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Yesterday’s vlogging took me to South Buckinghamshire, after an invite from Rich to his club, Flackwell Heath, who happened to be top of the Combined Counties Prem Division North league. I was meant to go there last Saturday, but it got called off that morning, which was no bad thing for me as I was feeling a bit under the weather. This week, they were playing 16th-placed Harefield United. Recent league form for both teams… Flackwell Heath W W W W W W Harefield Utd L W L W L W Surely only one outcome right?… No spoilers though from me as I’d like you to watch the vid which is at the bottom. 😂 As I try to do, I got there early, to find out a bit more about the clubs and to do some early filming, which, when complete, I can relax a bit before kick-off. Rich met me on arrival, and was great, giving me access to virtually anything I like, including going on the heavily sanded pitch and match filming on the gantry. During my downtime before kick-off, I chatted to a fair few home fans about their club and It was clear their team meant a lot to them and were desperate for promotion to step 4 for 1st time in their history. Onto kick-off then, where I soon found out, it was bloody cold up on the gantry with a very strong wind. The game itself was probably quite an awkward one to play in for both teams due to the wind and the pitch, but it was one of those matches where something always seemed to be happening, whether a great bit of skill, excellent goalkeeping or proper Non-League tackles and a few verbals, which I found to be quite funny. Special mention must go out to Harefield’s number 9, who was the grandmaster in dishing the verbals out. 😂 In no time at all it seemed, the full-time whistle went, I did my usual thing of seeking out a manager for a post-match interview and, wrapping up the filming at the club. I bumped into Rich as I was planning to leave, but he invited me into the clubhouse for some food and drink…who was I to say no??!!! In there, between mouthfuls of grub, I had a good chat with the match officials about how difficult the match looked to ref… although, I thought they did well as it was clear both teams were definitely trying to gain any advantage they could… if you know what I mean! Home time came then, and the hours drive home where I reflected on the day and how wonderfully I was looked after by Flackwell Heath FC. It is such a lovely club, in a nice setting, and I really hope they go up, where I will love to return up on that gantry… but on a sunnier day 😀. Here's the Vlog and I hope you enjoy it! Big thank you to Darren Ashley for sharing his latest Vlog with us, please make sure to follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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!

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!

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!

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_bristol 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!

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!

Scrolling through social media a few weeks ago we came across a Facebook page called Dad & Son Footy Adventures and it immediately caught our eye! A father and son travel around the country visiting as many football grounds as they can to watch a match or take in a stadium tour, and it's not just limited to the big well-known grounds from the Premier League, they also travel around Scotland visiting Non-League and lower League football clubs and they are today (Thursday 15th Feb) about to embark on a two-day tour of the Scottish Highlands taking in 19 football clubs in 48 hours! We thought it would be great to find out more about the football-mad duo and Dean and his son Reece happily obliged by answering some questions we put to them. Where are you based? We are from Scotland and live in Cowdenbeath, Fife. How long have you been going to football and how old was Reece when he went to his first game? We have been going frequently for just over 1 year but Reece was 5 years old when he went to his 1st proper game. Who do you and Reece support? Rangers. What gave you the bug to start ground hopping especially the lower reaches of Scottish Football? We visited Manchester United for a stadium tour and Manchester City for a tour as well as a game on a birthday trip for Reece. He then wanted to do the rest of the EPL and then it spiralled to any English grounds we passed! We then decided to do Scotland too! How many grounds have you both visited now? 192 and counting! What do you love about non-league football? We feel the connection with the clubs and fans is better, not as crowded and you can move around easily (depending on the game 🤣) Not as many prima-donnas, real people playing real football! I know this is a tough question but what has been yours and Reece's favourite ground that you have visited so far and why? Oh, that is hard. Reece said Ibrox as we have made so many special memories in there (Europa League final run we were at every home game). If I take Ibrox out of the equation the Spurs ground is special just in terms of how beautiful it is but it is also new. This is really hard!! Villa Park was really good also! 🤣 Do you contact the clubs before you visit them and if so how welcoming are they in general? Yes, most of the time I contact the club, especially when we do tours. When we attend matches I tag the clubs in social media posts and sometimes contact them through email. Most clubs are welcoming especially the not-so-big clubs. Most of Scotland has been great up to now, as has England. We do pay for the tours at the bigger clubs. What excursions have you planned in the near future? We are going to tour the Scottish Highland on Thursday 15th and Friday and 16th of February. Were also planning a summer trip down South again to London, Brighton, Bournemouth etc. In October we have another small tour pencilled in but not confirmed clubs yet but will be in Wrexham direction. Do you collect any memorabilia from your ground hops? Yes, Reece collects anything 🤣🤣 Mostly pin badges and street signs from bigger clubs. He has a few shirts signed and unsigned, magnets, pennants etc. Do you have any plans to go out to Germany for the Euros? I actually have the chance of a ticket for the opening match against Germany but I can't get Reece one so I am reluctant to go without him as he is my wee wingman! Have you done any ground hops abroad? We did a couple. of grounds in Turkey while on holiday. One was a training facility in The Gloria Hotel and the other was a Turkish 2-league club Serikspor. What football stadium is at the top of yours and Reece's bucket list? Mine is the La Bombonera home of Boca Juniors in Buenos Aries, Argentina. And Reece's choice is The Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid. We saw on your Facebook page that you and Reece visited every Scottish Premiership Stadium in under 13 hours to raise funds for the Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity, how did that come about and how did it go? We took on this challenge on the 3rd of April 2023 with Andy from FFF and Alex, who was a patient in the hospital when he was younger. We didn't stop once for any proper food, we were literally on a mission!!!! We got all the clubs involved and they were all amazing. We had such a brilliant day and we raised £2,250 for the charity! We made a video about the day on our YouTube which you can watch below and it would be great if people reading this can give us a follow and subscribe to our channel. Finally Dean, what is the best way for people to follow your and Reece's adventures? We post most of our content on Facebook and we are also on Instagram. It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you and Reece and we wish you all the best on your future adventures and fingers crossed you both get to do your bucket list stadiums one day!

