IRISH BALL FORWARD IN ATTACK

SIZE APPARENTLY MATTERS

Sadly, Shildon bit the dust and Norton look forward to entertaining ex-leaguers, Gateshead. Meanwhile there is an issue brewing over pitch size. Tottenham have an excuse for being mediocre especially at, once fortress, White Hart lane. Two years ago the Premier League attempted to standardise pitch size. “Unless otherwise permitted by the board, in league matches the length of the pitch shall be 105 metres and its breadth 68 metres,” read rule K21. The next rule, however, states that exceptions are allowed “if it is impossible to comply with rule K21 due to the nature of the construction of the ground”. Spurs need a new big ground!

Ten Premier League clubs comply perfectly with the 105m x 68m regulations – Arsenal, Aston Villa, Hull, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Southampton, Sunderland, Swansea and West Bromwich Albion – although there are only minor differences elsewhere. In 1987 Graham Souness, then Rangers manager, was scouting their upcoming European Cup opponents Dynamo Kiev, and realised the Ukrainian side had two particularly dangerous wingers. The night before the game, the Ibrox groundsman worked his magic at the manager’s command. “The pitch didn’t have to be a fixed width as long as it was above a certain minimum, so I thought: ‘Right, I’ll make it the absolute minimum,’” Souness said. “On the day before the game the Kiev players trained on the pitch when it was the normal size. On the night, they came out to warm up to discover that, after 15 paces, they were just on the touchline. Having lost the first leg 1-0 in Kiev, Rangers turned the tie around, and triumphed 2-1 on aggregate.

Arsène Wenger once blamed the small pitch at Highbury for Arsenal’s disciplinary problems. “There is something about the size of the pitch at home,” he said in 2002. “It’s tight and we have a dynamic way of playing, everybody defends well and we are a team who put opponents under pressure, so there is more physical contact. On a bigger pitch, you have less contact. It is certainly linked with that. Highbury is very compact.” Stoke, under their former coach Tony Pulis, set their pitch size at the minimum possible, which meant their long-ball game was more effective. It also – literally – played into the hands of their former long-throw expert Rory Delap. When Stoke qualified for the Europa League in 2011-12, Uefa’s pitch regulations were larger than that of the Premier League, which meant the Britannia briefly had two separate pitch markings visible throughout games, which confused their right-back Ryan Shotton, who took a quick throw from the wrong touchline in a league game.

Ultimately, Premier League pitches are all roughly the same size. However, the Laws of the Game state pitches can be between 90 and 120 metres long, and drastically different in width – between 50 and 100 metres, although they must be longer than they are wide. With such variations allowed at amateur level, it is often Sunday League sides, that can cut their pitch to suit their needs.

SHILDON FC WANTS TO STAY ON TRACK

Shildon Athletic are the lowest ranked team left in the FA Cup and will know their fate after tonight’s replay against the superior Northern Premier League division one south team, Norton United, a club founded in 1989. Norton has risen quickly in their short history and having drawn their match 1-1, at home in Stoke, on Saturday they are to be entertained by Shildon tonight.  A tie against Gateshead awaits the winners.

Established in 1890, as Shildon Athletic, the club joined the North Eastern League in 1907 and have won the Northern League title five times in their history. In November 2003, Shildon reached the FA Cup first round proper for the first time in 42 years. However, they were beaten 7–2 on the day by Notts County.  Shildon also reached the First round proper in 1959-60. They have also reached the FA Trophy third qualifying round in 1974–75 and 1992–93, and their best FA Vase performances are a Quarter Final place in 2009–10 and a Semi Final in 2012-13. In the old FA Amateur Cup their best performance was a quarter–final in 1958–59 and Durham Challenge Cup Winners 2013-14.

Shildon play at Dean Street and their nickname is The Railwaymen after the wagon works that was the major employer in the town for many years. The site now is home to a superb railway museum. A Shildon-Gateshead tie, in the first round proper, will be a proper local derby.

LOST FOR WORDS? THERE IS NO "I" IN TEAM.

You have run out of motivational material for your pre-match talk? Huddles, 110%, they beat you last time so…, why not take a leaf out of Stuart Lancaster’s personal book of inspiration and tell your players about Henry Fraser, a 22 year old who is a tetraplegic.

Henry was in the Saracens academy at 17 years old, but a tragic dive into the sea whilst on, met with a sandbank and a broken spinal cord. When he finally made enough progress in hospital to get into a wheelchair, he saw himself for the first time in a mirror; a boy, he couldn’t breathe without help, four stone lighter, he decided at that time that life could not get any worse, only better and his optimism has led him to a decent amount of recovery. Henry doesn’t feel sorry for himself, he says he has no need to be angry and “apart from not being able to move on my own, nothing much has changed!”

Once independent, blazing his own trail and self-driven, he now realises the importance of "the team" and he has come to appreciate the bonding and need for others’ support. Henry is now able to work with the Saracens club, in communications, and his spirits have been raised even higher by the news this week of Geoffrey Raisman’s  UK Stem Cell Foundation-www.ukscf.org Maybe there is more progress ahead for him and others.

