And so the very future of football, perhaps even humanity itself, rests on whether or not two people shake hands this weekend. Just a few short months since Sepp Blatter was roundly derided, condemned and urged to resign for suggesting racism could be solved in this way, it has now become imperative in some eyes for John Terry and Anton Ferdinand to do just that when Chelsea meet QPR this weekend.

Here is what David Bernstein had to say in the aftermath of Blatter’s eventual apology back in November:

A handshake at the end of the game does not draw a line under racial abuse during a match.

Presumably this applies to handshakes before, during or after a subsequent game as well. Now though, the FA are said to be keen to see some reconciliation when the two clubs meet in the FA Cup for a noon kick-off on Saturday.

The problem is one of motive, and self interest. The FA’s keenness to see a handshake stems from a desire to avoid further, lurid headlines regarding racism in football. After six months to forget, the dangers of fans of either club indulging themselves in a few hearty racist epithets is too much for them to bear.

Never mind that Ferdinand, who has a genuine grievance against Terry yet to be resolved one way or the other, may feel a reconciliation in public is not appropriate at the current time. There’s publicity to consider!

Perhaps the swiftly-eroding-authorities who “govern” English football might consider that the inclusion of the handshake, which may soon adopt social healing powers of a mythical nature, may not be enough to prevent fans being fans. If, instead, they focused their efforts on stamping out abuse in all its forms rather than just those which damage their brand, football crowds might be sweeter, happier places.

The existence of racist abuse is a cause of particular discomfort for football. Not only does it still take place in the stands, it has also been shown to take place on the pitch from time to time as well. Luis Suarez continues to serve his ban and John Terry’s case will soon be tried and a verdict reached as to his innocence or guilt.

A potted history of handshakes in English football

Of course, this isn’t the first time John Terry has been involved in a handshake row, though in the first case it was perhaps more fitting of a trial by Ok! magazine than by judge or jury. The media frenzy which consumed the days before his first match against Wayne Bridge after his alleged infidelity’s with Bridge’s ex-partner were not within such a serious context but show the lengths to which Britain’s media will sensationalise and attribute value to events which are actually utterly without meaning. Two footballers who don’t get on did not shake hands. Big deal.

Arsene Wenger too has been embroiled in a handshake row in the past with Clive “He’s two-bob he is” Allen. And Mark Hughes. And Tony Pulis is another who has refused to clasp Mark Hughes warmly by the metacarpus in the past.

So obsessed is English football, or perhaps more accurately the English football media, that we shall soon require a full directory of its handshake rows over the years. Frankly, what does any of it matter?

If Anton Ferdinand doesn’t feel that he wants to shake the hand of a man he believes to have racially abused him, so be it. And if the fans take that as a cue to up the vitriol, arrest them. Throw them out and ban them. Or, make the clubs play behind closed doors, a move which would certainly set the cat among the accountants. Because right now English football is making its condemnation of Blatter seem just a bit hypocritical to say the least.

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Once was bad enough. Now Portsmouth FC are facing a second spate of winding up hearings as the ramifications of Vladimir Antonov’s arrest continue to manifest themselves. It’s not difficult to invisage HMRC taking a far harder line this time around and, with no credible buyer in sight, the prospects look even grimmer than they did two years ago.

Which begs a question. Actually, it begs a whole torrent of very strong questions directed at the administrator and the Football League as to why the club was allowed to be sold to an individual with a background which is shady at best, for at least a second time.

Portsmouth’s first brush with the taxman prompted a round condemnation of the standards in place to ensure new owners are “fit and proper”. Time and again they have failed to protect clubs large or small and time and again they have allowed them to be bought by crooks. That it has been allowed to happen twice to the same club within two years is utterly inexcusable.

Doubts about Antonov were already well known when he made his move to buy Pompey, yet still the FA and the Football League allowed the sale, with the administrators no doubt keen to move the club on the anyone they could find. The sooner there is legislation passed to protect English football from itself, the better.

The media too are not exempt from criticism. With Pompey’s fall from the Premier League, the profile of the story is reduced, despite this being the latest in a series of events which began there. The financial madness of the league is, in part, at the root of many of the English game’s current problems.

Fan ownership to the fore

The fans are left to pick up the pieces. For Pompey this may involve nothing more than suffering a repeat of the pain they have already suffered. The club’s ability to compete, assuming they survive, will surely be further eroded. But it could get so much worse. What happens if Pompey are liquidated? A new phoenix club, under the control of the supporters trust is one possibility which would deserve consideration.

Ultimately, fan ownership is the way forward for clubs at all levels. The current perception that this is a novelty for small clubs only needs to be tackled. It is only due to financial doping that competing at the top table is all but impossible for the vast majority of clubs.

With a framework in place within which to set their ambitions, and those of the demanding fanbase, clubs could be protected from the worst excesses of those who choose to chase the dream.

We have seen club after club come within a whisker of being liquidated with Darlington, who may yet suffer that fate, the latest. If it takes a big club to completely disappear before English football is forced to clean up its act, it will be the saddest, most damning indictment possible.

