Roy of the Rovers - Total Football - Part 11 Roy of the Rovers - Total Football - Part 11 Melchester Rovers continue their fine form with a win in the League Cup Quarter Final. While Roy joins Rocky in the States before the MLS Cup Final. Copyright: © All Rights Reserved Roy of the Rovers – Total FootballPart 11 Johnny Twist was sent oﬀ for a professional foul on Jamie Marshall - angering Eastoke manager Danny Nokes  Melchester Rovers see off League One opponents  Cleary scores first Rovers goal  Burgess and Jacobs pick up injuries  Eastoke centre-back !ist sent off Lucas Cleary struck his first Melchester Rovers goal !ith a brilliant free-kick tohelp secure a League Cup se"i-final place !ith a !in at #$-"an Eastoke% Harry Jacobs put the Premier League leaders in front and Cleary made it 2-0. Robert Fabiengae !asto"e hope# but Johnny $%ist %as harshly sent off before Jamie &arshall %rapped up ictory.

&elchester centre-bac" &i"e 'urgess suffered a head in(ury and %inger Harry Jacobs hobbled off# but neither %as a serious problem# boss Johan )eegrun said.!asto"e centre-bac" $%ist had a night to forget# haing gien the ball a%ay before Jacobs e*changed passes %ith +re% Po%ell and drilled a perfectly-placed shot into the corner of thenet for &elchester,s 2rd-minute opener. 'ut the defender %as unluc"y to be sent off seen minutes after Fabien had pulled them bac" into the match. Referee James reen ruled that $%ist had committed a professional foul by dragging bac" &arshall# although there %as no clear appeal from the for%ard - to the e*tent that it loo"ed at first as if "eeper Leo Forte had been penalised for handling the ball as he slid outside of his penalty area.

&igh five' &elchester Roers are loo"ing to %in the League Cup for a fifth time# haing lifted the trophy in /1# /34# /31 and 2002$he red card destroyed !asto"e,s momentum (ust as they %ere threatening to drag themseles bac" into the match.

5nd any hopes of a reial %ere ended %hen &arshall slammed in the rebound from eight yards after Forte had parried +e Loon,s shot.6ntied %or"ed hard in the opening 20 minutes to hold off a strong &elchester side# %ith Po%ell retained in a line-up sho%ing si* changes to the one that beat Redsto"e 2-0 in the Premier League on )aturday.Jacobs, opener roc"ed +anny 7o"es8 League 9ne promotion hopefuls# though# and the isitors could hae gone further in front as Cleary fired an effort straight at Forte and 7ic" $homas bloc"ed a +ic"son shot.$he match %as held up for seeral minutes at the end of the first half as 'urgess %as "noc"ed to the ground in a collision %ith his goal"eeper &ar" &c+ermott as Roers defended a corner. $he :rish defender needed lengthy treatment on the pitch before he %as ;anteied off.

League Cup se"i-finalists Roy of the Rovers Database Story | FM Scout Home › Forums › Football Manager 2013 › FM13 Manager Stories Roy of the Rovers Database Story All of the famous opponents of Melchester Rovers enter the lower leagues to see who will rise to challange the real life teams. []] Pages corbmiester 2013-08-21 20:41 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 My ambition with this save is to take a fictional comic book team as far as I can into the "real world". No famous players are recreated here except for authentic club colors. All teams begin in the lowest tier of English football possible, which will be the Western and Wessex premier Leagues. The teams selected are known to me during the 1980's with a little help from Wikipedia. Teams like Walford who Roy Race once managed, Melboro the Melchester Rovers arch enemy, and even Danefield Utd but without Johnny "Hardman" Dexter of course. I started as unemployed and took the best offer which came from Danefield United.

No team has received any special tweaks or money etc, however all comic book teams operate on a professional status. └ This post was edited by corbmiester (2013-08-21 22:49, 3 years ago) Nathaniel 2013-08-21 20:43 668 posts 89 likes joined May 08, 2013 Nice! Could be a great story mate! You should speak to Stam about uploading this database to the site though! I would imagine a lot of people would like to download it! 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 For those who have no clue who Danefield United are, here are some Wiki pointers. Johnny Dexter was a fictional footballer who appeared in three different comic strips in the British boys' comic Roy of the Rovers during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. He was a defender, playing centre-back for Danefield United and England and usually left-back for Melchester Rovers.