Henry now gives inspirational talks to sporting groups and his phrases are lining rugby dressing rooms over the country. www.henryfraser.org will lead you to his Trust.

COVENTRY WANTS COVENTRY IN THE DRAW

The FA Cup draw happens tonight at 7pm and clubs surviving since the Extra Preliminary Round, held way back in August, will be excited. Some teams will have played at least six matches by now. John Coventry, the manager of East Thurrock United, from the Conference South, wants to be drawn with, guess....Coventry! Coventry, the club, once thrilled fans in the 1987 Wembley cup final beating Spurs 3-2 in one of the great finals. The Sky Blues are now lounging in League One and have only just returned to their Ricoh home.

Extra Prelim Round winners, teams in Pyramid Level 9 and below, earn their club £1500 and winning the 4th Qualifying round, when Conference teams join in, has earn clubs like Chester City £12,500. In the next round, the First Round Proper, victory will raise £18,000, all sponsored by E.ON. Championship and Premier league teams join in at the 3rd Round proper. The winners of the final will get £1,800,000. Probably worth entering the competition then??; remember when Manchester United pulled out in 1999-00 due to a clash with the World Club Championship? Respect!
So tonight's draw is a great moment for all true football fans. 1872 saw the first Cup Final. 15 clubs originally entered the competition, including Queen's Park of Glasgow and Donnington School from south Lincolnshire. Three teams scratched and Queen's Park were exempt from the competition until the Semi-Final, to help with their travelling expenses! In one semi-final, Queen's Park drew with the then, famous Wanderers, but could not find money to return for a replay! So they handed the final to the Wanderers. The Royal Engineers, the favourites, based at Chatham, won their semi but lost out 1-0 at the Oval before a crowd of 2,000.

Do you know which clubs from the lowest level of the pyramid are still battling on?

WHITE HART LANE BATHED IN WHITE

Congratulations to all my readers out there as we top 2000 hits. Small numbers for some but a huge achievement for others! To celebrate this landmark and another stunning win for the Hepworth U11s in Div 6 of the Huddersfield District Junior Football league-2 victories in a row, here is something that you should all know.

As the present Spurs side plays Newcastle Utd today a major celebration is being held at White Hart Lane.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Bill Nicholson’s  death, the club supporters were asked to ‘Wear White For Bill’ and honour the man who commanded the most illustrious period in their history, which included the first League and Cup double of the 20th century by an English side in 1961. Do you know which other teams have done the English double since the league began? 

During 16 years at the helm between 1958 and 1974, Nicholson led the ‘Lilywhites’ to 12 trophies, one of which saw them become the first British team ever to win a major European trophy - the Cup Winners Cup of 1963.

The Scarborough-born Yorkshireman, who made 314 appearances as a wing-half for Spurs between 1938 and 1955, also clinched three FA Cups, two League Cups, four Charity Shields and the 1972 UEFA Cup as manager. He was part of the famous 'push and run' team under Arthur Rowe that won the league for Tottenham in 1951 and then became the longest-serving Spurs boss of all time, taking charge of 832 games and winning 408 of them.

Tributes to the former manager were held on the pitch, with a guard of honour comprising past players including Cliff Jones the flying Welsh winger. There will also be a minute's applause held in Nicholson's honour prior to kick-off at 1.30pm.

MAD HATTERS TAKE ON THE MAGPIES

Today is an exciting time for non-league clubs who are playing in the F.A.Cup 4^th Round Qualifying round. Their reward if they win is a chance to play a Football League club in the first round proper. I am off to Stockport to see two old league club play a local Derby; County v Chester City. Chester, known as the Magpies, have had their league status problems also but presently sit mid table in the Vanarama Conference.

Stockport County was established in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, in 1890 the name was changed to Stockport County to reflect the town gaining County Borough status. After winning the Lancashire League in 1900, the County gained admittance to the Football League. Joining the League meant the club soon outgrew their ground in Heaton Norris and, in 1902, they moved south of the River Mersey to Edgeley Park, then home of Stockport RLFC. County have played there ever since.

Hatmaking was an established industry in north Cheshire & south-east Lancashire by the 16th century. By the late 19th century Stockport had become a national centre for the trade, and by 1900 County's nickname of 'The Hatters' had became synonymous with the club. (Luton also have this nickname-see previous blog)

The club stayed in the 4th Division doldrums until the turn of the 90s, when Uruguayan manager Danny Bergara turned the Hatters into regular top-of-the-table challengers.

Promotion came in 1991, and was followed by four visits to Wembley in two years - twice in playoff finals, twice in the Football League Trophy. Unfortunately County lost on each occasion.

County consolidated in the First Division until relegation to Division 2 in 2002. What followed was a largely downward spiral back to the bottom of the League.

