JOURNEYMAN- AN ODYSSEY THROUGH THE LOWER LEAGUES

Ben Smith will not have rattled too many cages in his time, but this journey man footballer has published a book now available at Waterstones and on Amazon. It is about his life as a footballer.

Of course, this type of memory has been put to paper before, but not too often at the non-league level.
Some of the best biographies I have read include Steve Claridge, Tony Cascarino, Eamon Dunphy and Gary Nelson; never heard of them? They all represent higher level although occasionally you get the waft of non-league peril. Try them out.

Smith journeys from Arsenal along with Bergkamp and Wright, where he probably was not good enough, to a £12 pay rise for winning the Conference with Crawley Town, under Steve Evans. He has been with Yeovil, Hereford twice, Weymouth, Crawley and then AFC Sudbury and Thurrock; not glamorous clubs but reliable enough to get him a two year contract and then after that, what?

This is about the gritty reality of non-league football and the insecurity of a short life earning money at something you are good at and love. He won 3 promotions in 475 games, some as high as League One with Crawley and a 5th Round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford against United.

Worth a read!
www.bitebackpublishing.com