My World XI for 2012.

With 2012 about to end, it is that time of year where we reflect on the past football events of the last 12 months. We have seen new Premier League Champions in the form of Manchester City, witnessed the heroics of Chelsea's Champion's League winning side and saw Spain prove once again why they are the most dominant international side of the modern era. These events have shown us that there are many contenders for a place in Fifa's best XI of the year.Therefore, Fifa are giving us fans of football a chance to vote for the best XI in World Football in 2012. I thought I would have a go myself it wasn't something I found easy, especially the defence. I went for players who I felt made the biggest contribution to their teams performance this season rather than picking the usual star names. However I have managed to whittle down 11 Players who I believe have had an incredible 2012 and deserve a position in my FIFA/FIFPro World XI for this year.

So here is My 2012 FIFProWorld XI:

GOALKEEPER: IKER CASILLAS. (REAL MADRID & SPAIN). Iker Casillas is arguably the best goalkeeper in world football at present and has been for some time. Being an Englishman myself, I wanted to nominate Joe Hart for this position as I feel he was fantastic in Manchester City's title winning season and showed why he is quickly becoming one of the World's best goalkeepers.However, Since the beginning of the 2012/13 season he has suffered from a few gaffs and has not looked as outstanding as he did last season, although time is on side side. Back to Casillas, he deserves his place in Fifa's World XI because he is the most consistent keeper on the planet and played a crucial role in securing Real Madrid the La Liga title and helping Spain their second consecutive European Championship.

RIGHT BACK: PHILIPP LAHM. (BAYERN MUNICH & GERMANY). It is Philipp Lahm's versatility that made him stand out to me this year. Lahm consistently showed us that he was very capable of producing match winning performances in both both full back positions this year. His drive and influence as captain of both Bayern Munich and Germany lead them to having successful years as Bayern reached the final of the Champions League in their home stadium, only to narrowly lose out to Chelsea and also Germany reached the semi finals of the European Championships.

CENTRE BACK: VINCENT KOMPANY (MANCHESTER CITY & BELGIUM). Kompany arrived at City just before their takeover by Sheikh Mansour, he has since seen many players come and go of the highest standard and transfer fees to match, yet he has been the consistent backbone in the City defence throughout and had an incredible 2011/12 season which ended with him guiding his side to their first Premier League title. The Man City fans acknowledged Kompany's outstanding performances throughout 2012 by voting him as the Fans Player of the Season.

CENTR BACK: GIORGIO CHIELLINI (JUVENTUS & ITALY). Chiellini has been named Serie A Defender of the Season in 2008, 2009, 2010 and looks nailed on to receive the award for 2012. He was arguably one of the main reasons why Juventus did not suffer a single loss in the 2011 with some stellar performances in the heart of their defence.

LEFT BACK: JORDI ALBA (BARCELONA & SPAIN). We have seen a meteoric rise in Jordi Alba throughout 2012. Although he only made his début for the Spanish national side in late 2011, he looked like he has played their for years. His performances a left-back have been outstanding, even netting a goal in the European Championships final. This led to Barcelona signing him from Valencia following the Euro's, paying a fairly modest €14 Million for his services.He looks nailed on already to be the long-term successor to Joan Capdevila as the regular left back for Spain. 

MIDFIELD: YAYA TOURE (MANCHESTER CITY & IVORY COAST). Yaya Toure was one of the catalysts behind Manchester City's title winning season. He totally dominated the midfield throughout and wore down the opposition with his box to box play. He made the Manchester City team tick and they looked a weakened team when he left for the African Cup of Nations which shows that he is a valuable asset to Roberto Mancini's side.

MIDFIELD: DAVID SILVA (MANCHESTER CITY & SPAIN). David Silva showed this year why he should be considered as one of the World's elite footballers. He added class and creative spark to the Manchester City side, achieving the most assists in the Premier League in the 2011/12 season. Silva also proved his worth in the Spanish national side this year at Euro 2012, where he provided 3 assists for his team mates and scored two goals in the process. 

MIDFIELD: ANDRES INIESTA (BARCELONA & SPAIN). Despite not winning any domestic silverware in the 2011/12 season, Andres Iniesta still proved why he is such a class act and important figure in the Barcelona and Spanish midfield. He is arguably the best midfield player in the world. He demonstrated that he can consistently perform at the highest level on the biggest stages by being named not just Man of the Match in the European Championship Final but also the Player of the Tournament.