In 2009/10 administration took its toll, and County finished on a new record low of 25 points and were relegated back to the bottom flight.  In the summer of 2010 the club was taken out of administration by a group of local business people, ensuring the club’s survival. However, fortunes took a downturn on the pitch and the Hatters finished bottom of League Two, meaning that they would compete outside the Football League for the first time since 1905.

During 2011, Liverpool-based businessman Tony Evans headed up a consortium of new investors in the club, who appointed former German international Dietmar Hamann as manager. However, following the consortium’s failure to take charge, Hamann’s squad struggled in the league and in November he was replaced by former manager Jim Gannon. The size of the task ahead of Gannon was even bigger than the one in 2006, and the team initially continued to struggle but found resurgent form in Spring.  Safety was secured with a 1-1 draw at home to Braintree, allowing the Hatters to enjoy a peaceful summer for the first time in four years.

However, that stability didn't last long and in 2012-13 more financial issues off the pitch restricted the squad on it and eventually saw Stockport County relegated to the Conference North, meaning the Hatters would be playing regional football for the first time since 1905.

Another juicy derby today is groundless Gloucester City v eco-warriors Forest Green Rovers, whilst Aldershot Town and Torquay revive memories of past league matches.

RONALDO NOT QUITE ON TOP IN FRONT OF THE KOP

Christiano Ronaldo scored a superb "tap in " last night as the Kop saw Liverpool humbled by a very impressive Real Madrid side in a vital champions' league match. Madrid went on to win 3-0 and there was the difference between the regal whites from Spain and the blushed reds of Liverpool. The main talking point however was the shirt swapping at half time between the extremely unimpressive and disappointing Balotelli and Pepe, the least flambuoyant of the Spanish wizards. Balotelli was subbed at half time and would not be taking any part in the game-we presume he knew that by the time he traded his shirt. It was the first win for Real Madrid over Liverpool in this competition.
Ronaldo deserves to be second (so far) in this atmospheric elite list of goalscorers and Balotelli is light years away from reaching even the first layer of stratus, shrouding Anfield and his career.
TOP GOAL SCORERS IN EUROPEAN CUP/CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HISTORY

1              Raúl                                   71           142         Real Madrid, Schalke 04

2              Cristiano Ronaldo             70           106         Manchester United, Real Madrid

3              Lionel Messi                     69           89           Barcelona

4              Ruud van Nistelrooy         56           73           PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid

5              Thierry Henry                   50           112         Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona

6              Alfredo Di Stéfano           49           58           Real Madrid

7              Andriy Shevchenko          48           100         Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, Chelsea

8              Eusébio                             46           65           Benfica

9              Filippo Inzaghi                 46           81           Juventus, Milan

10            Didier Drogba                    43          89          Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray

11           Alessandro Del Piero         41           89           Juventus

12           Zlatan Ibrahimović             41          104         Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona,                                                                                                Milan, Paris Saint-Germain

13           Karim Benzema                 40           67           Lyon, Real Madrid

14           Ferenc Puskás                    36           41           Budapest Honvéd, Real Madrid

15           Gerd Müller                       35           35           Bayern Munich
                                                          goals       apps
Apologies for lack of tabs. not sure how to incorporate them.
Please remember that Di Stefano, Eusebio, Puskas and Muller played in the old knock out system before the league system was introduced, so they played fewer games.
Goalkeeper Casillas completed his 143rd appearance beating Raul and equalling Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona. It was his 85th win and Ronaldo's 20th goal of the season in all matches.

PERUVIANS PROVE ANDES AT FALLING DOWN

Only 47 more to go before we get 2000 hits. Note I was including my massive audience in this. Come on....I was listening to the great Tim Vickery on the World Football Phone on Radio 5 Live, expounding the virtues and failings of South American football. He is very good. Peruvian football has had its ups and downs and this latest event, reported by TV does not help the cause. A referee in northern Peru halted a cup tie eight minutes early after five players all went down injured at the same time in an apparent bid to have a match they were losing abandoned.  Five players from Defensor Bolivar feigned injury in Sunday’s first leg of their Copa Peru semi-final against Defensor La Bocana. Bolivar were losing 4-1 and lost another goal as their players writhed on the ground.

Having already had two men sent off, the referee had no option but to halt the game early. At least seven players are required on each side. Did you know that and what is the law for our Juniors?? The second leg on Thursday (tomorrow) is now in doubt as authorities decide whether to punish Bolivar. The winners of the regional qualifier will go into the national competition. It's an important game and make sure you find out what's what by checking the internet. There is no defense for this type of behaviour.