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One of the great joys of watching football at lower levels is the sheer down-to-earth and make-do-and-mend mentality of many of the clubs and their supporters. Not for them the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, or even League 2 for that matter. As a visitor to such clubs, it’s acceptable to fall into the same bracket.

So it was then that my son and I rolled up in Arundel today to take in their Sussex County League division 1 clash with Peacehaven & Telscombe. We came on the (staggeringly expensive) local bus service, made our way past the imposing castle and ruined priory and into the Mullets’ Mill Road ground. Here, I made my rookie error, pausing only briefly before marching round to the small stand on the far side to take a seat. The problem this caused was we were now so far away from the ground’s single tannoy that the announcement of the two teams was muffled out by a murmured conversation nearby. Thus, the events I am about to relate to you will be largely nameless as I have very little idea of the names of the players on display. Those I can be sure of I managed to deduce through comparison of the names on the programme with the shouts on the field…

For what it’s worth, the conversation in question was a very interesting one about the likelihood of recently deposed Lewes manager Steve King taking over at Eastbourne Borough, themselves the recent wielders of the old managerial halberd. The general consensus seemed to be one of urging caution in every respect.

And so to the game. It was at least delightfully easy to tell the teams apart, Arundel in red and Peacehaven in a yellow change strip so flourescent the travelling supporters needn’t have made the trip.

The kit seemed to do the job in the early stages whilst the Mullets adjusted their sets. A long-range effort went wide before Peacehaven captain Wes Millis had a header from close range palmed over.

From the resultant corner Arundel broke and a well worked move saw a cross from the right headed back to Scott Tipper, and his well struck volley was beaten away by the Peacehaven stopper. Aside from an overhead kick from 20 yards which sailed wide, Peacehaven were unable to seriously trouble Andy McCarthy in the home goal despite enjoying the majority of possession, and half time came and went.

After the break Arundel carried a greater threat, and came close to opening the scoring with a close range header being scrambled off the line. A minute later they were ahead, however. Tipper, a sizeable centre forward subtly nicknamed Titch by his team mates, managed to bring the ball under control on the edge of the area, evade his marker and fire into the bottom right corner from 15 yards.

Peacehaven attempted to strike back, with Millis hooking over from 12 yards, but the game again settled into a pattern of possession for Peacehaven but little end result. Twenty minutes went by and suddenly Arundel were two ahead.

A penalty was awarded for a foul on the byline and Tipper again stepped up to emphatically smash the ball home and claim his 18th of the season. With less then 15 minutes to go, that seemed to be that, although McCarthy was required to make a couple of regulation saves as time wound down. Peacehaven’s frustrations boiled over and two late, rash challenges from number 4, who may or may not have been Mat Fleming resulted in a second yellow card.

The 2-0 win is an excellent result for Arundel, who have only recently extricated themselves from the relegation zone, against a top six team aiming for acceptance into the Ryman league in the near future. On this evidence, Mullets will be safe come the end of the season.

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Whilst focus in non league circles has, rightly, surrounded the increasingly grim proceedings at Darlington and Kettering in recent times, these clubs are by no means alone in suffering financial troubles. Today two more clubs made announcements which bode well for the short term, and both related to unpaid tax bills.

First, Truro City of the Blue Square South announced they had managed to muster up a six figure sum just hours before a winding up hearing was due to be heard. There may still be questions unanswered in their case, but it’s a start.

Farnborough too announced the payment of an unpaid tax bill and, like Truro, hope to see the lifting of the transfer embargo they have been placed under.

Themselves a reformation of Farnborough Town, who were liquidated in 2007 after administration, Boro find themselves in the unusual position of being owned by their manager, Spencer Day. In statements to the media after a 4-0 win over Boreham Wood, Day revealed he had stepped in when examination of the accounts revealed the severity of the problem. He was in a position to do so having already loaned the club a reported £900k in November, the shares transferring to his possession in the absence of a takeover within the subsequent 28 days.

Day is, he says, a reluctant owner and will be looking to sell the club on once a buyer can be found. Negotiations with a consortium lead by former captain and fan’s favourite Tim O’Shea broke down when Day made his investment. The consortium claimed they had been outbid, Day denied it but subsequently relented upon the production of solid evidence to the contrary.

The story takes on a more interesting note with the addition of two further facts. Day had only just arrived at the club from nearby Chertsey after the sacking of Gary Haylock, who had presided over a run of just a single point from 27 which saw the club drop into the bottom three.

The second fact has, potentially, more sinister undertones. Spencer Day attained infamy within Hampshire football circles under his previous name – Spencer Trethewy. The same man who played such a central role in the demise of Farnborough’s near rivals Aldershot 20 years ago. Whilst there is no suggestion of any repeat, the very fact is sure to have caused a tremor of unease amongst Boro supporters.