He was amongst the most popular characters in the comic, being the only one other than Roy himself ever to appear on the cover of one of the comic's annuals, and is still fondly remembered by fans of the "golden age" of British sports-themed comics. Dexter made his debut in the very first issue of the weekly Roy of the Rovers comic, dated 25 September 1976, starring in the strip The Hard Man. Johnny was the titular character, so named because of his rugged style of play and fiery temper, which often got him into trouble with referees. He initially played for Danefield United, but was transferred to Spanish team Real Granpala, where he first encountered Hungarian manager Viktor Boskovic, who followed him back to Danefield when he returned there. The strip was written by Barrie Tomlinson and usually drawn by Doug Maxted. The tone of the strip was generally light-hearted, with large doses of humour provided by the camp antics of the fat, bald-headed Boskovic, who was fond of kissing his players when they performed well, and often fainted during moments of high drama.

Johnny also regularly found himself involved in off-pitch slapstick, including one memorable storyline in which he travelled to Italy to discuss signing for a top Serie A team. After rebuffing the team's owner, he ended up in prison and then was forced to try and flee the country dressed in drag. The Hard Man ran for nine years, but came to an end (as part of a larger overhaul of the comic) when a rising star named Bobby Williams took Dexter's first team place during a pre-season tour of the continent. When Johnny returned for pre-season training he put in a transfer request, which Viktor accepted. Somewhat bizarrely considering his status as a former England international, the only club to make a bid for Johnny was the worst club in the Football League, Burnside Athletic, who had finished bottom of the Fourth Division in three of the previous four seasons. Johnny was granted a free transfer and appeared in the "Hard Man" strip for the last time on 10 August 1985.

During the summer of 1986, the Melchester Rovers team depicted in the main Roy of the Rovers strip had been decimated by a terrorist atrocity which had killed several players, and Dexter joined the club as one of manager Roy Race's new signings as he re-built the team (making him one of a number of players who migrated from their own strip to the main RotR strip during the comic's lifetime). He continued to play for Rovers until the demise of the weekly comic in 1993 and then went on to appear for them during the subsequent short-lived Roy of the Rovers Monthly, his temper causing rifts with both Blackie Gray and Mervyn Wallace during their spells as Rovers manager. He also memorably had an on-pitch fight with his own team-mate, Roy's son Rocky. While with the Rovers he helped them win the Littlewoods Cup in 1987, the Football League Championship in 1988 and 1992, and the FA Cup in 1990. 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 Now were up to date, this story can now truly begin....Post season....

corbmiester 2013-08-26 15:45 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 "We are hoping that all those trophy wins last season will give us added confidence for this year. We have had a big turn around in squad players during the post season due to wage demands and players we feel we could improve upon. We have a new goalkeeper in Adam Davies on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, who at 4 stars is our 2nd most talented player. At Right back we've brought in two talented players with a battle on their hands to cement a spot. I signed Shay Facey from Man City U18's who on paper should have the advantage, however 18 yr old Gary Rooney who we signed from Linfield also looks a great prospect. From Man Utd U18's we picked up left Back Reece James and two solid center Backs to give us a solid rearguard. Corbin-Ong was made our captain due to his International Experience with Canada despite being only 22. Whilst the other Center Back Antwi was captured from AFC Wimbledon who's maturity sees him as vice captain and partner.

One is good on the ground whilst the other in the air. We are lacking in quality widemen and therefore I will be forced to play talented 17 yr old new signing Chris Howells on the right. If we can sign a wideman then Howells will then play in his ideal No.10 spot. Whilst on the left we'll play 20 yr old Jake Gosling the only regular from last year. In the center sees Ex Man Utd U18 Josh Harrop and Ex Notts County U18 Greg Tempest providing the bullets and creativity. Whilst 17 yr old Welsh red head Dylan Salisbury provides the defensive cover in a 451 formation. We decided to go for a lone striker due to the poor quality of strikers at our disposal which will see Guiseppe Sole as the striker. He did ever so well at the back end of last season creating 7 goals in 8 games played. We will be hoping he leaves the creativity to others whilst banging in the goals. So in summary our defense this year possess the best markers and positioning in the league along with great pace and heading ability. This will ensure that we play a man to man system with a high line.

Whilst in the Midfield area we have the best passers and technicians in the game to ensure we play a short passing game and Barcelona style pressing due to our stamina levels. We will try to break down teams going through the middle with the widemen narrow and look for the killer passes. So all in all we have changed our style to a more fluid one that should see entertaining Football something that was slightly lacking last year." 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 DANEFIELD UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB V BURNHAM FC Burnham F.C. is a non-League football club from Burnham in Buckinghamshire, near Slough. They currently compete in the Southern Football League Premier Division. The team play in blue and white quartered shirts and blue shorts. The manager is Martin Stone and the chairman is Gary Reeves.Home matches are played at The Gore. The Gore has been recently redeveloped, with a new stand and facilities. The club was founded in 1878, Burnham FC is the second oldest club Buckinghamshire. The club spent its first years in various local leagues, and then joined the Great Western Combination league in 1948.