FORWARD: RADAMEL FALCAO (ATLETICO MADRID & COLUMBIA). For this forward slot, it was close between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Falcao. However, I think the manner in which Falcao moved to Atletico Madrid under the pressure of an enormous price tag and went on to score 36 goals in the 2011/12 season sells him to me. Falcao also has to be one of the main reasons why Atletico Madrid currently sit 2nd in the 2012/13 La Liga table ahead of arch rivals Real Madrid. So far, he has scored 20 goals in 16 games. 5 of those goals came in one game against Deportivo de La Coruna. Therefore, I think Falcao more than merits a place amongst this year's footballing elite.

FORWARD: CRISTIANO RONALDO (REAL MADRID & SPAIN). It is fairly common knowledge that both Ronaldo and Messi are in a league of their own when it comes to talent. This past year they both continued the trend. Ronaldo smacked home 46 goals in the 2011/12 season to secure Real Madrid their first La Liga title since 2008 and also played a key role in the run to the Champions League Semi-Finals. 

FORWARD: LIONEL MESSI (BARCELONA & ARGENTINA). Lionel Messi has been named the World Footballer of Year in 2009,2010 and 2011, it is looking pretty nailed on that he will secure the award this year too as his efforts on the pitch this year have been extraordinary. This year he achieved the incredible feat of beating Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calender year. He is currently on 90 goals and the year is not even over yet. It is certain that Messi will always be remembered as one of the all time greats, if not the all time great.


So that is my team of the year. If you disagree with my selection or have an idea of what 2012 World XI you will pick let me know by posting a comment below or tweeting me at @Lewisv1. I would love to hear your teams and who you would pick. To pick your own team like I did based on the list of candidates selected by Fifa, click here. It will take you to the Fifa website.

The Redditch Round Up: 18/12/2012

New Signing: Polish Striker Patryk Sikora

Redditch United are about to begin a crucial run of fixtures over the festive period, starting with Hitchin Town this Saturday. Four of the games to be played in the next month are against sides that are all within 2 points of Redditch, so this could well be a defining moment in the club's season. Redditch did not play this past weekend due to Arlesey's involvement in the F.A Trophy. Fortunately, Hitchin were thumped 8-2 by league leaders Hemel Hempstead, so they did not jump above the Reds and they stay in the drop zone.

As the first team have not played for over a week, there is now a friendly match Tuesday night (18th) at the Valley where the first team will be taking on the reserves. This will serve as good preparation for Saturday's game against Hitchin. Admission is free  and Kick Off is at 7:30PM.

Redditch have moved to bolster their attack for these coming games with new signing Patryk Sikora from Polish 2nd tier side KS Cracovia. Sikora has not played for 6 weeks so don't expect to see him immediately make his first team début. However, Sikora did get a run out for the U21 side on Saturday and bagged himself a goal in the process. 

Finally, the Bashley home fixture that was postponed for a second time last week has now been rescheduled for Tuesday 15th January. 

2012-13 Season statistics.



Current form (Last 6 games):

 Win: 2   Draw: 0   Loss: 4

Next 3 fixtures:

H: Hitchin Town.       Sat 22 December
A: Stourbridge.         Wed 26 December
H Gosport Borough   Sat 29 December 

League Table at a glance

Pos	TEAM	Pld	Pts
18	Gosport Borough	17	19
19	Frome Town	17	19
20	REDDITCH	18	19
21	Hitchin Town	16	17
22	Kettering Town	16	-2

Top Scorers (League Goals)

Connor Deards	3 goals
Mark Danks	3 goals
Jack Cresswell	2 goals
Will Richards	2 goals

MATCH REPORT: 06/11/2012 Redditch United 0-2 St Albans City

Veteran Hayles bags two to defeat ten man Redditch

Redditch United's losing streak has now been extended to three games after losing 2-0 to North London side St Albans City at the Valley Stadium. Asa Charlton's 2nd half straight red gave St Albans an advantage. Substitute and ex-Fulham legend Barry Hayles benefited from two goalkeeping errors to score a brace and ensure his team travel back to North London tonight with the three points.

Experienced forward Hayles in action.

Redditch will be disappointed as they controlled large periods of the match despite being a man down. However, they barely tested Nick Jupp in the St Albans goal which indicates they are still certainly missing a out and out striker, despite valiant displays from Connor Deards and Joel Grandison.