Indeed, since those misadventures at the Rec in 1990, Day has successfully built a property business and now boasts considerable wealth. He certainly invested heavily in Chertsey, both on and off the pitch, and Farnborough supporters will be hoping for further progress with their sizeable debts.

The very existence of such significant debts, estimated to be £1.7 million in November, is a matter of some concern for a club only four years old and one which should have known better considering what went before. The question of why a club in only its second season at Step 2 has gone full time needs to be asked and more importantly, answered.

A period of stability is to be hoped for, and not only off the pitch – Boro are now onto their third manager in 12 months. Haylock himself was only appointed in the summer after the departure in controversial circumstances of Steve King, the same Steve King suspended from the manager’s position last week by Lewes.

As yet, Lewes have made no statement other than to announce that an investigation is underway and that the reason for the suspension is confidential. As can be expected, this hasn’t exactly helped dampen the rumour mill but suffice it to say that the situation must be a serious one to warrant the approach taken by the board.

Given the manner of his departure from Farnborough, soon after defeat in the promotion playoffs and amongst accusation and counter accusation, and that his previous tenure at Lewes coincided with severe financial trouble as the club spent its way into the Conference only to collapse under the strain, it’s would be no surprise to find interested parties adding two and two together. The true nature of events remains to be seen.

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Where Sussex football is concerned, it’s all about the Albion and their new ground or Crawley Town and their unpopular manager. Not much else breaches the mainstream consciousness in what is, if not quite an English footballing backwater, certainly not one of its major arteries. However, within the county’s boundaries there is a wealth of non league action, all the way from Blue Square South to district league level, taking in hundreds of small clubs. These clubs are fed into the pyramid via the Sussex County League, one of the few county based leagues at what is Step 5 on the non league ladder, but one which faces a serious threat to its existence. The FA has decided to restructure Step 5, and the league has been earmarked for removal from that level.

For those who don’t follow the game beyond the top levels, here’s a few pertinent facts about non league to bear in mind:

• Step 5 feeds into six divisions at Step 4 – Isthmian Division 1 North/South, Southern Division 1 Central/South West and Northern Premier League Division 1 North/South;
• Traditionally, promotion up the pyramid has not been the be all and end all of existence at this level;
• For almost all non league clubs, travel expenses make up a significant part of the budget.

The rationale behind the FA’s plan is to reduce the number of leagues at Step 5 from 14 to 12. At a glance this makes perfect sense, as this is then in line with the six leagues above, allowing for regular promotion/relegation between levels. But there is a lot more to it.

Chasing the dream, non league style

Traditionally, most non league clubs have found their level and mostly kept to it. Whilst some, such as Crawley Town, have managed to rise successfully to a higher level, most are content to remain where they are. In Crawley’s case, being selected as a “new town” after the 2nd World War resulted in rapid growth and a club which had previously competed in the Sussex County League found itself with increasing resources. This however, is rare. For the most part, financial reality dictated that clubs with average attendances of 100 or less would not be too ambitious.

In the last decade or so this seems to have changed – from the Sussex County league, Langney Sports were the first to make the move, becoming Eastbourne Borough, and were followed by Burgess Hill Town, Horsham YMCA, Crowborough Athletic and Whitehawk all made the move up. Horsham YMCA and Crowborough have since dropped back down. Last season’s champions also made the move up to the Ryman League. Crawley Down (not to be confused with Town) struggled to begin with, but an injection of cash resulted in an influx of players and they are now steadily climbing away from the foot of the table.

This season, five more clubs – Lancing, Peacehaven & Telscombe, Redhill, Three Bridges and Pagham – have applied for promotion in the event of their winning the league. With increasing numbers of clubs showing more ambition, and the disparity of 14 into 6, the FA feels the time is right to consider making a change.

For the Sussex County, this would mean a potential three-way split of clubs being merged as follows:

• East Sussex clubs into a new London South East league along with Kent league clubs;
• Mid Sussex clubs into a new London South West league along with members of the Combined Counties league;
• Remaining West Sussex clubs into the Wessex League.

Aside from the loss of 90 years of history, there is another, more immediate, concern which has the chairmen of the respective clubs highly concerned: their club’s future.

Get miles: counting the cost

Budgets at this level are tight. Average crowds are less than 100 and most teams rely fairly heavily on sponsorships and advertising from local businesses. Their ability to attract players is not just about the money they can pay – for players with full time jobs, travelling for midweek games is a major concern and often requires the cooperation of an understanding employer.

This means the idea of moving Sussex clubs into a league full of clubs further afield potentially causes big problems. Whereas Arundel, for example, play more than half of their away matches this season within West Sussex, within a new London South West league they will be more often than not forced to travel into the upper reaches of Surrey. If you’re a fan of a Premier League club who can afford to jet off overseas for training during an international break, you probably scoffed at that part, but it is a serious problem. Double the significant expense of any club, and they will suffer for it regardless of scale.