SKILLS, NOT BARGING AT CANAL SIDE

Before Hurricane (or now at best  mid-latitude storm) Gonzalo arrived last night, Huddersfield Town AFC put on a delightful evening’s coaching for local club members. Advertised a few weeks ago, clubs were invited to send as many coaches as they wished to the Academy on Canalside. We watched three sessions delivered by their coaches using youth players as guinea pigs and heard about how the youngsters are chosen, educated, developed and moved on to higher things. About 50 coaches enjoyed the sessions and we were allowed a Q and A at the end. A nice cup of tea, coffee and a variety of biscuits (bourbon and custard creams favourite) helped the evening go with a swing. It was a privilege to be allowed into the inner sanctum, so to speak and all credit to HTAFC for opening their coaching sessions to the public. I am sure other professional clubs do this to help the nation’s youth coaches catch up those lost 30 years. It is all very well to let the “game be the teacher” but if the kids don’t get their techniques corrected early doors then the golden generation will come to nowt. Well done the Town.
ps: note only 30 odd "hits" to reach 2000. James assistant coach to the all conquering Hepworth U11s clearly enjoyed his visit.

UPPERTHONG GET KNICKERS IN A TWIST

I have had the pleasure of standing on touchlines all over the World for various reasons. Sometimes, when I got lost in a fog, or  just looking at an empty pitch in Majorca because we drove past it, or watching fruit bats return to their roost during an evening U15 training session in Townsville, Queensland or exotically witnessing the local derby on Easter Island-well there are only enough people for two teams on the island. Watching football and especially being strategically involved with a game gives me a real buzz. Today I was able to watch the Hepworth Junior U11s (only team) play a 9v9 match in the Huddersfield Junior District league against local village, Upperthong, on the banks of the River Holme; a river that flows through "Last of the Summer Wine country". There was no Compo floating down hill in a bath or Howard and Marina getting their knickers in a twist over some minor affair. There was however, a first victory for the youngsters of Hepworth and it has been a long time coming. The boys and girls beat Upperthong, yes Upperthong, 7-1 in a wind affected game, on a flat, dampish pitch, so all credit to both teams for putting up a great show for the doting parents. My fellow Hepworth coaches, David (the organ grinder), James (a man with his finger on the switch) and Martin (a lover of local cyder) saw their boys play in a terrific performance that lifted the team from root bottom to 8th in the 6th Division of the Under 11 league. 3 points were added to their total. In other matches this week scores were 5-2, 1-16, 0-11 and 10-1, so you can see it is a bit of a lottery who does what. A school trip, a birthday party or a random child who has joined his local club and is put in the Div 6 team, when actually he has had trials for Halifax, means that scores have to be taken with a pinch of salt. However, this match against Upperthong B was a genuine contest although one of the opposition had played with Hepworth last season and had moved to finer pastures! Na, Na, Niyana.
Hepworth U11s have now Played 4 Won 1 Lost 3 Goals for 17 Against 22 Points 3.
Apologies to those missing from the photo.

SAINTS GO MARCHING OVER

Southampton wiped hapless Sunderland all over St Mary’s today, scoring eight. Here are the highest team scores in the premier league since it started.

4 March 1995 Manchester United 9 – 0 Ipswich Town

19 September 1999 Newcastle United 8 – 0 Sheffield Wednesday

22 November 2009 Tottenham Hotspur 9 – 1 Wigan Athletic

9 May 2010 Chelsea 8 – 0 Wigan Athletic

23 December 2012 Chelsea 8 – 0 Aston Villa

18 October 2014 Southampton 8 – 0 Sunderland

And the highest aggregate scores in Premier matches:

Portsmouth  7-4 Reading

Spurs  6-4 Reading (Thanks to John Coombes for his editing-always vigilant.)

Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal

Arsenal  7-3 Newcastle

WBA 5-5 Manchester Utd

BIGGEST WINS FOR SOUTHAMPTON ARE:

9-3 v Wolves – 2nd September 1965 (league)      8-2 v Coventry – 1st April 1984 (FA Cup),

7-1 v Ipswich – 3rd January 1965 (FA Cup)        6-0 v Luton – 8th February 1995 (FA Cup)

BIGGEST DEFEATS: 0-8 v Tottenham – 2 March 1936  0-8 v Everton – 1 November 1971 (league)

SUPPORT THE BOBBY ROBSON FOUNDATION, WHAT A GENT!

The Bobby Robson Foundation is holding an auction this weekend to raise money for two Charities.

Everyone who knows football will know what a gloriously modest and brilliantly successful football person he was. I was lucky enough to meet hiM at Ipswich Town when he as their manager. Surrey Football Coaches Association ran a trip to Ipswich FC on a Sunday and Bobby, President of SFCA hosted us. We watched coaching on their practice ground, actually played a coached game on the main pitch and had lunch in the hospitality lounge. My dad, came with us to enjoy the day out, sat next to Bobby who could not have been more  gracious. What a nice man! So this auction is being run in his memory and almost £50,000 has already been bid in The EACH and Sir Bobby’s Online Auction, which closes on Sunday (19 October) at 8pm.

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/east-anglias-childrens-hospices-each/catalogue-id-2915171

Every penny raised will help the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and lots include a wide range of events and activities – many of which are not usually available to the general public. More than 100 lots have been donated and this is the third online charity auction that veteran voluntary fundraiser Gina Long has organised along with her Special Events Committees. Click on the website and see what is being offered. There are lots of lots!