Many fans make long journeys up and down the country following their teams or on a ground hopping adventure to tick off another football stadium, well, one such football fan made a 1,000 mile + trek from the outreaches of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia Via Stockholm to watch Dial Square FC who play in Chertsey, Surrey at Step 8 of Non- League on a Tuesday night! The fans name is Harald Kristiansen and he has been following Dial Square FC for about 3 years and is part of their Scandinavian fan club. This was Harald's first ever time watching the club and he was rewarded with a 4-1 home win over Ripley Village in the Surrey County Intermediate League Premier Division match, in fact he enjoyed it so much he has decided to stay on for their Cup match this coming Saturday! Dial Square FC which is a fan owned football club were only formed just over 4 years ago by a group of Arsenal fans who had became disenchanted with elite football and the club they still love. ridiculous tickets prices, corporates taking president over real fans, ridiculous kick off times with games switched to suit the TV companies and a complete disconnect with the club and players. The name Dial Square goes back to 1886 when a group of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to form a football team. They called themselves Dial Square as a reference to the sundial atop the entrance to the factory. On December 11, 1886, Dial Square romped to a 6-0 victory over Eastern Wanderers, the first game in their initial guise and shortly afterwards the name ‘Royal Arsenal’ was adopted. The current Dial Square FC was reborn on 7th January 2020, after a failed attempt to start life in the Combined Counties Football League One after it was vetoed by the League they began life in the Guilford and Woking Alliance League which is at Step 10 with home games played at Abbey Rangers in Addlestone, Surrey and adopted a burgundy coloured strip inline with the original Dial Square. Unfortunately in their inaugural season Covid hit which meant the League was suspended and was eventually registered as null and void. The following first full season in 21/22 saw Dial Square promoted as runners up and they also signed ex Gunner and European Cup Winners Cup winner for Arsenal, Ian Selley who made his debut for them aged of 47! Dial Square then announced they would be moving home to Chertsey Town FC for the 22/23 season at Step 9 in the Surrey County Intermediate League (West) Division One. Dial Square then went on to secure a second consecutive promotion in 22/23! and moved up to Step 8 in the Premier Division in the Surrey County intermediate Football League and without tempting fate it looks like a 3rd successive promotion could be well on the cards as they find themselves 7 points clear at the top with a game in hand with 10 games to play. We've had the pleasure to talk to some of the people behind the club on one of our podcasts last year and we'll definitely be paying a visit to one of their games just like Harald has albeit a much shorter journey! Harald is also an Arsenal fan but has the same views as the club on what the game has become but the people at Dial Square make it clear that you don't have to have an affinity with The Arsenal and that everyone is welcome and they do get fans from clubs like Chelsea and QPR to name a few who go to their games. Dial Squares vision and core values are To source a permanent home ground and develop Dial Square F.C. into a fan-owned National League club, ensuring that football is accessible and enjoyed by all. To grow the fan-ownership in the club. To deliver a commercially viable operating model. To provide an opportunity for supporters to be an integral part of the club. To nurture and provide a pathway for footballing talent. To embrace difference across the footballing spectrum. To ensure fans have a true voice We sincerely wish Dial Square FC all the best for this season and beyond, because what they stand for completely resonates with what we are all about at Proper Football. And finally we wish a safe journey back to the Scandinavian Arctic Circle for Harald a football fan who supports a club that 100% appreciates him! Make sure to follow Dial Square on all their socials and their website which is https://www.dialsquarefc.com/ Facebook - X/Twitter