16 years later they moved to the Wycombe Combination in 1964 and then spent one year in the Reading Combination for the 1970-71 season.[2] The team first joined a senior league in 1971 when they entered the Hellenic Football League Division One A, finishing as runners-up in their first season, followed by a runners-up position in Division One which saw them promoted to the Premier Division. In 1975–76 they were Premier Division champions. In 1977 they switched to the Athenian League, where they achieved two runners-up finishes, and also reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase. In 1984 Burnham switched leagues to the London Spartan League, where they were champions at the first attempt. The following year the club merged with Hillingdon Borough to form Burnham & Hillingdon F.C., taking over Hillingdon's place in the Southern League.[3][4] In 1987 the club's name reverted simply to Burnham F.C. but performances on the pitch declined and the 1994–95 season saw the club relegated back to the Hellenic League.

In four seasons back at this level the club never finished out of the top 5, resulting in promotion back to the Southern League in 1999, where they remain to this day, although due to the renaming and restructuring of divisions they have technically played in three different divisions without ever being relegated or promoted. Burnham have had modest success in cup competitions. Their best run in the FA Vase came in the 1982–83 season where they lost to Halesowen Town in a two legged semi-final (the home match being the clubs highest recorded attendance). In 1999–2000 they reached the 4th Round of the FA Trophy where they drew Scarborough, then residing in the Conference (they had also recently been relegated from the Football League). Burnham managed a very creditable 1–1 draw at home before losing 6–0 in the replay. In the 2005–06 season Dave Mudge's Burnham side achieved their best run in the FA Cup, losing 3–1 at home to Aldershot Town in the 1st Round Proper.

The game was watched by one of the biggest crowds at Burnham in recent years and even saw Burnham appear briefly on Match of the Day. Burnham completed one of their best seasons in recent memory when they finished 3rd in the Southern League Division One South & West in 2006–07. Due to this league position they entered the promotion playoffs but lost at home in the semi-final 1–2 to eventual playoff winners Swindon Supermarine. This misfortunate was mirrored three seasons later, when, under the managerial guidance of Jamie Jarvis, the Blues again lost out in the semi-final of the play-offs, this time to Chesham United. The 2012-13 season saw the club gain promotion to the premier division of the Southern league when they finished as champions of Division one central.[5] This will be the first time Burnham have ever played at this level of football. In FM13 they finished a creditable 5th last season in the Southern league before being transfered into this years Isthmian League. This will be the first time these sides have ever met.

Welcome all to our opening game of the season and a special welcome to Burnham FC who become the very first real life club to play a league game at our ground. We will be relying on your faithful support to cheer us onto hopefully our opening points of the season. last season was an incredible ride for us as we won the Wessex League Title, Sydenham League Cup, Hampshire Senior Cup, and the FA Vase. It would be too much to ask for a repeat but as outsiders for promotion this year we will expect some kind of challenge for the title. Tonight sees my beloved United face this seasons first real test to our title credentials as a Mouriniho inspired Chelsea visit Old Trafford. Chelsea of late seem to have the indian sign over us. Theres no more drogba to handle but instead a worser scenario of handling a clutch of small, tricky, and quick players. A win will send a message to all the league that we are even more dangerous with Moyes than Fergie. A draw though is a likely result but I wont be shocked if Chelsea win here tonight. My prediction 1-1. Ben Hibbs leads you through United v Chelsea at Old Trafford...

19:21 The players have just come out onto the pitch to do their warm-up and the fans inside Old Trafford sang Wayne Rooney's name. The striker received a lot of support when he came off the bench against Swansea in the opening game of the season too. He played a part in two goals that afternoon, which has earned him a starting spot tonight. 19:14 The United goalkeepers were just given a very warm reception as they made their way out to start their match preparations. 19:13 Chelsea's starting line-up is: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Lampard, Ramires; Oscar; De Bruyne, Hazard, Schurrle. They're playing without any recognised strikers. Interesting stuff from Mourinho. United, on the other hand, are largely as expected. 19:06 The teams are in and it appears Stewart Gardner was correct with his prediction. The team is as follows: De Gea; Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Carrick, Cleverley; Valencia, Rooney, Welbeck; van Persie. 18:51 It's hot and humid inside Old Trafford. The pitch looks a lush green.

The groundstaff here have done an incredible job completely relaying the turf. It's the perfect stage. The players will be out to warm up on it relatively soon and we'll have team news soon.

