(all profits go to charity)
FA Cup v Faversham Town (h) 3-0
FAT 1RQ v Hashtag United (a) 4-1
FAT 2RQ v Aylesbury United (a) 1-1 (won on pens)
FAT 3RQ v Whitehawk (h) 2-1
FAT 1R v Bishop’s Stortford (a) 1-2
Visiting the pub before the Whitehawk tie and being unexpectedly served by someone in full Halloween gear. I wasn’t ready for that.
Meeting Trevor Stotten who made me so welcome at Chipstead while he was busy organising team sheets, the 100 Club draw and fetching kids’ balls off the roof
Rob Kember is the very approachable manager of Chipstead. He described me as Chipstead’s lucky charm until the game at Bishop’s Stortford, that is!
Tom Annetts sweetly-struck shot to make it 3-1 to Chipstead in their first FA Trophy tie 
at Hashtag United. The ball fell to Tom outside the penalty and he struck a shot which gave the Tags’ keeper no chance, effectively killing off the tie.
The book describes my journey following the 2021-22 FA Trophy. I chose to start at Hashtag United v Chipstead in the First Round Qualifying of the FA Trophy. From there, I followed the winners of each tie, finishing at Wembley, where I saw Bromley lift the trophy after beating Wrexham. It was a magical journey that enabled me to visit 9 non-League grounds plus Wembley and meet supporters from 12 different fantastic clubs.
I travelled to each game by train and stayed at or close to the venue of each tie for at least one night. Each chapter takes a light-hearted look at my travels, my exploration of each town or city, as well as covering my match-day experience. I also met many interesting people on my travels, enjoying a beer or two with the locals at each venue. The book captures the spirit that I believe only exists in non-League football and describes some truly enjoyable and memorable moments.
I was born and raised in Charlton and have been a long-suffering Charlton Athletic supporter. In the 1980s, I lived in Bromley and started to support Bromley FC, who were playing in the Isthmian League in those days. This introduced me to non-League football, and I have never looked back. Now living on the Kent/Sussex border, I love going to different grounds and enjoying the football (with a pint afterwards) at non-League grounds around the region. In the summer, I support Sussex CCC.
I am now semi-retired, which has given me the opportunity to follow the FA Trophy for the 2021-22 season, although I must thank my wife for her patience as she had to listen to me prattling on about my adventures week after week.
Non-League football has been one of the many adventures and fun things I have managed to enjoy in my life. I’ll tell you more about my life in the book if you can face the dreadful puns that I occasionally use.