Arundel’s chairman, Bob Marchant, has not held back in his criticism, telling the local press in no uncertain terms of his concern at the proposals, labelling them “crazy”. Other clubs have been less outspoken, but all have expressed their misgivings. The problem they face is that other leagues less affected, such as those in the north, are far more likely to be in favour of the changes – indeed, the FA has indicated eight of the 14 leagues already support the proposals in principle.

Peacehaven, already aiming for promotion, have estimated that travelling distances will more than double under the proposals and, without the benefit of increased revenues that promotion will bring, will have to make some tough decisions to cover the cost.

For Sussex clubs, however, there may be a simple choice: opt out of any new league and drop to a lower level or make the best of it and risk financial oblivion.

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With the possibility that the BBC have finalised their plans to get rid of the Football League Show come the end of the season, fans are awaiting confirmation. The show had come under pressure from angry fans just weeks before, when the BBC had announced that some of the budgets had to be cut and so there was to be no screening of the show over the Christmas and New Year period. The news of the decision taken by the BBC has not gone down well with fans of the show and there are now fears that Match Of The Day could go the same way.

This is not the first time the BBC have stepped in and been controversial this year as we have already seen them cut down on the amount of sport they are showing in 2012 by axing some of its Formula One coverage, surrendering their TV rights to Sky. Fans of F1 were just as worried and again outraged as many believe that the show will lose fan’s interest all together if they are only going to show parts of the season. What was once a terrifically well backed programme full of entertainment is also becoming more and more commercialised by the day.

With the BBC prepared to make such drastic cuts, their decision to cut the Football League Show can not have been easy. However, by cutting a show that may not have the best ratings in the UK, it means so much, to so few. Thus meaning that fans who follow their teams in the Football League only chance of seeing their team gain coverage and watching their team’s goals,are limited to the internet or Sky. Also for those who can not make it to games for certain reasons, who used to watch the show to see the highlights of their team can no longer do so.

The show has only been running for a season or two and the only logical reason I can think of for cutting the show and for that matter more sport on their channels, is in preparation for screening the Olympics and how much it is going to cost them to air. Having said this I wonder what the ratio of football fans who want to watch their team every week to those who want to watch the Olympics is?

I think the general feedback about the show and it’s biggest problem was it being screened at such a late time. Normally it would be on air after any time after 11 depending what time Match Of The Day finished. I can understand therefore, why some people would view the show as a waste of time.

Many people expressed opinions after the decision was made, that the show was a waste of time anyway, and that they didn’t care too much because lower league football is rubbish, or that they support bigger clubs so it didn’t matter.

I would say to them this: you are naïve and you should be worried. The BBC clearly made a statement that they are not afraid to upset the apple cart and they will cut any show they need to in order to save face. What happens if your team gets relegated to the Championship from the Premier League, then what? How are you going to see your team on the TV? You have then got a problem.

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2010 for Chester FC was the definition of a rollercoaster season. From the depths of despair of losing the club to liquidation to its magnificent rebirth away against Warrington Town and an even more euphoric and emotional moment when Chester returned home against Garforth Town and duly battered them 6-0.

The start of 2011 had a different feel to it. We were back. We’d had half a season after all and were top of the league. Now we had to win it, no mucking about. It started well, sort of. A 1-0 victory against Prescott Cables thanks to a last minute, sublime volley from our right-back Stuart Jones meant that the awful performance that preceded it was forgotten quickly. Two nervy draws followed and then a small moment of history occurred as Chester recorded their first January home win for nine years – a real indication of how crap we’d been for a prolonged period.

Off the pitch January saw the beginning of the youth team thanks to a local partnership with Newton Athletic and they remained unbeaten for the rest of the season. It also saw sad news as popular director Richard Wightman, who was instrumental in the setting up of the new club as membership officer, lost his life after a short battle with a serious illness.

February saw another record broken with the club selling over 1,000 season tickets for the first time which the club in its old guise never managed. This happy news was marred however as crowd trouble reared its ugly head when Chester went away to Chorley. Whilst no-one exactly covered themselves in glory, Lancashire police must be mentioned due to their incompetence for ushering Chester fans towards a Chorley mob, as well as the Chorley board for refusing to take any blame despite their segregation measures being a temporary fence manned by a single steward. At least Chester won eh?

Another tragedy befell the club in March as Trevor Storton, regarded as the clubs best ever centre-half, died aged 61.

Doing it the hard way

On the pitch Chester managed to open up a 13 point gap between their closest rivals Skelmersdale capped by a nail-biting 1-0 win over them. They then managed to let this slip to only six points by the end of the month leaving many seasoned fans happily cooing, ‘we’re Chester, we do it the hard way’.

April started with a win but then Chester dropped vital points at Radcliffe meaning that Skelmersdale could go top if they won all their games in hand. Lancaster City came to the Blues rescue however, beating Skem 1-0, and Chester again knew that if they won all their games they would take the Evo-Stik North Division 1 North to Cheshire.

Then followed two brilliant wins against AFC Fylde and Bamber Bridge meaning that the only way that Chester could lose the title was to lose at Garforth and Skelmersdale had to win by seven clear goals. Typically Chester lost. 2-1 away. And Skem? Well it was blooming close.

