Chichester! Best wishes to both clubs for the rest of the season!

I've decided to do a pilgrimage to visit a selection of Lincolnshire clubs across the county and I am starting at the most northerly of them all, Scunthorpe United FC. I don't know what you think when you hear the name Scunthorpe, perhaps it is not the prettiest name, perhaps you think of a gritty steel town struggling with hard times and really no one in their right mind would call it 'The Riviera of the Humber' but the town has honesty and a long footballing tradition and a historic club. A little bit of history, Scunthorpe were founded in 1899 as Scunthorpe and Lindsey United, now just Scunthorpe United, and for most of their history have been in the third and fourth tier (current League 1 and 2) with occasional seasons in the old Division 2 and the Championship. In the last few years their fortunes have tumbled and they have found themselves in the sixth tier, National League North. They are currently in second place in the table, 9 points behind leaders Tamworth. Scunthorpe's stadium is pretty recent, built in 1988 in the industrial unit style. It has a capacity of 9088 and could be described as compact, it has a range of facilities, its not luxurious but perfectly functional. It is located in a retail park so if you fancy a little shopping before or after the game you have everything from a supermarket to Kwik Fit to choose from! As a first time home supporter I was a little confused about which turnstile I should use as there is either no signage or the names of the stands have been recently changed but the stewards were helpful and once in it was easy to find my seat. The fans seemed amiable and as the seats are pretty close to the pitch you get a good view of the action despite the fact that there are steel roof supports which do obscure some of the pitch. The pitch is pretty good, maintained well and a good surface for football although it does have one wet corner where a number of players slipped. The Scunthorpe squad has a good mix of players with Football League experience, some who have spent time in the USA or Spain with highlights being Jacob Butterfield a midfielder, ex Barnsley with Championship experience and Callum Roberts a winger signed from Aberdeen. The opposition Curzon Ashton are a north Manchester team sitting 7th in the table most of their players 's experience is in the fifth tier with highlights being ex Scunthorpe player Harry Jessop as striker and Will Hayhurst a winger who had 50 appearances for Preston North End. The atmosphere was pretty good even though the stadium was only a third full, it was a good crowd for this level of football, we had a range of songs and a drummer to keep everyone boisterous and we started the match full of optimism. I always like to keep the football crazy members of my family around the country up to date with the action through live texting and here is a description of the match from those texts: Well here we are, kick off at Glanford Park The 78 Curzon Ashton supporters huddling together, needing the mutual support, a crowd of 3519, a good pitch, no sun but mild at 10 degrees, a great afternoon for football Curzon playing in a fetching shade of pink Scunthorpe of course in West Ham colours, they are nicknamed Iron like the Hammers Scunthorpe all over Curzon, loads of shots, corners, free kicks then Curzon get their first corner and score. Not going to script this one Scunthorpe going close, hit the post now Half time report.   We have Scunthorpe playing football, playing out from the back, making runs, looking for each other, looking like a side a league above - except for set piece defending. They have some tidy players, some really big ones at the back, nippy and skilful on the flanks but Curzon are very well organised even if they struggle to get the ball. Second half will be interesting Second half.   Curzon are on for a Bafta, some excellent acting going on! Hayhurst their ex league player is having some unfriendly banter with the crowd, he looks easily wound up! Comedy moment as the assistant referee falls backwards into the pitchside sand trap, a novel feature of the ground Curzon now playing some football, (it lasted literally minutes) when they aren't time-wasting!! Curzon enjoying their role as villains now, some cynical play to go with the acting  Scunthorpe just can't get it in the net, last few minutes Keeper is up for a corner... Final whistle, 0-1 So my reflections on the experience. It was a good match, very competitive, Scunthorpe look a good side, they work hard, they like to attack but unfortunately I didn't bring them the luck they needed to win the match. After the final whistle there was some booing by the home supporters but I think it must have been for the ref who didn't award any of the good penalty shouts, the Curzon supporters were also giving him a bit of stick, poor bloke! The football was very physical, almost like rugby in the boxes at set pieces, but it was good to watch and apart from the result I enjoyed the afternoon. If you are up this way try and get to see Scunthorpe play, it is well worth the £14 it costs for a seat. Big thank you to Steve Boatright for sharing his day out at Scunthorpe United and we look forward to his next adventure in Lincolnshire!

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! 