Pkd Inf Name Position Nat Height Weight Age Value GK Adam Davies GK ENG 6'3" 11 st 13 lbs 22 £80K DR Shay Facey D/WB (R) ENG 5'8" 11 st 0 lbs 18 £4.5K DCR La'Vere Corbin-Ong D (C) CAN 6'0" 12 st 3 lbs 22 £16K DCL Wnt Will Antwi D (C) GHA 6'2" 12 st 8 lbs 30 £10K DL Reece James D (L) ENG 5'8" 10 st 7 lbs 19 £14K DMC Dylan Salisbury DM, M (C) WAL 5'9" 11 st 2 lbs 17 £500 MR Josh Harrop D (R), M (RC) ENG 5'10" 11 st 6 lbs 17 £6K MCR Wnt Chris Howells M/AM (RC) WAL 5'7" 11 st 2 lbs 18 £500 M

CL Greg Tempest M (LC) ENG 5'9" 11 st 4 lbs 18 £30K ML PR Jake Gosling M (RL) ENG 5'11" 11 st 0 lbs 20 £5K STC Giuseppe Sole ST ENG 5'11" 11 st 9 lbs 25 £8K S1 PR James Beasant GK ENG 6'2" 14 st 11 lbs 24 £4K S2 Cédric Abraham D (C) FRA 6'0" 11 st 11 lbs 31 £1.5K S3 Alistair Taylor M/AM (RL) ENG 6'1" 12 st 1 lb 21 £16K S4 Jed Harper-Penman M/AM (RL) ENG 5'7" 10 st 5 lbs 19 £4.5K S5 Nathan Buddle D (C) ENG 6'4" 14 st 2 lbs 19 £3.5K 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 201

3 Danefield United FC 1-0 Burnham FC (Isthmian League 1st Division North) A young Danefield United side showed that you can win with kids as they came out on top against a much more experienced Burnham FC team on a fine summer's afternoon at Danefield United Stadium.

Striker Giuseppe Sole got Danefield United FC off to a flyer by scoring a real poacher's effort from 11 metres on 4 minutes. Experienced centre-back Steve Casey then summed up his team's performance by nearly gifting Danefield United FC another goal on 48 minutes. Burnham FC's Smith was forced off by injury in the 76th minute. Then followed controversy as Danefield United FC were denied claims by young midfielder Jake Gosling for a penalty. Danefield United had a number of attempts at goal but their profligacy meant they didn't score as many as they maybe would have liked.

Player of the Match: Greg Tempest (Danefield United) Attendance: 8,728 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 Sat, 10.8.2013 15:00 Burnham FC H 1-0 Giuseppe Sole (4) Isthmian League 1st Division North Wed, 14.8.2013 19:45 Guernsey A 2-2 Jed Harper-Penman (72), Nathan Hotte (81) Isthmian League 1st Division North Sat, 17.8.2013 15:00 Leiston FC H 5-1 Raymond McGroggan (15), Jake Gosling (24, 62), Greg Tempest (41), Giuseppe Sole (75) Isthmian League 1st Division North Sat, 24.8.2013 15:00 Cheshunt FC A 3-2 Raymond McGroggan (41, 55, 65) Isthmian League 1st Division North

 Sat, 31.8.2013 15:00 Ashford Town (Middlesex) H 4-0 Giuseppe Sole (13), Raymond McGroggan (23, 61), David Martin (90) Isthmian League 1st Division North Wed, 4.9.2013 19:45 Romford A 2-1 David Martin (82), Will Antwi (89) Isthmian League 1st Division North Sat, 14.9.2013 15:00 Heybridge Swifts H 1-0 Michael Potts (15) Isthmian League 1st Division North Wed, 18.9.2013 19:45 Guildford City H 2-1 David Martin (33), Giuseppe Sole (pen 79) Isthmian League 1st Division North Sun, 22.9.2013 15:00 Beaconsfield SYCOB A 1-1 David Martin (21) Isthmian League 1st Division North Wed, 2

5.9.2013 19:45 AFC Sudbury A 1-1 Adam Baker (27) Isthmian League 1st Division North Sat, 28.9.2013 15:00 Ware FC A 3-0 Dylan Salisbury (37, 65, 90+4) Isthmian Ryman League Cup 1st Rnd Pos Inf Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D.

