Gainsborough's Fred Spiksley was one of the first working class youngsters in 1887 to live 'the dream' of becoming a professional footballer, before later finding a role as a globe-trotting coach. He thus dodged the inevitability of industrial, poorly paid, dangerous labour. Lightning fast, Spiksley created and scored hundreds of goals including, to the great joy of the future Queen Mary who chased him down the touchline, three against Scotland in 1893. The outside left scored both Sheffie...

This is the incredible true story of the Lancashire team who dominated the world's first cup competition at the beginning of the 20th century. Bury FC, FA Cup winners in 1900 and 1903, won the famous competition before Manchester United were formed and 65 years before Liverpool finally triumphed.Award-winning journalist Mark Metcalf tells the story of how a small town team took on and beat the cream of Edwardian English football and triumphed twice at Crystal Palace. Illustrated wit...

For most supporters of Sunderland AFC, the history of their club would probably be best represented by the names of the mid 1930s team, particularly Gurney and Carter, undoubted Wearside football legends. The name of Charlie Buchan also looms large even today in the tale of a football club whose history can be cut like a knife. Although Charlie Buchan might still be a revered figure on Wearside, his team mates aren't and yet the 1912/13 season, which is the subject of this book, produced a...

On Saturday 8 September 1888, League football kicked off. Twelve clubs had combined to play regular fixtures and the result was to revolutionise not only English football but virtually every nation and sport since then. In this book, the history of the Football League season 1888/89 is told in great depth, with reports on every match and profiles of all those who played – amateur and professional – during this thrilling historic season, in which Preston were ‘invincible’ and set the standa...

Manchester United may be world famous today, but back in 1907 the club had yet to win either the League Championship or the FA Cup. Things were to change dramatically over the following four seasons, during which time the club moved to Old Trafford under the management of Ernest Mangnall, and captured two League titles, two Charity Shields and a first FA Cup success. But how were these successes achieved? Who were the players that set the Manchester club on a path to greatness? Who were th...

As one of the twelve founding Football League clubs in 1888/89, Everton Football Club has a long, proud history. Having played more top-flight League games than any other English team, the Toffees have won the League championship nine times - the fourth best record of any team. The first occasion was in the third season of League football, 1890/91 when the Blues became the first club from Liverpool to collect the League championship trophy from their then base, Anfield. In achieving their ...

This book offers fascinating insight into the team that set Manchester United onto the path to greatness. Featuring player profiles, match analyses, statistics and match data, it is arranged chronologically to allow the reader to easily follow the team's path to victory.When Manchester United captured the Premier League title at the end of the 2008-09 season it brought their trophy haul to 36 with 18 top-flight successes, 11 FA Cups, three League Cups, three European Cups and one Cup-Winn...

The South Yorkshire football club's legendary journey to victory at the 1912 FA Cup Final is recounted in this illustrated history.In Lifting the Cup, Mark Metcalf and David Wood tell the story of Barnsley Football Club's most illustrious period. Between 1910 and 1912 'Battling Barnsley' won their way to the FA Cup Final on two separate occasions. They capped things off by beating West Bromwich Albion in the 1912 final replay at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Bar...

In addition to being the most bitter industrial dispute the coalminers' strike of 1984/5 was the longest national strike in British history. For a year over 100,000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers, their families and supporters, in hundreds of communities, battled to prevent the decimation of the coal industry on which their livelihoods and communities depended. Margaret Thatcher's government aimed to smash the most militant section of the British working class. She wanted to ...

In this compelling memoir, Roy Massey tells the fascinating story of his 50 years in football as a player, coach and scout, including a long spell at Arsenal during the Wenger glory years. As a player, Massey overcame a series of injuries to score goals for Rotherham, Orient and Colchester only for another serious injury to end his career at an early age. Unperturbed, he became a PE teacher and combined this with behind-the-scenes work to discover and nurture talent at Colchester United an...

A visual portrait of a British city and its people fighting to survive an era of industrial decline, captured by a steelworker-turned-photographer.The social, industrial, and economic changes imposed on the Sheffield area during the 1980s are captured with remarkable clarity in this volume featuring the work of steelworker-turned-photographer Martin Jenkinson. Like many northern England and Scottish cities during that decade, Sheffield went through troubled times, e...

You would be mistaken in thinking the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United was only something that has existed in recent times. Obviously there was considerable hype as United equalled and then overtook Liverpool's previous record of 18 League titles, something the Merseyside club and its fans had cherished. And to lose it to your biggest rivals was something which was especially hard to palate. Liverpool fans, in turn counter by continually taunting United over the five Europea...