Various scores were being passed up and down the terraces. Skem were winning by 5, by 6, ‘we’re Chester, why do we do it the hard way?’ cried the seasoned fans. Then Danny Toronwczak wrote a strange chapter in Chester folklore by scoring two constalation goals for Ossett Albion meaning that Skem won 7-2 and Chester had won the league. ‘We’re Chester, and we do it the hard way’ said the smiling seasoned fans.

And breathe.

New season, new developments

Summer saw the usual turnaround of players. Some big names left with bigger names replacing them, we had an open top bus parade around the city and all of pre-season fixtures went fairly well. Oh and we broke the season ticket sales record again. The season started fairly slowly with a few good victories and a few frustrating defeats.

The board excelled themselves again however after securing a £65,000 grant to become a volunteer training centre. September was then a brilliant month on the pitch with seven wins out of seven, 23 goals scored with none conceded. This meant that John Danby broke Grenville Millington’s record of 590 minutes without conceding by going 781 minutes without conceding until Buxton managed to hold the Blues to a 1-1 draw in October.

Chester then won a thrilling encounter with FC United of Manchester 3-2 with captain George Horan getting the last minute winner after Chris Simm had scored twice. Simm then managed to break both his wrists a day later after slipping on some decking at his home. Couldn’t make that up could you?

The Blues moved to top in November after Liam Brownhill’s superb strike sunk Ashton United, November also saw progression in the F.A. Trophy with impressive wins over F.A. cup giant killers Stourbridge and North Ferriby. Neil Young won manager of the month for the second time in the season in December as Chester won three and drew one of their games leaving them top at the end of the year.

The highlight of the month was an ill tempered game against Northwich Victoria which saw three red cards and a point for either side.

So summing up 2011 for Chester FC? Well a league title and leaving the year top of the league above is tantamount to how well the club has done so far along with its numerous off the field achievements. I think it’s fair to say that 2011 has surpassed most fans delusional fantasies and we are set for another promotion.

Will 2012 deliver it? Well it’s difficult to say. The Evo-Stik Northern Premier is a difficult league with some great teams in it but we are in pole position at the moment and we will hopefully be playing Blue Square football next season. The most important thing for me however is that the fans are in charge of the destiny of the club and that we continue to make the same kind of strides in the community that the club has so far.

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The last 12 to 18 months have been a particularly interesting time for me, especially when it comes to what football I watch and which team I support. Come March 2011 I travelled to Jamaica to become a married man. During the fortnight the time away from writing made me realise where my true support lay. Although I couldn’t stop myself logging onto the bar Wi-Fi just to watch Eden Hazard score a screamer against Marseille.

Despite growing up a Celtic fan, spending seven years in Glasgow with a season ticket it was becoming obviously clear that was no longer where my heart belonged.

I had to give up my season ticket when I moved south to continue my studies. The move to Leeds also coincided with my introduction to French football. And as interest in Ligue 1 grow, my interest in the SPL dropped. Not having a satellite TV package meant it was up to me to find the games to watch. More often than not Ligue 1 would take precedence over Celtic or the SPL.

Over the past 6 months I have written a few times on my love of Lille and how that affair grew and where my obsession with Ligue 1 came from so I won’t bore you again with that.

Last Wednesday I sat down to watch Celtic v Rangers, the first Old Firm game I had watched in 2011. It was a very strange feeling. No longer did I have the stomach churning feelings of apprehension and the fear of losing. I was able to watch it the same way I do any game from England or Spain. Basically there was no vested interest. If anyone had doubted my lack of feelings towards Celtic it was clear when Joe Ledley scored when I didn’t even flinch. There was nothing there. In fact my wife made more noise when the header flew in.

When I look back I think my feeling had left long before I admitted it to myself. Not living in the goldfish bowl had lost my interest. I didn’t relate to the team in any way and also found myself arguing with fellow Celtic fans and despairing with some of their opinions. This was not my team.

During the game my wife made a remark. “It’s such a shame you don’t support your team.” I think the word was “sad” actually. She is never one to beat around the bush.

I totally agree, it was a shame, but if the feelings aren’t there what are you meant to do? After doing some research the distance between my house in Sheffield and both Celtic Park and Lille’s Stade Lille Metropole is pretty much the same give or take a few miles as the crow flies. So it’s not like I’m abandoning my local team.

Ever since my first visit to Lille I have felt even more of a connection with the fans, the city and the team. The same feelings I used to get during Celtic v Rangers games were very much evident when Lille took on PSG recently. It is without doubt they are my team.

I have lived in Yorkshire now for about seven years. My family don’t quite understand the whole French football thing. I’m not even sure how much they know about what I write about, or how much they care. I was disappointed when my 10 year-old cousin gave out a “Booo!” when she saw a picture I took at the Lille v Lyon game because she saw a blue, white and red flag. And of course that was Rangers.