HALLAM ENJOYS FIONA BRUCE

On the Antiques Roadshow last Sunday, the oldest football trophy ever, presented to Hallam FC in 1867, was put on display and valued. It represents an historic match when they beat another Sheffield side, Norfolk, in the final of the Youdan Cup. Sheffield FC also lays claim to having some of the oldest laws of the game, established in 1858. See August blog.

Having been briefed by Richard Lewis, a fellow Bruce supporter, I switched on BBC to catch this moment of history when the oldest football trophy was brought to the Derby roundhouse by the club secretary.

The world's oldest-known football trophy is not for sale, despite being valued at £100,000. The silver Youdan Cup was presented to non-league Hallam FC in February 1867 after they won a tournament contested by Sheffield teams. Despite insisting that the trophy was not for sale, the club spokesman added: "If someone is interested in investing time and money in a grassroots club with a rich history then they know who to call."

The Youdan Cup, named after local business who funded the competition,

Thomas Youdan, predates the FA Cup by four years, was contested by 12 teams, with the final at Sheffield's Bramall Lane. Other teams taking part were Broomhall, Fir Vale, Garrick, Heeley, Mackenzie, Mechanics, Milton, Norfolk, Norton, Pitsmoor and Wellington. Only Hallam FC still exists. They beat Norfolk 2-1 in the final.

The Youdan Cup features the name of John Shaw, captain of Hallam FC in 1867

Silver specialist Alastair Dickenson said: "At first sight it's a fairly standard Victorian claret jug, which would be worth about £800." But he said he had learnt more about the cup's history, adding: "We are pretty certain this is the world's oldest football trophy.

Sheffield FC pioneered changes in the game, which included heading the ball, corner kicks and floodlit matches. Hallam FC's Sandygate ground  is the oldest in the world. Bramall Lane - where the Youdan Cup final was played - is the oldest professional ground still hosting major matches

It is currently home to Sheffield United, but in 1867 the club did not yet exist and the ground was predominantly a cricket pitch. Sheffield FC is the oldest football club in the world. Although they were the biggest in the city at the time, they did not take part in the Youdan Cup

Professional club Sheffield Wednesday were formed a few months after the Youdan Cup final, and they got their name from only playing on the traditional “half day”, Wednesday.

FOOTBALLS FIRST BLACK FOOTBALLER

Thank you to David Wood, one of my many readers, who alerted me to the erection of a 16ft statue of the world's first black professional footballer, which will be unveiled at the FA's national football centre in Burton today. Cast in bronze, it depicts goalkeeper Arthur Wharton flinging himself backwards to tip a ball over the bar. Wharton was born Jamestown, Gold Coast (now Accra, Ghana) in 1865 and played as an amateur for Darlington and Preston North End, and professionally for Rotherham Town and Sheffield United  Reputedly he was the first man in England to run 100 yards in 10 seconds.

The story of how it got there involves Sepp Blatter, Stevie Wonder, Rio Ferdinand and a 53-year-old Darlington artist called Shaun Campbell. It all started seven years ago in Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Campbell, a 53-year-old with English and Barbadian heritage, was giving a speech in the town as part of Black History Month. He picked up a brochure and read, for the first time, about Wharton - a Methodist missionary who moved from the Gold Coast to Darlington in the 1880s.

Campbell went back to his art furniture shop and painted a picture of Wharton. A customer saw it, asked Campbell who it was, and told the local newspaper, the Northern Echo and the campaign was born.  Campbell wanted a statue of Wharton in Darlington, either at the football ground (Feethams or the newly-built arena) or elsewhere in the town. But after gaining only a "measured amount of support" he decided to take the campaign nationwide.

And that - in September 2008 - is where Stevie Wonder came in.

"I was in Birmingham for a furniture trade fair," explains Campbell. "Along with my ticket, there was a flier for a Stevie Wonder concert. I thought, 'I'll stay on, watch the concert, that will be great'.

"Next thing you know, we're on stage in front of thousands of people and Stevie Wonder is waxing lyrical about Darlington and Arthur Wharton.

It was Wonder who suggested that Campbell broaden the campaign to make it about education, as well as the statue. And so the Arthur Wharton Foundation was born, with the aim of promoting racial harmony, equality and diversity.

In 2009, UEFA donated £17,500 to the campaign and received, in return, a maquette - a scaled-down version of the statue - which is still on display in their headquarters. "UEFA were magnificent from the moment I contacted them," says Campbell.

From there, the FA and FIFA also offered support, with Campbell presenting the maquette to Sepp Blatter  in Zurich in June 2012.

In the 1980s, a history lecturer called Ray Jenkins brought the tale to a modern audience  and, in 1998, the author Phil Vasili wrote a book called "The First Black Footballer" about Wharton.