Our latest guest ground hopping blogger is 'The Grey Haired Ground Hopper' Since the end of the Covid lockdown Brian, AKA The Grey Haired Ground Hopper, decided to embark on his own Ground hopping adventures, having been inspired by many others who do this pastime, with the aim is to visit as many previously unvisited football grounds as possible from all tiers of the Scottish domestic game and blog about each one. He has kindly shared with us from his excellent website his latest ground hop blogging adventure which is his first one outside of Scotland! Please make sure to check out all of The Grey Haired Ground Hopper's other social media links at the end of the article. Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away Today is the day that I’ve had marked in my calendar for a while. Just a little over two years since my first Groundhopping outing was a short trip along the A82 to Dumbarton I’m getting on a plane and taking my blog across the sea! Ok, so some may point out it’s only across the Irish Sea, it’s still part of the United Kingdom etc and it’s true you can probably fly from Glasgow to Belfast quicker than a morning commute in Glasgow across the Kingston Bridge but in my 35 years of existence I’ve never stepped foot in Northern Ireland despite it being so close! More to the point when it comes to football stadiums, Belfast has five clubs in the Northern Ireland Premiership alone not to mention many others in the lower divisions too so I really was spoiled for choice when it came to match selection! However there’s one stadium that many past visitors have referred to online as a must see and the opportunity to visit Glentoran’s The Oval could not be ignored, so it’s an NIFL Premiership fixture against Carrick Rangers going under the microscope today with an added layer of hospitality thrown in for good measure! The club: One half of Belfast’s “Big Two”, 137 trophies since formation in 1882 is an impressive haul although the last of their 23 league titles was back in season 2008/09 as their fans have had to watch fellow Belfast sides Linfield, Cliftonville and Crusaders have multiple successes since. Glentoran are also famous (or infamous) for rejecting a certain George Best as a youngster because he was “too small and light” and in more recent times, July 2023 to be precise, Glentoran were the unlucky losers in a record-breaking European game against Gzira United from Malta. The tie went all the way to extra time and penalties, with Gzira winning 14-13 on penalties. This is the highest scoring penalty shoot-out ever in European competition. Distance from home: 151 miles Bet McLean Oval Capacity: 26,556 (6,050 safe capacity) Attendance: around 2,000 Admission: £48 (hospitality) The stadium: There’s a few famous sports grounds around the world called The Oval but none can match this gem. This stadium was severely damaged during the Belfast Blitz in 1941 by the Germans due to its close proximity to the docks and it wasn’t finished being rebuilt until 1949. The impressive main grandstand was built in 1953 and the other seated stand for the away fans on the side wasn't added until 2000. The ground requires consistent maintenance to fulfill health and safety requirements and its total capacity is currently restricted to 6,050, a far cry from its record crowd of 55,000 in a European match against Rangers back in season 66/67. Plans to completely redevelop this ground were submitted in 2021 but the collapse of Stormont in 2022 meant funding is yet to be secured but with the Northern Ireland politicians back being friendly again for the time being, could it finally happen? One thing is for certain, It’s truly a must see ground in its current condition. 5/5 The form: To prepare for my first foray into Northern Irish football I utilised live footage of both teams on the BBC I player in the run up to the game. I had observed both teams in home games against the same opponents, title contenders Cliftonville, and noticed both sides concede stoppage time goals. The Glens had thrown a way a 2-0 lead to draw and Carrick Rangers lost 1-0 in terrible weather conditions. In between those matches I had seen Glentoran get an impressive 6-1 win away to lower league opponents in the Irish Cup so I expected goals to flow today. The match: It was a slowish start to the game with the visitors happy to let Glentoran have most of the ball but the first incident of note was with a quarter of an hour gone as O’Connor was played in on goal on the right and appeared to bundled over as he was about to shoot but the ref must have seen something different and the game continued. A penalty and a red card for the visitors was somehow avoided. However they didn’t need to wait long for the opening goal as 20 minutes has gone when Bobby Burns struck with a low shot from the edge of the box for the opening goal. This was the fourth game