Pts 1st Soham Town Rangers 10 8 2 0 17 7 +10 26 2nd Danefield United 10 7 3 0 22 9 +13 24 3rd Maldon & Tiptree Town 10 5 4 1 16 11 +5 19 4th Guernsey 10 4 5 1 19 10 +9 17 5th AFC Sudbury 10 4 5 1 18 9 +9 17 6th Milboro 10 4 5 1 14 10 +4 17 7th Heybridge Swifts 10 5 1 4 15 10 +5 16 8th Burnham FC 10 4 2 4 12 9 +3 14 9th Cheshunt FC 10 3 3 4 14 14 0 12 10th Potters Bar Town 10 2 

6 2 8 10 -2 12 11th Beaconsfield SYCOB 10 3 2 5 17 18 -1 11 12th Leiston FC 10 2 5 3 11 14 -3 11 13th Ware FC 10 3 2 5 10 13 -3 11 14th Ashford Town (Middlesex) 10 3 2 5 10 18 -8 11 15th Romford 10 2 4 4 14 17 -3 10 16th AFC Hayes 10 3 1 6 9 15 -6 10 17th Guildford City 10 2 3 5 10 20 -10 9 18th Godalming Town 10 0 7 3 8 12 -4 7 19th Horsham YMCA 10 1 3 6 8 16 -8

 6 20th Wroxham FC 10 1 3 6 10 20 -10 6 "THE TEAM IS DOING AMAZINGLY WELL CORFOS IS A BLOODY GENIUS!" DANEFIELD UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB V GODALMING TOWN The club traces its origins to Godalming United FC, a club formed in 1950 by former pupils of Godalming Grammar School.

In 1970 Surrey Senior League side Farncombe folded. Godalming took over their debts and their Meadrow ground, changing their name to Godalming & Farncombe FC and the name of the ground to Weycourt. The club was accepted into the Combined Counties League in 1979, and in 1980 changed its name again, this time to Godalming Town FC. The team were league champions in 1983–84 but subsequently slipped down the league until by the early 1990s they were regularly battling against relegation. In 1992 the Guildford Football Appeal donated money towards the cost of adding floodlights to the ground, and in return the name of the club was changed once more, to Godalming & Guildford FC. During the 2005 close season, the club reverted to the name Godalming Town. In 2005–06 Godalming won the Combined Counties League title and were promoted to the Isthmian League Division One South, the highest level at which the club had ever played.

In the 2009–10 season manager Chuck Martini led the side to the play-off final, where they lost 2–1 to Folkestone Invicta, and the Surrey Senior Cup final, where the G's beat Isthmian League Premier Division side Sutton United 2–1. Ground[edit source | editbeta] Godalming Town play their home games at Wey Court, Meadrow, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 3JE. When the club took over Wey Court, a new pitch was laid on the site of an old waste tip, although drainage problems and subsidence meant the team had to play at Broadwater Park for a period. In 1985 another local club, Addlestone & Weybridge Town, folded and, before their ground at Liberty Lane was demolished, Godalming purchased the stand and perimeter fence, re-erecting the stand at Weycourt with seating and a fascia added. In 1995 a new turnstile building was erected incorporating a turnstile from Millwall's old ground, and in 1996 the clubhouse was refurbished.

In 2006 another turnstile was donated, this time by Southend United and a new covered stand was built. Last season in FM13 they finished 12th in the Southern league 1st Div central.However this season they are finding this new league a bit tough and occupy one of three relegation spots. " Welcome everyone to another home game against a struggling Godalming side. The fact that our opponents have found it hard going so far is no excuse for us to think we will easily win when we turn up. We have to keep our concentration levels up to maintain our unbeaten start. Congratulations to our defensive midfielder Dylan Salisbury who amazingly hit a hat-trick in our away win over Ware FC. After a couple of draws it was refreshing to get back to winning ways.With your support we hope to continue this unbeaten run today. After watching a boring 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea three things were learned. 1. Chelsea respects our firepower so much that he decided to flood the midfield without a striker and park the bus. 2.This game showed why we need a top level midfield creator. Fellani is not the answer but his power is needed.

Why don't we get Kaka or Ozil even if on loan. 3. Kagawa is at Kaka and Ozil's level now but is not trusted for a big game like this and even Clown Cleverley keeps him out? ADAM DAVIES ON LOAN KEEPER FROM SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY HAS SO FAR BEEN OUR MOST OVERUSED PLAYER PLAYING IN EVERY GAME SO FAR. A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IS TO KEEP HIM INJURY FREE. Goalkeeping Tendency To Punch 9 Throwing 9 Dylan Salisbury was the best player on the park this afternoon during Danefield United's convincing 3-0 Isthmian Ryman League Cup First Round victory over Ware FC, according to TEAMtalk.com. The Danefield United FC defensive midfielder put in a superb performance for his side and will be delighted that he was able to cap his display with three goals. Salisbury gave Danefield United FC the lead with a tap-in in the 37th minute. Salisbury added his 2nd goal of the game with a nice effort from 10 metres on 65 minutes. Salisbury completed the rout on 94 minutes with a free kick.

