The FA Cup Miscellany by Michael Keane is an absolute treat for English football fans.
The FA Cup is something special and so is this book. They both have a incredibly charming quality. The book has a little bit of everything put together in no certain order, while any team can win the FA Cup.
You hear about the first edition in the 1871/72 season where only a few of the original 15 teams are even recognizable today. You’ll hear about the wacky teams that have played in the FA Cup over the years: Blyth Spartans, Bedlington Terriers, Thurnby Nirvana, and Billingham Synthonia.
You’ll even learn about Preston North End’s 26-0 defeat of Hyde United in 1887. Great goals, great players, great games, that’s the FA Cup.
There is so much to learn and this book is a great place to start.
Newcastle United On This Day by David Potter is another one of our favorites.
This little book contains a “diary entry” for every day of the year, a little nugget of Newcastle history to be enjoyed by the club’s true supporters. The history of the club is a bit like riding a rollercoaster, some highs, some lows, and a lot in between. This book captures that feeling in a big way. The highs are quite exciting thanks to great players like Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer. The lows are centered around one word: relegation.
Today Newcastle sits in the middle, trying to stay up in the BPL and keeping the fight up against the big boys from Manchester, Liverpool, and Arsenal. This book is a fantastic read that talks about what could have been and what has become reality for all of those that love Newcastle United.
Wolves’ Greatest Games by John Hendley is a special text for a special club, one that is overwhelming with history. Yes, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is one of the England’s oldest clubs, having been founded in 1877.
Wolves were one of the original founders of the Football League, an early ancestor of the English Premier League. They have even played at the same location, Molineux, for 100+ years.
The discussion of the great games is absolute magic, bringing up some of the best memories from the club’s long history. There is a lot of history and a lot of great moments from the 1893 FA Cup Final to EPL matches in 2011.
I have to say it was entertaining to see the growth of the club (and English football for that matter) over the pages of the book. Hendley gives great snapshots of matches, describing their importance and where they fit into the team’s history. You encounter great managers, players, and of course the always supportive fans that stuck with the club in good times (dominance of the 1950s) to lows (being relegated out of the Premier League and then the Championship).
As the title suggests, these are three great reads from our friends at Pitch Publishing.