It’s that attitude and mentality that I couldn’t agree with and makes me happy to be away from it all every day. I used to spend so much time defending the SPL. In all honesty it is shite, even in my younger days I would only watch Celtic matches, you’d never catch me watching St Mirren v St Johnstone.

Apart from just lambasting my decision to not follow Celtic my wife Laura did make another interesting point and it was this that stuck in my head for a few days.

What was to happen when we have kids? With us both being football fans, there is little doubt it would be part of their life. It is hard enough for me, a 30-yr old man, to put up with streams or tiny windows from bet365, using Google translate to keep up with the information.

Can you imagine trying to sit a 4-yr old kid down in front of a laptop, explaining why the commentary is foreign, or why it keeps pausing? Kids have very little patience or understanding at that age. I’m not sure I could explain why I love Ligue 1 to my kids until they reach their teenage years.

Surely we’d have to take them to a local team if they were going to catch the football bug. When I look around twitter and try to find people in similar situations, there is always one residing factor. They all support local or boyhood teams.

Terry Duffelen from the Bundesbag still follows Crystal Palace. Andy Hudson actively boycotts Newcastle United but when he’s not globetrotting to Sweden or other exotic place he actively follows FC United of Manchester. Andy Brassell is a European football expert and often travels to Portugal, France or Germany to watch games, however I’d put money on his son Gabriel taking in his first game at Kingsmeadow, home of AFC Wimbledon.

The best example of all is actually my father-in-law. Born in Leeds but a resident of Sheffield since the 80’s, he has always followed his local team. Doncaster Rovers as a kid, then Everton as a student in Liverpool and for about 30 years now he has been a Sheffield United fan.

His basic love of going to football matches led him to change teams a few times but once settled in Sheffield with a family he fully pledged himself to the fate of Sheffield United.

I’ve been in Yorkshire myself now for seven years. Six of those years were spent in Leeds, but not once could I contemplate becoming a Leeds United fan, there was always just something unsavoury about them. I did start my Yorkshire Football Weekend adventure though. Taking me to Farsley, Frickley Athletic, Bradford Park Avenue and of course Bradford City.

Some excellent days out and it was a brilliant feeling to be back watching live football. The move to Sheffield saw me turn up at Hallam FC, Sheffield FC and or course United and Wednesday.

With everything my wife said the only conclusion I could come to was to pick a local team and get behind them, go to games etc. Then by the time kids come along they will have a team to go watch. I loved going to Celtic with my dad as a kid, it was always magical and somewhat of a rite of passage. I know my Uncle Gordon loves nothing more than taking my niece Beth to Celtic Park. It’s just what Dads do.

My choices are limited though. The in-laws are all Blades; the wife is a Blade (the chav stamp on her back confirms that). Over our time together I have been to quite a few games, in fact our first date was a trip to Bramall Lane. As a club they have that slight melancholy about them. The fans always expect the worst, and it makes it special when some success comes their way.

With these circumstances there was no way I could pick Wednesday, I have no hatred towards them whatsoever. I really enjoyed my experiences in the Wednesday press box this season. Personally I’d love both Sheffield clubs back up to at least the Championship.

There was only one option when you take in all the factors. Sheffield United will now become my second team. There is no way they will ever eclipse Lille and move me away from Ligue 1. I just love the team and the league, but it will be nice to have put my support behind a local side and have somewhere to take my kids when they appear (no Laura is not pregnant).

I look forward to the day I get to take them to Bramall Lane, obviously only until they are old enough to jump on the Eurostar and stand beside their Dad signing the Lille hymn at the Grand Stade Lille Metropole.

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Lewes 1 Horsham 1, The Dripping Pan, 2nd January 2012

A missed penalty and an equaliser with the last kick of the game denied Lewes all three points against a Horsham side who picked up just their 10th point of the season so far at the Dripping Pan. The match kicked off at noon to avoid a clash with Brighton & Hove Albion’s game just down the road at the Amex later in the afternoon. This allowed for the possibility of a double header for Seagulls (and Saints) fans who wanted to take in some Ryman Premier action. They weren’t treated to a classic, but there was enough action to make it worthwhile.

The match began slowly, with Hugo Langton’s Horsham side playing a more direct game on the counter, whilst Lewes couldn’t quite get their passing game into a groove. Indeed, it was the Hornets who came closest in the first half hour, forcing a good save by Lewes ‘keeper Rikki Banks away to his right.

Gradually Lewes started to exert pressure, but they were unable to turn their possession into chances as Horsham defended deep and soaked up what was thrown at them. Eventually though they did fashion an opening after 36 minutes, and this was enough to open the scoring. Livewire winger Christian Nanetti – short, quick and with just a hint of Neymar in his hairstyle – made a good run from the classic inside right position, got to the byline to pull the ball back and Harry Harding had the simple task of converting from about eight yards out.

Half time came and went, and Horsham began to press in the second half, with Kery Kedze shooting over and then Banks forced into a save from Yinka Salami’s meaty effort (sorry). After a brief interlude for Steve Robinson to head Nanetti’s free kick over the bar, Horsham were back on the offensive but began to tire as the half wore on.