They was little to shout about in the opening stages of the contest with both sides having an even share of possession  St Albans players berated the referee after 2 minutes when they felt they should have been given a penalty after a shot in hit Flanagan's arm. However, the referee waved away any protests and was never going to give them the decision as Flanagan's arms were tucked in.

St Albans were dealt an early blow when top scorer Lewis Toomey was forced to come off after only 15 mins with a suspected hamstring injury. 40 year old Barry Hayles who signed for St Albans at the beginning of the season from Truro City replaced Toomey and quickly began to make his mark on the game.

Hayles was constantly a danger and comfortable in possession. After 25 minutes he made some space for himself by passing his man on the edge of the box only to see his curling effort narrowly whistle over the bar.

 finally started to mark their mark on the match after 30 mins when good work after some good quick passing found make shift striker Joel Grandison on the edge of the box. Under pressure from St Albans defenders, Grandison quickly takes a low shot off balance which forces Jupp to make a save on his left hand side. This led to a spell of dominance for Redditch with St Albans barely testing them before the half time interval, sadly they could not convert this decent spell into a goal.

Redditch started the 2nd half the brighter side when Joel Grandison beat a couple of players but powered his shot well over the bar.

However, Redditch were dealt a huge blow on 54 minutes when Assistant Player-Manager Asa Charlton was given a straight red card. Charlton had made a charging run with the ball from left back but had unfortunately over ran it. In an attempted to hook the ball away from the opposing player, Charlton had his studs up and high which left the referee with no choice but to send him off and reduce Redditch to ten men.

Despite the disadvantage Redditch showed great character for the final half hour of the match, they counter attacked well and created the better opportunities whilst Hickman and Flanagan remained solid at the back.However, a lack of creativity bullishness in front of goal and around the area meant they did not test Jupp and St Albans capitalised.

Asa Charlton sent off for high challange

The away side open the scoring after 65 minutes. A St Albans corner was met with a low header from one of their defenders which Wren could not smoother which led to the ball fumbling loose away from the keeper  which gave Barry Hayles the simple job of tapping the ball into the net on the goal line.

Redditch continued to fight back and were determined to get a goal. Their best chance of the second half came when some trickery from Stuart Hendrie on the left wing allowed him to wriggle free of the St Albans right back and fizz a low cross across the box, only to for substitute Simon Johnson to see the ball late and fluff the chance.

St Albans killed off the match on 87 minutes after another goalkeeping mistake from James Wren. Redditch had a free kick on the edge of the box which Joel Grandison tamely hit into the wall. St Albans then cleared the ball which found its way to Flanagan in the Redditch half. Flanagan then passed the ball back to Wren who nervously booted the ball first time. his kick was poor and was driven low and into the path of the countering Barry Hayles who showed why he was once a Premier League striker with an experienced cool finish one on one to slot it past Wren and seal the points for St Albans.

The result leaves Redditch 17th in the Southern Premier division  However, they have played 3 more games than many sides around them so they will be vary that they may be in a relegation battle if they are not careful. They can take heart from their battling performance and were certainly good for a draw for most of the game. However, the lack of goals and the need for a proven striker is a huge concern and something that must be rectified by Redditch Manager Simon Redhead in the coming weeks if Redditch want to steer themselves away from another relegation battle.

English Players Abroad Part 2 - Where in the world are they now?

Following on from last weeks article where we covered Darius Vassell being mobbed by Turkish ultras and Heskey-mania down under, I have picked out another handful of Englishmen that have decided to ply their trade abroad.


Michael Bridges - Newcastle Jets, Australia. 2009- present




Michael Bridges was once one of the bright up and coming English striking talents in the Premier League. In the late 1990's a prolific spell at Sunderland landed him a 5 million pound transfer to Leeds United. In his inaugural season at the Elland Road club, Bridges bagged 19 league goals to help them qualify for the UEFA Champions League. It looked as if England may have another young in form striker alongside Michael Owen to bolster their international side. However Bridges career was about to enter a downward spiral which he would never recover from. A serious injury against Turkish side Besiktas led to Bridges having regular visits to the physio for four years, he only made 10 more appearances for Leeds in this time scoring no goals. After leaving Leeds in 2004, Bridges was a shadow of the player he once was. He join a string of Premier League and Championship clubs with little success before finding himself at League 2 Carlisle United in 2005 where he was influential in their promotion to League 1 before once again struggling to find the form he once possessed as a Premier League fledgling. For the past 3 seasons he has settled in Australia where he is now playing for the Newcastle Jets alongside fellow Englishman Emile Heskey. He has been a moderate success in the A League netting 9 goals in 39 appearances. However, he must be wondering what he could  of achieved had his ankle not shattered that one night in Turkey.


