FA CUP 1963-64.
HAMMERS WIN BATTLE OF THE YOUNG UNS BY Vince Cooper WHILST it was two of the country’s most durable Cup battlers who took to the field at Wembley on...
YOU NEED HANDS – Part One
YOU NEED HANDS – THE PAT JENNINGS STORY (Part One) BY Vince Cooper FEW players earn the accolades and affection of two sets of fans so much...
FROM FOSSILS TO FOXES
FROM FOSSILS TO FOXES THE HISTORY OF LEICESTER CITY BY Vince Cooper PART ONE 1884-1939 Leicester City weren’t always Leicester City. They started...
FROM THE RAMBLERS TO THE BRITANNIA
FROM THE RAMBLERS TO THE BRITANNIA BY Vince Cooper HAVING first opened for business in 1878, The Victoria Ground lasted as the home of Stoke City...
FROM INTER-CITIES TO UEFA CUP
From Inter-Cities to Europa League The story of The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup BY Vince Cooper Part One. 1955 to 1962 The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ran...
THE FIRST SKIPPER
THE FIRST SKIPPER BY Vince Cooper ON Saturday 5 March 1870 England met Scotland in an unofficial international at Kennington Oval. The game had...
TALES FROM THE SHED – THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
Last year I was asked to contribute to Tales From The She’d, an anthology of 34 Chelsea-related stories which was being published to raise money for...
THE FIRST MAVERICK
THE FIRST MAVERICK BY Vince Cooper IN the 1960s and 70s the term ‘maverick’ has come to describe those footballers who defied convention, were seen...
ENGLAND’S NUMBER ONE #1
GORDON BANKS BY Vince Cooper IT is often said that the strength of any great football team starts right at the back. A great goalkeeper not only...
THE LITTLE TIN IDOL
1871-72 F. A. Cup. Charles Alcock creates, then wins, The Little Tin Idol BY Vince Cooper EVERY major sporting tournament in the world owes a debt...
TRAVELLIN’ MAN
TRAVELLIN’ MAN – The Peter Withe story (part one) BY Vince Cooper IT was a long and often winding road to the top for Peter Withe, but when he...
TEN YEARS AHEAD
BY Vince Cooper In 1968 England manager Sir Alf Ramsey claimed that Martin Peters was ‘Ten years ahead of his time’. Although the comment confused...
NEW BOOKS – MAY 2023
THE people at Pitch Publishing (www.pitchpublishing.co.uk) continue to put out great books on a wide range of football (and other sporting)...
Blue Army – John Bumstead
BLUE ARMY BY Vince Cooper John Bumstead Chelsea have had their share of ‘unsung heroes’ over the years. Peter Houseman, a hugely influential member...
THE LEGEND OF THE BUSBY BABES
By Jason Grant Shela MBE FRSA MA The Busby Babes February 6th 1958 is a day that is forever etched with sadness and sorrow in the hearts and minds...
THE WAR CUPS
BY Vince Cooper IT is often written that football stopped during World War Two and while it’s true that ‘official matches’ like the Football League...