in a row he had scored. Glentoran remained comfortable throughout the half so it was no shock when David Fisher made it 2-0 as he turned on the edge of the area and fired into the bottom corner with just under 10 minutes to go to half time. There was a chance of note for both sides before half time as McCullogh but in a great last ditch block on a rare Carrick attack and a goalmouth scramble at the other end almost brought a third goal which wouldn’t have been underserved at this point for the home side. Half time: Glentoran 2-0 Carrick Rangers Early in the second half Carrick almost scored an own goal as O’Connor drove in to penalty and his low cross was just put behind by the Carrick defender. Junior was then played through but a tame effort was saved by foot of Carrick keeper Glendenning as he seemed to hesitate slightly before taking the shot. Then just after the hour mark Carrick pulled one back out of nowhere with a wonder strike from Mitchell from outside the area. All of sudden it was game on! Glentoran had the ball in the net shortly after but O’Connor was offside from a rebound from a spilled free kick. Not entitled sure the match officials made the right call here either! Inevitably, Glentoran would pay for these controversial decisions and missed chances as with just over five minutes remaining former Glens forward Curtis Allen finished from close range to spark wild celebrations in the away end. They was a lot of desperation as stoppage time seemed to last forever as Glentoran tried their best to turn this game back in their favour late on but as the full time whistle went and Carrick celebrated an unlikely comeback there were some boos from the home fans who were understandably frustrated at another lead being blown. Full time: Glentoran 2-2 Carrick Rangers Overall: A game in which Glentoran had gone from total control to total meltdown by the end. The visitors were completely out of the game until they got their first one back and from there possibly could have taken all three points away with them. Glentoran must be fuming as that’s twice in a row two certain victories have ended in draws and questions have to be asked about the manner in which they are finishing games off. With three of the four goals today being very good strikes my first experience of Northern Ireland league football certainly didn’t disappoint. 9/10 Man of the match: Fisher was the best player on the park for me, not just his goal was class but his overall link up play with his team mates was great. He’s just renewed his contract for another year here and it’s easy to see why Glentoran would be delighted he’s staying. The grub: At £48 the hospitality option was worth every penny. You watch from a portacabin beside the old Main stand which is a little strange at first as you don’t hear the full crowd noise from inside it! Now in Scotland, hospitality for this price would maybe mean a limit to the number of drinks available or even a pay bar but not here! A cool box of various canned alcoholic beverages was kept topped up throughout the entire time we were there and there was plenty of sandwiches provided and a good chicken curry meal at half time to soak up the booze. If your going to travel a distance to visit here I’d recommend this option! Leanne was a brilliant host and a special thanks for letting me access the pitch before the game to shoot a video from the centre circle too. 5/5 Final thoughts: Loved every second of my time in Belfast and the football was no exception. The standard of play is probably not that far off a lower half Scottish Premiership match but it’s much more value for money and there’s no VAR to steal the show! If you can, don’t take my word for it and come watch a game here for yourself. Now I’m off to experience the delights of Belfast Town Centre on a Saturday night and if it’s as entertaining as the game was then the good times will roll! I can say for sure though, with so may more teams in Belfast to check out, I’ll be back! The Grey Haired Ground Hopper Once again, a big thank you to the Grey Haired Ground Hopper for sharing his wonderful blog with us. You can follow The Grey Haired Ground Hopper on all his social media platforms by clicking on all the following links Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - TikTok and YouTube and you can find all his excellent previous and future adventures on his website

Below you can watch the first episode of our brand new, Proper Football 'The Podcast' The lads joined by resident ex-pro Nigel 'Cally' Callaghan debate Sin bins and Blue cards in next seasons FA Cup, VAR, and many other topics from Non-League to the Premier League. We hope you enjoy it and please subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the next episode live.

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!

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.