The danger from Nanetti in particular, whose pace and trickery caused problems all afternoon (so much so that Langton lauded him on his Twitter account after the game as the best attacking player Horsham have faced this season), began to tell and Lewes took control. Michael Malcolm had two chances – the first he failed to make proper contact from Albert Jarrett’s cross, and the second on the counter attack was saved. The ball though fell to Nanetti, who found the goal at his mercy and blasted…wide. A golden chance missed, but Lewes soon had another after the ball broke for Harding and he was brought down by Horsham goalkeeper Michael Hunter.

Hunter was booked, which was the correct decision as there was no guarantee Harding would have reached the ball. Jarrett stepped up to take the resultant penalty, but Hunter made amends by diving to his left and turning the ball around the post. It was by no means the best struck penalty, but still a good save.

Encouragement for Horsham, but they remained under the cosh, man of the match Nanetti again testing Hunter, forcing a fine fingertip save diving away to his right. And that seemed to be that.

Except it wasn’t. Deep into injury time Horsham broke, the ball fell to Kery Kedze on the edge of the area and he drove a low, swerving effort past Banks and into the corner. Cue bedlam as the Horsham bench celebrated on the pitch with the players. Lewes and their fans meanwhile complained about the amount of added time played, and to further their discontent the final whistle was blown immediately after the restart.

For a side chasing promotion, Lewes will be unhappy at dropping points at home but, for their endeavour and team spirit, Horsham deserved a share of the spoils. Their fans too deserve credit for their vociferous support of a struggling team, and a good crowd of 1,005 made for an excellent atmosphere in one of non league football’s more aesthetic grounds.

Both clubs have had more than their fair share of trials in recent years, but things are looking up at the Dripping Pan, whilst Horsham are still in the mire. On today’s display they are in good hands under new boss Langton, but off-field problems continue.

Lewes: Banks, Kamara, Hamilton, Somner, Robinson (c), Hustwick, Harding, Stavrinou, Malcolm, Jarrett, Nanetti.

Horsham: Hunter, Salami, Flanigan, Dunne, McGeehan, Varley, Kedze, Peauroux, Landais, Diedhiou, Freeman

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In a year in which little seemed to change but plenty did it seems apt that Gloucester City ended 2011 in the way they started it, losing to Worcester City at St George’s Lane. But appearances can be deceptive, the 2-1 Boxing Day defeat was a world away from the dire 2-0 loss on New Year’s Day.

The close fought game, played in front of a crowd of more than 1,500, showed how far the Tigers have come on the pitch at least in the past 12 months, fighting with play-off contenders Worcester and showing how they look set to finish higher up the pyramid for the seventh season in a row.

Off the pitch, things are a little complicated. For those who haven’t heard of Gloucester, or who think the city only has a rugby club (like most of the people living in the city), the football club used to be based at Meadow Park, in Sudmeadow Road. That was until July 2007 when the nearby River Severn burst its banks and flooded the ground for the third time in a decade. Putrid flood water almost touched the crossbar, the ground was ruined, contaminated with rubbish from the tip next door and the Tigers were exiled. A year sharing with Forest Green Rovers (10 miles away), two with Cirencester Town (20 miles away) and now two with Cheltenham Town (10 miles away) and to many it seems like Gloucester aren’t any nearer to getting home, but that’s not quite true.

On and off pitch developments

Anyway, let’s rewind to the icy start of the year, when City landed a plum tie in the FA Trophy, away to Luton. Happy days, a pay day for the club which might pay the rent at Cheltenham…well, not quite. The EDL’s planned march in Luton not only scuppered the chance of a Saturday game, forcing City and their fans into a joyous Friday night trip to Kenilworth Road (the fans coaches enjoyed several trips around housing estates as the coach Sat Navs went wrong), but the extra policing needed ‘just in case’ of trouble swallowed up a large amount of the gate money. Oh, and Gloucester lost in the 84th minute after cocking up an offside trap.

Still the squad were beginning to play some lovely football, youngster Adam Mann made the step up from the Development (Reserves) Squad and hasn’t looked back since. Meanwhile defender Tom Hamblin played through the pain barrier with a groin injury which makes most grown men wince when they hear about it and which required an enforced rest from football before he could be operated on.

The inklings of a strike partnership between Darren Edwards and Will Morford began to show at the end of the season. The experienced Edwards joined from Bath in December 2010 and Morford, who seemed to have used his last chance with Tigers boss Dave Mehew, clicked and they have between them scored 40 goals in 2011.