The defensive midfielder's accuracy of passing was a contributing factor towards this impressive display. Salisbury has been in superb form for Danefield United so far this season, contributing three goals and two assists in ten appearances. Danefield United's thirty-six games unbeaten from Saturday 2nd February 2013 is a new Danefield United record. Also the six games won in a row between Saturday 17th August 2013 and Wednesday 18th September 2013 is a new Isthmian League 1st Division North record. 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 Danefield United FC 2-0 Godalming Town (Isthmian League 1st Division North) A highly polished performance from the Danefield United FC players saw their team run out 2-0 winners over Godalming Town at Danefield United Stadium. Midfielder David Martin got Danefield United FC off to a flyer by scoring an incisive finish from 13 metres on 5 minutes. David Martin put in a player of the match performance.

The left midfielder's work rate was exemplary as he covered every blade of grass on the pitch. Martin has been in superb form on loan at Danefield United so far this season, contributing five goals and three assists in eight appearances. Young striker Raymond McGroggan finally rounded off their victory on 83 minutes with an incisive finish from 10 metres. United maintain 2nd spot in the league and have extended their unbeaten record in the Isthmian League 1st Division North to eleven games. Some delightful early season displays have left The Hardmen's fans dreaming of promotion after many pundits predicted little more than a top half finish at the start of the campaign. Player of the Match: David Martin (Danefield United) Attendance: 7,874 "FINALLY IT SEEMS UNITED HAVE GOT A REAL GEM ON THE WINGS IN LOANEE DAVE MARTIN.

HE'S ON LOAN FROM LUTON TOWN AND HE OOZES CLASS" 91 posts 8 likes joined Aug 16, 2013 DANEFIELD UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB V WARE FC Danefield United: 1-6 (Fav) Draw: 5-1 Ware FC: 10-1 (Isthmian League 1st Division North) Danefield United are sure-fire favourites to overwhelm part-timers Ware FC in what should be a comfortable home encounter for the Hardmen, according to Sky Bet. Following Danefield United's 1-2 Isthmian League 1st Division North defeat against Wroxham FC last Saturday, Oldman's side are 2nd in the Isthmian League 1st Division North with 37 points from 17 matches. Danefield United have won four of their last five home league games. By winning the forthcoming fixture, Danefield United can move up to 1st in the table and will hope to leapfrog Soham Town Rangers.

Ware FC have been performing above expectations in the Isthmian League 1st Division North so far this season and find themselves in 11th place. Ware FC have lost three of their last five away league games. The referee for the match will be Jacob Payne. Ware History The Club was founded in 1892 and although first called Ware Town soon changed its name to plain Ware FC. This unassuming title makes it probably the shortest named affiliate of the Football Association and has caused problems for programme editors and journalists ever since. In fact, the Club has been anything but unassuming. It has held senior status from its very beginning, entering the Herts Senior Cup for the first time in 1893, and winning the cup on the first of five occasions in 1899 with a 2-1 win over Hitchin at St Albans. By this time Ware had been instrumental in founding the East Herts League and had won its championship on two of the three times it had been competed for. The club was to win it five more times before moving on to the North Middlesex League in 1907 and then also to the Herts County League in 1908.

The Championship of the latter came that season in a three-way play off against St Albans City and Welwyn. After the First World War the Club gained a league and cup double with a second Herts County League Championship and a fourth Herts Senior Cup win in 1922. The scenes in Ware when the team returned with the Senior Cup tell us something about the hold that football had on local loyalties at the time. The local paper reported that "Large crowds awaited the return of the special train to Ware, everybody being in high spirits. The Cup was marched through the town in front of a cheering throng." Indeed, it was later recalled that the cup was taken through the town on subsequent nights and that stops were made outside public houses where it was charged with beer before being drained by the crowd. Shortly after this Ware joined the Spartan League in which they were to enjoy several successes, winning the Division 2(B) Championship in 1926, Division 1 in 1951 with the highest "goals for" total ever achieved by a club in the Spartan League, and the Premier Division in 1952.

In these later years the Club also made significant progress in the old Amateur Cup meeting many famous sides on the way. One of these was Hendon, against whom Ware drew their largest attendance of 3,800 in the 1st Round in January 1957. Moving on to the Delphian League and then Athenian League, Ware enjoyed another successful period. Two promotions, two league cup wins and two reserve championships paved the way for progress in the FA Cup. In this Ware reached the First Round proper for the first time in 1968 when they travelled to the then Third Division side Luton Town. The opposition had a 100% home record but the game was scoreless with 30 minutes to go before a judicious substitution broke the stalemate and left Ware beaten 6-1 at the final whistle. In these successful circumstances it was not surprising that Ware pressed for entry to the expanding Isthmian League. This was achieved for season 1975/76 and they have maintained their place in the league ever since.