Francis Jeffers - Floriana, Malta. October 2012- Present.



Once dubbed the 'fox in the box', Francis Jeffers was supposed to be the first of two great striking forces to come out of the Everton academy in the early noughties. He started his career brightly at the Toffees scoring 20 goals in 60 appearances and was offered the chance to become the clubs highest paid player in their history. However, Jeffers rejected this chance which led to him becoming outcasted by his own fans. This led to his departure from Everton where he sealed a dream move to high-flyers Arsenal for 8 million pounds. His time at the Gunners was dogged by injury and he found himself struggling to break into the side, which is understandable considering when Thierry Henry is your club's lead striker. After leaving Arsenal Jeffers never lived up to the potential he showed at Everton and has played for 8 different clubs since, including spells in both Scotland and Australia  He has recently signed for Maltese Premier League side Floriana which shows that even a player that Everton once rated as highly as Wayne Rooney in their youth academy can flounder if injuries and attitude stand in their way to success.

Sam Hewson - Fram, Iceland. 2011 - Present.



Sam Hewson was considered a great prospect in the Manchester United academy. He captained the under-18 side scoring 5 goals on route to the 2007 FA Youth Cup final where he played alongside current United first teamers Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley. However in the coming years his progressed stalled and he was subsequently released by United. After struggling to find a club upon becoming a free agent, he found a club in the form of Conference Premier side Altrincham. However, after only 19 appearances for the Manchester based side he was released for the second time in his career.Since 2011, Sam has plied his trade for Icelandic outfit Fram. It is sad to see a player who once showed much promise as a youngster falling of the track career wise in just two years after being released from Manchester United.

Rohan Ricketts - Dempo, India. 2012 - Present.



It is hard to believe that Rohan Ricketts is only 29 with the endless list of clubs he say he has represented. After beginning his Premier League career with Tottenham Hotspur in 2002, Ricketts became a first team regular under Glenn Hoddle and Sven Goran Eriksson's right hand man Tord Gripp even touted him for the England Squad. However after Hoddle's sacking from Spurs, Ricketts fell out of favour and found first team opportunities hard to come by, After a series of loan spells in England, Ricketts left Tottenham in 2005 and  in 2008 after two short spells for Wolverhampton and Barnsley, he packed his bags and started his travels across the footballing globe. Ricketts could arguably be the most 'cultured' journeyman in football with his cv showing he has played for several clubs across the world. He has played in Canada, Germany, Hungary and even Moldova since leaving England. Ricketts can now be found at Indian champions Dempo. Ricketts is said to be enjoying life in India and is fascinated by the difference in culture. He has noted that recently he had two cows blocking the entrance to his house and saw a python slivering along the street on the way back from a game. Ricketts will end of being as travelled as Michael Palin if he continues to travel to the far outposts of the football world.

MATCH REPORT: Redditch United 3-1 Worcester City

Redditch edge out Worcester in cagey Worcestershire derby.

Redditch will meet Kidderminster Harriers in the semi final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup after seeing off an under par Worcester City side in extra time, which hands them two losses in the space of four days after being knocked out of the F.A Cup by Bromley on Saturday.

Joel Grandison grabbed a brace after being moved inside from the wing where he was much more effective before Josh Quaynor finished Worcester off in a game where chances were few and far between in the 90 minutes.

Redditch started the game brightly and controlled the opening 15 minutes but they often took one touch to many in the final third before being dispossessed by the Worcester defenders.

Redditch thought they had broken the deadlock after 25 minutes when a well timed through ball from Connor Deards found Jack Cresswell who slotted the ball past the keeper only to find out he had been flagged offside.

Worcester finally forced James Wren into a save at the half hour mark and had the ball in the back of the net six minutes later. Worcester won a free kick 30 yards from goal which was lofted into the box and it looked certain that Wren would collect the ball; however he spilled it only for Michael Taylor to take advantage and place the ball into the net to give Worcester an easy lead.