Off the pitch plans to return to Meadow Park were submitted to Gloucester City Council in the spring and a consultation event held in a nearby village hall. The ambitious proposal will see the level of the ground raised up (it currently sits like a sink, surrounded by factories built at a higher level) and rotated, office space, a stand on the end and down one side and a second phase involving a trading estate. It also involves a big bit of flood prevention work which should protect houses and businesses from further flooding. Fans rejoiced, thinking this might be the last season at Whaddon Road, home of rivals Cheltenham Town. But no, despite a special Task and Finish Group aimed at helping the club with the application, making sure all the boxes were ticked, ts crossed and lower case js dotted before the application went in there was a hold-up. The plans didn’t get past the first step and weren’t validated because more reports were needed and one of the reports, the transport report (not helped by the brand new bypass built in the five years City have been away), cost more than £20K.

The longest trip in the Blue Square North for Gloucester is the jaunt to Blyth, and this time it came late in the season – on the back of a few away trips so no chance of an overnight stop beforehand. City aren’t eligible for the £12K travelling fund the Conference kindly gave to Bishops Stortford this season, so the squad left Gloucester just before 5am with the Bristol contingent (half of the squad) getting up way before first light. After more than five hours on the coach, miles of motorway, Scotch Corner, the Angel of the North, the Metro Centre and another 30 miles on the A1 they won 2-0, job done.

City also managed to beat almost promoted Alfreton and pull off a shock draw with high flying Telford before the season was out, with Adam Mann’s debut goal, a 30-yard-volley touted by fans as the goal of the season. By the time a merry group made up of Bertie Bassett, a dubious Kate Middleton, Wonder Woman, Batman and others bemused the Droylsden fans on the last day of the season with the traditional fancy dress away trip the general feeling was that on the pitch at least City were on the up.

Meanwhile back at the planning department the reports were still being compiled.

Pre-season preparations

Over the summer Mann was rewarded with a proper contract and only Tom Parrinello and Tom Evans left the squad, opting to drop down two leagues to avoid the travel. In came Steve Davies, released by Forest Green Rovers, and Matt Lock from Chelmsford. Striker Morford opted to miss all of pre-season, heading to Australia to see his friends, including Manly United captain Marc Richards and Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith. He claimed to have done some training but the manager was less than delighted to hear he had taken part in a skydive during the trip. After arriving back into the country a week into the season Morford played two games for Gloucester, one for Bishops Cleeve alongside his coaching job and training all within a week. The break from football made the 24-year-old come back stronger, his partnership with Edwards renewed. Morford has looked one of the stronger players so far in the 2011/12 season.

Also returning was young Hereford United midfielder/defender Tyler Weir, who was back on loan after a few games. He ended 2010/11 with City, even attending the end of season presentation, and was shipped back out by Jamie Pitman just before the Bulls began to implode. His loan spell ends in January and many hope Weir, who has excelled at left back, will be offered to Gloucester on a more permanent basis and Weir himself has told the Gloucester Citizen he wants to be at City.

The autumn saw a goalkeeper swapsie between Gloucester and Cirencester Town, with Kev Sawyer leaving City and Mike Green returning. Former Bristol Rovers keeper Green had stood in for Sawyer when he was injured early on in the season but later signed for the Centurions. After Green’s depature Sawyer’s form dipped and he was released, replaced by Bristol City youngster Lewis Carey who signed for Gloucester on a month’s loan. Meanwhile Green left Ciren and Sawyer took his place, before Green, who played for Gloucester during the 2009/10 season on loan, signed properly. Carey was back at the end of the year to cover for a suspended Green. And if that wasn’t confusing enough Gloucester’s right back is also called Mike Green, so quite often number one and number two on the team sheet say the same thing. The manager calls one Greener (keeper) and one Greeny (right back) to differentiate.

Autumn progress

October saw a magnificent 7-2 spanking of Truro City in the FA Cup, with goals from six different players. Fan power and support from across the globe saw City’s captain fantastic Tom Webb win player of the round. He scored 3 goals in 2011, 3 more than he’s scored since City were promoted in 2009. He also made his 450th appearance for the club at the age of 27. The FA Cup run ended late on in the replay against Chelmsford City with a goal scored by a player who had been sent off in the 1-1 draw on the Saturday. Another replay from hell, a third meeting with Truro in a month, saw Gloucester exit the Trophy on a Tuesday night hundreds of miles from home.

As the year ends consistency is still an issue on the pitch, City can’t string more than a few wins together. Hampered by a small budget the squad still sort of picks itself and the absence of centre half Matt Coupe has been felt during his recent two match suspension.

Boxing Day saw the proper return of Jack Harris, who broke his leg during the first home game of last season, having had the distinction of scoring then getting a straight red in a pre-season friendly, played snatches of games and endured a month’s loan with Cirencester Town, he finally looked like a footballer again. Teenager Joe Parker was spotted warming up with the club, the 16-year-old has been banging goals in for the under 18s and the reserves. If City can iron out the tendency to commit truly horrific defensive lapses, often in the final ten minutes of games, a comfortable midtable finish beckons.

And the stadium plans, well, finally after reports from the transport folk, the letter from the Environment Agency and all the boxes ticked, they are in. Properly in. So while the club won’t be back next year, with a further season at Cheltenham already agreed, this could be the year where the tiny, little mouse steps stop and the Tigers start bounding back towards Gloucester.

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