This is thanks most recently to their Division 2 Championship season of 2005/6 which carried them into Division 1 just before Division 2 was disbanded. Another FA Cup First Round appearance in 2007 has added further distinction with a narrow home defeat against Kidderminster Harriers being watched by 2,123 people, a record for the current ground at Wodson Park. Before that a tenth Herts Senior Cup Final in 2001 and another in 2008 have emphasised the club's long history and continuity. Ware is the first of only three possible candidates to appear in this final in three separate centuries, evidence that it is still one of the county's leading clubs. Welcome everyone to the Danefield Stadium where we take on a Ware side that still harbors chances of a promotion spot. We knocked them out of the Ryman league Cup 0-3 not so long ago and they will be determined to right that wrong. The weather forecast predicts light drizzle that will give passing a real greasy top. Having been shocked by recent defeats to fellow comic book side Milboro and a struggling Wroxham team, we will take nothing for granted.

So bring your brollies and lets hope for another three points. Danefield United FC have lost 1-2 to Wroxham FC to record their first defeat in the Isthmian League 1st Division North for five games. Despite The Hardmen's excellent run without defeat finally coming to an end, the team can be consoled by the fact that they remain firmly in the promotion hunt and consequently are still comfortably exceeding pre-season expectations. 25 YR OLD GUISEPPE SOLE WAS THOUGHT TO BECOME SURPLUS TO REQUIREMENTS THIS SEASON, BUT FAILURE BY DANEFIELD TO SIGN A TOP CLASS STRIKER HAS SEEN SOLE TAKE HIS OPPORTUNITIES AND BECOME JOINT STOP SCORER WITH 8 GOALS. THIS IS NOT A PROLIFIC AMOUNT BUT HOWEVER HE HAS PERFORMED TO SUCH A HIGH LEVEL THAT HE HAS BECOME KEY TO THE TEAM.GONE ARE THE DAYS OF SPENCER AND DUDFIELD WHO SCORED 30 PLUS GOALS EACH. THESE DAYS UNITED RELY MORE ON CONTRIBUTIONS SPREAD EVENLY.

Technical The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s | The List The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s Rovers return comments He may have lost his left foot and been the victim of a suicide bomber, but Roy Race will never die. David Pollock has a ball as the comeback kid bounces back Forget Teddy Sheringham or Craig Brewster. Each would have to play on for almost another 20 years to match the footballing career of Roy Race, who turned out for and then player-managed the famous Melchester Rovers from 1954 to 1993 (with a brief sojourn at Walford Rovers in 1983). Who has been as iconic a representative of British football as Roy of the Rovers over the last half century and more: Best, Gascoigne, Cantona, maybe a couple more? Not bad for a made-up character, now is it? ‘I think Roy’s appeal always lay in his honesty and his flair for the spectacular,’ says Mark Towers, who runs fansite . ‘He’s even given the English language a new phrase.

You still hear commentators referring to something as “real Roy of the Rovers stuff” when a game has been won against the odds. That sums up the excitement of the strip, but also the fact that Roy stood for honesty and integrity.’ Making his debut in the sport and adventure comic Tiger in 1954, Roy was created by the collaborative efforts of writer Frank S Pepper, artist ‘Stewart Colwyn’ (a pen-name of Joe Colquhoun, who went on to co-create the seminal war strip ‘Charley’s War’ for Battle in the 70s) and editor Derek Birnage. Pepper would only write the strip for four issues, before Colquhoun took over, until being replaced in turn by Birnage four-and-a-half years later. It wasn’t until 1976 that Roy’s adventures were spun out into his own weekly comic, which went monthly just as Roy moved into management in 1993 and eventually folded in 1995. Yet, Roy still had one more comeback left in him, with a short monthly strip in the pages of Match of the Day magazine from 1997 to 2001.

In his time he married and had three children with Penny (who died in 1995), won a hatful of domestic and European trophies (despite an England career which lasted 24 years, Roy sadly missed out on international honours), and also variously contended with a shooting incident, the death of half the Melchester first team in a suicide bomb attack, and finally the loss of his famous left foot in a helicopter crash. Now a new generation of fans are being given the chance to catch up with Roy’s life with reprint books from Titan, including the Roy of the Rovers Archives (to kick off in August), which will tell Roy’s story in chronological order from 1954. ‘Roy’s an exceedingly unusual comic character as he’s the subject of one continuous story,’ says David Leach, editor of the new collections. ‘If kids were to pick up this story from the beginning they’d become hooked. Look at the way Harry Potter moves from one academic year to the next.