Joel Grandison, Redditch's man of the match.

After the interval Worcester had the largest share of possession but Redditch created the better chances, Cresswell was again sent through one on one with the keeper, only to place a tame shot into the goalkeeper’s hands.

Redditch levelled the game after 76 minutes when Cresswell had a role reversal from his earlier chances and became provider for Grandison, a neat through ball from Cresswell sent Grandison down the middle one on one with the Worcester keeper before calmly side footing a shot into the left hand corner of the goal to force the game into extra time.

Redditch started extra time full of energy and this was rewarded with a fortunate but deserved 2nd goal from Grandison. The ball was lofted into the box and Grandison and the keeper both went up for the ball and the keeper deflected the ball onto Grandison’s head, which led to the ball trickling into the net to send Redditch ahead.

Redditch continued to dominate extra time before sealing the win and Redditch place in the semi final in the 114 minute. Captain Josh Quaynor converted a whipped free kick from the right hand side of the box that bypassed the entire Worcester defence.

Redditch team and ratings: Wren 5, Moran 6 ( Sub: Jenkins 7), Quaynor 7, Hickman 7, Flanagan 6, Richards 7, GRANDISON 8, Hands 6, Cresswell 7, Deards 7, Oshungbure 6.

English players abroad still an ageing minority

Since the inaugural Premier League season, 1,397 foreign players have graced the pitches of Premier League grounds up and down the country. This season 60% of players registered in the Premier League are from overseas. So in modern English football, we are certainly no strangers to playing the game ‘spot the English player’ in many of our Premier League sides. However, despite the influx of foreign players coming to ply their trade in England’s top division, it is extremely rare that you see English or even players from the British Isles playing in other European or world leagues.  During the late 80’s and early 90’s there were a number of top British talent that played abroad such as Gary Lineker at Barcelona, Mark Hughes at Bayern Munich and Paul Gascoigne at Lazio. However in the last 10 years, you could near enough count the number of Englishmen playing overseas on your hands.  Of those players that go abroad, the majority of them are either arguably past their peak and are going because of a chunky pay packet or they have fallen under the radar in England due to personal reasons or long term injuries.

Here are a few players who are currently or have had a spell overseas in the last few seasons.

Lee Hendrie – Bandung, Indonesia. 2011.

Once a player who had it all and aged 21 was picked instead of Frank Lampard to win his first England, Lee Hendrie’s footballing career plummeted into darkness a few years ago after a number of serious injuries and personal problems. In 2011 he signed for Bandung FC of the Indonesian Premier League on a lucrative contract. Hendrie mustered up 15 appearances for Bandung before being released. Following this Hendrie has had a rough few years after being declared bankrupt in January 2012 and has even trying to take his own life. However, after a string of appearances for a handful of non league sides (Even a spell at my beloved Redditch United) he is now playing in the Conference Premier, Hendrie seems a changed man and thankfully seems be getting back on his feet.

Emile Heskey – Newcastle Jets, Austrailia. 2012- Present.

Heskey was released at the end of last season by Aston Villa and spent all summer without a club until Newcastle Jets came in for him. A signing to counter Jets’ arch rivals Sydney FC’s signing of Alessandro Del Piero. Emile was the butt of most football jokes in English football but since going down under he has proved a massive hit. Jets fans immediately went Heskey mad bought so many of his replica shirts that 5,000 more have been ordered to keep up with demand. He had a debut to remember volleying in his first goal for the Jets and outshining Del Piero, as Jets beat Sydney 3-2.

Robbie Fowler - North Queensland Fury, Perth Glory and Muangthong United. 2010-12.

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler spent the last three seasons of his career playing on the other side of the world. Fowler joined North Queensland Fury and became their first marquee signing. However, he only lasted a season there after having a serious fall out with the club and signed for Perth Glory for the following season. After a successful year at Perth where he was their top scorer, Fowler accepted an obscure offer to play for Muangthong United in Thailand where he was even made manager half way through the season.

Nicky Butt – South China, Hong Kong. 2010-11.