A year earlier, Wharton's unmarked grave in Edlington, South Yorkshire, was given a headstone after a campaign by the charity Football Unites Racism Divides (FURD).

But it was Campbell who took Wharton's story to the world, persuading everyone from Rio Ferdinand to Andy Cole to Theo Walcott to pose with a maquette and back the campaign. Patrons of the foundation include Viv Anderson, George Boateng and Irvine Welsh.

Anderson - the first black player for the full England team - first learned about Wharton through an exhibition at the National Football Museum, then in Preston, in 2003.

"The campaign has been given legs by Shaun Campbell. If it wasn't for his passion and drive it would be dead in the water. Wharton's story has to be told."  Another of the foundation's patrons is Sheila Leeson, Wharton's granddaughter.

In October 2012, she travelled with the foundation to Ghana, where two teams competed for the Arthur Wharton Memorial Cup. The group met Wharton's Ghanaian descendants and went to his former school, Mfantsipim - the former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, is another alumnus.

But it isn't just football that has remembered Wharton's achievements.  In 2013, Campbell presented a statue to Lamine Diack , president of the IAAF, at the Anniversary Games at London's Olympic Stadium. Wharton was also commemorated at England Athletics' Hall of Fame awards that year.

But it's the National Football Centre where Wharton will - in the words of St George's Park chairman David Sheepshanks - "educate and inspire a new generation of coaches and players from all backgrounds". The erection of the statue will be accompanied by an educational package, supplied by FURD.

Another statue has been approved at Rotherham United's ground and Campbell will keep spreading the message. Only last week, he was in Rome, giving a speech to Michel Platini and UEFA.  The campaign has come a long way - in every sense - from his art furniture shop in Darlington. 

EBOLA IN, IRISHMAN OUT

Johnny McKinstry, 29, is an Northern Irishman, no doubt buoyed by the European Championship success of his home nation yesterday. But as a football coach, once with the New York Red Bulls and for five years in Sierra Leone, he knows how tough things can get. After six games as manager of the national side he has lost only once, his team rose to the top 50 in FIFA rankings, but he was appointed in April and sacked in August after another defeat left his team bottom of the group in the Africa Cup. He is pondering the politics associated with the EBOLA VIRUS and important international matches due to be played in the near future. Having seen "his" country come out of a dreadful civil war, the country's footballers are now faced with quarantine.
A qualified coach, McKinstry is the technical director of the Craig Bellamy Academy in Freetown and was the youngest international manager. His academy players are now confined to the academy and he is allowed to leave the compound  once a fortnight to get provisions. The group has been locked down for 12 weeks. He tried to pick as many home based players as possible but reckoned it was safer to choose those playing in other countries. Inevitably, preparation has been affected and results failed.
To stop movement in the country, all domestic leagues have been ceased and the players, therefore, are not being paid. In a recent match with the Seychelles, the island forfeited rather than have visitors from that part of Africa cross their coastline. The Confederation of African Football has insisted that all their home games are played in neutral venues, such as DR Congo.With a game against Cameroon due, they are expecting abuse from foreign footballers and crowds, who really do not want physical contact with people likely to be carrying the virus. Even shaking hands before the game is an issue. In a recent game with the Ivory coast last month, players had to buy their own air tickets, some flew in late on Friday for a Saturday kick off.
Listen to this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29380314
By the way if Katy, the Rotherham supporter, from the Haloween shop in the Lanes at Meadowhall, Sheffield, is reading this, remember that disease affects English football too. As I was buying a costume Top Hat from her store this afternoon, I explained why the Victorian Top Hat industry in Stockport caused so much illness in the town's factories. Why is the local team called the Hatters? Were they mad? Do you know?

OLDIES HAVE POSTS TO LEAN ON

Remember Dave Beasant? I do and I saw him at Wembley playing for Wimbledon FC against Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final. He saved a crucial penalty kick and saw his team humiliate Liverpool who were in their pomp at this time, by winning the trophy. Dave is presently attached to Stevenage FC and at the ripe old age of 55, he nearly played on Saturday as a back up keeper to the club. Unfortunately he was not needed, so he missed the opportunity of being crowned the oldest player in the football league.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper John Burridge currently holds the record for being the oldest Premier League player, having appeared aged 43 years, 4 months and 26 days.

If Brad Friedel appears for Tottenham on or after October 15 he will break the record set by Burridge in 1994-5. Friedel has just signed a year along contract at Spurs, taking his role as back up to Hugo Lloris, beyond the age of 44.

The decision to sub the Colombian goalkeeper Faryd  Mondragon with five minutes to go at the end of a 2014 World Cup qualifying group match against Japan was not made for strategic purposes, but simply to allow Faryd to achieve a new World Cup record as the oldest player in the history of the tournament. Mondragon, who turned 43, broke the record previously held by Cameroonian striker Roger Milla, who played a major role for his country in 1994 and even managed to score a goal at 42 years old.