One of the members of United’s class of 92 that won the F.A Youth Cup final, Nicky Butt went on to have great success in 12 seasons at Old Trafford before a move to Newcastle where he made 134 league appearances. However, Butt ended his career far from the glitz and glamour of Old Trafford and St James Park with a move to Hong Kong club, South China where ex Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman was also part of the squad. Butt scored a free kick on his debut and made 3 appearances for South China before hanging up his boots and returning to England.

Darius Vassell – Ankaragucu 2009-10.

Ex Aston Villa and England striker Darius Vassell signed for Turkish club Ankaragucu after being released by Manchester City.  Upon Vassell’s arrival in Ankara, he was greeted with one of the most bizarre fan reactions ever with around 3000 fans turning up to the airport; you do wonder whether the Ankaragucu fans had been told they had signed Lionel Messi  rather than Vassell. In the end, Vassell only spent one season in Turkey due to broken promises over his salary and unpaid wages and returned home.

These are just a few of the Englishmen who decided to leave the comfort of the British isles for an alien football experience, however what is evident from this batch is all of them moved abroad in the twilight of their careers, none in their prime. In the past ten years, you could say only McManaman, Beckham, Owen and Woodgate’s moves to Read Madrid are the only players who moved when at the peak of their careers. It just does not seem that many of our players are interested in moving across Europe or even the world unless the likes of Real or Barca come a calling or there is a tasty pay packet involved. Therefore, if the number of English players abroad does increase, expect it to be 30+ year old's moving to obscure corners of the globe for one last lucrative season in the sunshine before retirement.

Come back next week for part 2 where I will seek out further English players who have decided to join retirement leagues abroad.

Non League Football - Its dark age or renaissance?

Weedy terraces, failing floodlights, bad pitches, sloppy burgers, cheap pints and generally mediocre football. Put all these things together and you something that is known as the Non League. Currently, the Non League is arguably suffering its all time low. The credit crunch and reduced rates at Premier League and Championship clubs has led to reduced attendances and financial difficulties for many clubs. People are refusing to part with their cash to watch their local team at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. You can see why when they can sit in their comfy armchair and watch Jeff Stelling and co or their favourite team on a grainy illegal stream with Brazilian commentators getting overexcited and shouting GOOOOAL every time the ball hits the back of the net. However, as much as non league football might not be pretty or as comfortable as Saturday afternoon in front of the television, it is people’s reluctance to go watch their local team play that makes me feel that romance in football is certainly fading. Where have the days gone where people would wake up on a Saturday morning as if it was Christmas waiting for 3pm to roll around so they could watch their local team play?  It is sad to see that Sky’s influence on Football is slowly killing off interest in non league football, or even distorting its existence behind the glitz and glamour of the Premier League.

Despite dwindling attendances however, the non league game still has the ability to be totally infectious. In recent seasons, there has certainly been a slight disillusionment with the Premier League and the top level game because of overpaid players, the league becoming a game of monopoly between foreign investors, and pansy players rivalling Tom Daley’s diving skills. Some fans eventually had enough and decided to give the non league game a chance, coming and watching Redditch United’s first away fixture of the season at Oxford City. Their reaction at the end of the game proves that the non league experience certainly has something to offer. They quickly became involved with the singing section of our supporters and enjoyed what was a competitive game of football. Since this game, they have become firmly part of Redditch’s hardcore supporters. These fans fresh enthusiasm for the club and the non league game has even rubbed off on some of the clubs long term fans who certainly had reason to have a lack of enthusiasm for the reds after seasons of turmoil on and off the pitch. There without doubt is some hope that there can be new found interest in non league football and that it is not becoming the final remnants of what English football used to be.

Recently, the non league clubs finally got some of national coverage in the form of Non League Day. If you hadn't already heard of it, it was a dedicated day to go watch your local non league team play while all Premier League players had jetted off for international duty. This acted as a great platform to showcase the non league experience to Premier League fans and people just love any form of the beautiful game. It was certainly success with attendances bolstered up and down the country.

It proves that there is something that draws people to the non league game; it just is suffering because it does not get the same media attention as the big leagues. Hopefully non league day is just a foundation for a reinforced support for grass-roots football, as many clubs are in dire need of financial support. I am lucky that I even still have a club to support; it got so desperate at Redditch United in 2010 that bailiffs came in to take away the goalposts and team kit if bills were not paid. So if you have a passion for any level of football whether it is the World Cup final or a kick about in the park with jumpers for goalposts, I urge that you give the non league experience a chance, it will not disappoint and it needs your support.