Finally, Mark Schwarzer, at 42 continues to be involved, this time at Chelsea as a back up, offering his vast experience to the Blues' keepers. With 109 international appearances for Australia, he has plenty to offer.

Did you know that the law to prevent the goalkeeper from handling the ball outside the penalty area up to the half way line was not put in place until 1912?

AMATEURS DRAW BALLS FROM THE FAMOUS CUP BAG

Two listeners to Talksport Radio won the right to draw the famous balls from the bag today, to select the ties for the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. The draw was made live on radio this morning on the Colin Murray show. 26 teams from northern leagues and 38 from the south make up the 32 ties that will decide who competes next in this famous competition.  First played for in 1872, the FA cup is arguably the most recognisable trophy in the world. Former league teams playing in the lower levels of the pyramid dream of meeting Football League members in the first round proper.

Wrexham FC celebrating 150 years this year visit Macclesfield. Dorchester host Bristol Rovers, new to the Conference and Stockport County meet local rivals Chester City in a juicy north-west derby. Other ex league clubs in the draw include Gateshead, Kidderminster, Grimsby, Lincoln City, Halifax, Southport, Barnet and a dream tie for Aldershot against Torquay. 

Less glamorous members of this round include Barwell, Shortwood United, Willand Rovers, Concord Rangers and Greenwich Borough. Who knows where they might end up as they head for Wembley. Concord Rangers founded in 1967 first played on a Canvey Island beach in Essex and hence are known as the Beach Boys. Barwell come from near Hinckley, Willand is located near Exeter in Devon and Shortwood's home is in Nailsworth, Gloucester. They reached the first round proper last year eventually losing to Port Vale, so have a bit of form!

Having just won £7500 for club funds by winning in the last round, the next prize is £12500. Something to play for then.

ENGLAND v FOOTBALL HOSPITAL

Before England kicks off in Estonia today, it is VERY important that you and your children ( if you happen to be at home and with family) take a look at a map and work out where the country is. Once part of the Soviet Union, the Estonians have experienced lots of political changes. Nearest neighbours are Lativa and Lithuania. Check out the capitals of these two countries. The Estonian FA is not long established and is selecting from only 1.3 million people. It is one of the smallest members of UEFA. England are playing in Tallinn the capital, but football is not necessarily Estonian's favourite sport. Being located  on the Baltic Sea, sailing is big, so is basketball. Their first international match was played in 1920 and the country has never reached the finals of any major tournament. Present FIFA ranking is 81st.

Sergei Zenjov, with Blackpool and  Henrik Ojamaa, with Motherwell, are noted British based footballers. The stadium in the capital holds around 11,000 with extra seats added! Around 1500 English supporters have made the journey and will enjoy a beautiful capital city and hopefully cheap beer. The home supporters are known as the Football Hospital. 

IRELAND v ISLANDS

The Faroe Islands FA became a member of FIFA in 1988 and joined UEFA in 1990. It is the fourth smallest country in UEFA by population and they have never advanced to the finals of any of the major competitions. They took part in the Island games in 1989 and 1991 and won both tournaments and they also played in the Nordic Championships in 2000-1 but it has not been played since. The faroes team is known as landslioio and their home matches are played either at Savangaskaro or Torsvollur. Of course their first international match was played against Iceland and their biggest win was against Gibraltar. Goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen plays for Motherwell, but the rest of the squad play for Scandinavian clubs. The Faroes play Northern Ireland today in their European Championships qualifying league; The Faroes took the lead against Finalnd in their last outing but lost 1-3. Nielsen thinks his team can casue an upset today. The Republic of Ireland play other "minnows" Gibraltar.
In September the Scottish Women's FA beat the Faroes Women 9-0. For a small country, its an impressive effort to get these teams playing at this level.

FRILLY KNICKERS WILL COME OUT OF THE NEXT TEAM WASH

If you can access BBC i-player, then tune into “Marvellous” a drama shown on BBC2 about the life of Neil Baldwin, from Westlands in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. Baldwin, who is an honorary graduate of Keele University, was appointed as Stoke City Football Club's kit-man by the manager Lou Macari in the 1990s. A man tagged at school with the “learning difficulties”, he then went on to become a Circus Clown, Lay Preacher, unofficial student greeter at Keele University and Stoke City kit man.  Stoke City has Carthusian connections, so I am not going to let that slip past, but this is a moving drama worth seeing.

In a previous blog, I mentioned Norman Rimmington from Barnsley who was the “kit man” at Oakwell for 69 years. Recognised by the Queen and having attended one of the royal garden parties, he was Barnsley’s  goalkeeper in the Wartime league and then became first team coach, assistant manager, groundsman, physio and laundry man.

Malcolm Stedman is 72 and does for Gillingham’s laundry as Norman does, but has also been called into help with team talks and even to be the fourth official when needed.

Jack Northover, at 61, is at Rochdale a hero, who has fought cancer, sky-dived to raise money for charities and been there through thick and thin at Spotland.

Finally, Harry Parsons at Cardiff City deserves a special mention, for he forgot the team jock straps (athletic supports) when the club visited Sporting Lisbon in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1964-5. Harry went down town, could not find a suitable sports’ shop and had to buy from a ladies’ lingerie pairs of knickers. No frills there then? Bless!

ITS ACADEMIC AT THE TOP-TWO HAMILTONS COME FIRST THIS WEEKEND

As Lewis Hamilton screeched home in Japan's F1 at the weekend, a lesser known Hamilton was making footballing history in Scotland. Hamilton Academical FC, formed from a school academy team in South Lanarkshire in 1874, beat mighty Celtic at Celtic Park 1-0, their first win against the top Scottish club for 76 years. The ACCIES, as they are fondly known, went top of the Scottish Premier League and Chairman Les Gray was overwhelmed by this feat, claiming that eight of the finishing team on Saturday came from their own Academy and four of them had been with the club since they were ten years old. As chairman of the club, Les is well aware of helping the club survive on small pay outs; after winning the play off game last season to gain promotion from the Championship, only £50,000 came their way, so the budget is tight. With a well organised defence conceding few goals, Ali Crawford scored the winner at Celtic, but nobody in the club is getting above their station. The business model is clear for all to see and contracts are modest.

In 1970 the troubled club resigned from the league and in 1994 sold their old ground, Douglas Park, to Sainsburys to enable debts to be paid off. They ground shared and then were relegated to division 3. In 2008 a revival allowed the club to be promoted to the SPL, they were relegated to the Championship again in 2011 but last season came second and won their play off after penalty kicks. Alex Neil, player manager thinks it is all academic as the Accies academy is clearly doing its job.

ROY RACE ROLLS BACK THE YEARS

Roy Race will be well known to some of us oldies but the concept of the children's weekly comic has now died a death with the onset of Internet and such like. The Tiger comic was fronted by the weekly stories of Roy and his team from 1954 until1976. The comic strip about the happenings of a famous footballer, then survived for further years as the "Roy of the Rovers" comic, then parodied in "Shoot" magazine and finally in the Match of the Day magazine until 1993. So in The Times on Saturday I was delighted to read a two page spread celebrating the famous Melchester Rover whose weekly stories and annual albums many of us enjoyed in the for thirty years at least, before we finally grew up. Roy was a legendary centre forward who played for one club for 38 years and scored 481 goals, winning ten league titles, eleven FA Cups and three European Cups. Roy made occasional appearances for England. He also survived five kidnappings (including one on the morning of the Cup Final that he was meant to be playing in), assassination attempts, a helicopter crash, a terrorist attack and two earthquakes. At last, his own story "The Official Autobiography of Roy of the Rovers" is published this coming week, by Century and £16.99. I bet Blackie Gray, Tubby Morton and the rest of the squad will be considering giving their own views of Roy's life, once Roy reveals his dark secrets. Surely he is too nice to do that to his mates.They don't write them like they used to.

CHOUSE NEED TO SINK THE WINKIES

Charterhouse play close rivals Winchester College in the final 32 of the ISFA Cup on the 7th October. The Hampshire independent school, like Charterhouse, Eton and Harrow, to mention a few "private" schools, has its own brand of football, which was originally played down the length of Kingsgate Street in town. Each team attempted to move a football from one end of the road to the other with few or no rules, and little regulation, to spoil this most primal version of the game. The only tribute the modern game bears to this earliest form of the game are the measurements of a modern canvas (i.e. pitch), fitted to a particular section of Kingsgate Street.

Most likely after one broken window too many the game was moved a safe twenty minutes' walk away from the College to the flat, grassy top of St. Catherine's Hill. The game persisted with few rules, but now required a long line of junior men to keep the ball from rolling down the slope and disappearing into the canal below.

The first addition that remains almost unadulterated in the modern game was made when the lines of kickers-in became depleted due to injuries caused by overenthusiastic players colliding with them whilst in the pursuit of rogue balls: ropes were erected down each side of the pitch, supported by nine solid posts.

In the early 19th century, the necessary changes to the rules were standardised to create the relatively cultured, civilised affair that it is today. The fundamental rules of "dribble" and "tag" were added at this stage, presumably followed by the other rules. The game was also moved from the top of St Catherine's Hill to where it is played now, between their boarding houses, on Meads, as well as in Palmer Swamp. At the same time as this move, the lines of kickers-in were finally replaced by canvas sheets, and very soon afterwards by netting, in order to allow others to appreciate the game without the aid of a ladder.

The earliest evidence of coloured shirts used to identify football teams comes from Winchester football: an image from before 1840 is entitled "The commoners have red and the college boys blue jerseys". At soccer, Winchester wear dark blue shirts to signify their connection with Oxford University.

Charterhouse tend to win this annual fixture but lost it last year, so they have two reasons to make sure they get a result. Ex Aston Villa pro Lou Chatterley has coached at the College for years and he will be delighted to meet Charterhouse's pro, David Howells.