Roy’s sporting life is the same.’ Although Leach points to the dramatic downturn in the early 90s kids’ comics market as a cause for Roy’s disappearance, it’s ironic that his weekly adventures finished during the ‘92/’93 season, the first year of the English Premier League and the advent of an avaricious era of wags, oligarchs and television money. His return, as well as a nostalgia trip for many, is also a reminder of simpler days when footballers really did seem like heroes. The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s is published by Titan in June. Fantasy football: Legendary comic book line-up features Roy of the Rovers, Billy's boots, The Hotspur and Mighty Mouse | Daily Mail Online Fantasy football: Legendary comic book line-up features Roy of the Rovers, Billy's boots, The Hotspur and Mighty Mouse By Sportsmail Reporter Updated: 21:58 EST, 22 October 2009 comments We kicked every ball. We scored every goal. We saved every penalty. We made every last-ditch tackle. Those were the days when football meant everything in life.

Once a week we turned to our heroes to see how they seemed to be a step away from saving the world, let alone their unbeaten record against a rival team's bullies. It was fantasyland, of course, but nothing wrong with that when you were a kid and your favourite football comic dropped through the letterbox. Race apart: Roy of the Rovers appeared in various publications until 2001 Our superstars played for Melchester Rovers or Blackport Rovers, wore boots more appropriate to deep sea diving and often played on pitches more akin to slurry pits. Back in the 1950s tens of millions of football comics with names like Tiger, Wizard and Hotspur were sold every week as Roy of the Rovers, 'Hot Shot' Hamish, Charlie 'Iron' Barr, Nipper Lawrence, Andy Steele Playmaker and Limp-Along Leslie took us on an unbelievable journey. Great characters: Kevin ‘Mighty’ Mouse was a fun figure in Roy of the Rovers comic (left) and Biffalo Bill from The Hotspur was capable of performing some amazing physical feats for his team In his book Football's Comic Book Heroes author Adam Riches has relived this golden era.

Interwoven with fascinating facts about the game, the book charts the rise of football comics starting with The Boy's Own Paper in the 1880s. There was even a comic strip in The Football Favourite in the 1920s about a girl player called Nell O'Newcastle. Undoubtedly, the most famous character was Roy Race, known simply as Roy of the Rovers, who started life in Tiger and went on to have a comic named after him which ran from 1976 to 1993. Golden era: The Rover created Cast-Iron Bill in 1939 who also displayed great skills in keepy-uppy (left) and Scoop predicted the future with their strip on a mercenary called Jon Stark In the more modern era we have had comics named Valiant, Jag, Scorcher, Score 'n' Roar - but they all had one thing in common. Your hero never once let you down. Taken from Football's Comic Book Heroes by Adam Riches with Tim Parker and Robert Sandland, published by Mainstream at £19.99.

To order a copy at £18 (p&p free), call 0845 155 0720. Magic boots: unlikely hero Billy Dane makes his debut in Scorcher in 1970 Small Talk: Roy Race | Football | The Guardian The Guardian Small Talk Small Talk: Roy Race In a career spanning nigh on 50 years, Roy Race has seen and done it all. But as is becoming clearer by the week, no sporting life can ever be complete without an audience with Small Talk. So pipe down, readers, and we shall begin Spandau's Martin Kemp and Steve Norman sign from Rockola Wanderers. Nick Harper Friday 8 August 2003 05.45 EDT First published on Friday 8 August 2003 05.45 EDT Close This article is 13 years old Roy, the pleasure is all Small Talk's. First up, and starting with one of the tougher questions, what's your favourite colour? [Like a shot] I have two favourites: the red and yellow of Melchester Rovers! Well quite. Given half the chance, who or what would you put in Room 101?

[Contemplates for a moment or two] I'd get rid of football hooligans, they certainly have no place in football. Quite right, Roy. Do you remember anything about your debut, or is that going too far back? Yes I do, I remember it very clearly. It was a 3-3 draw against Elbury Wanderers in August 1955. My good friend Blackie Gray also made his debut that day - though we were both very young, back then, of course [laughs]. Anyway, I scored twice but one of our players got injured and, with 10 men, we struggled to keep up with the pace. Seems like yesterday. I'll bet. What's the greatest football match you've ever witnessed? Ooh, I think it would have to be the 1966 World Cup Final - it was real Roy of the Rovers stuff! Very good, I see what you've done there. And how do you feel about England's current crop? Well, in my view, England are well overdue lifting another major trophy. Indeed they are, but not with that shifty Swede in charge, surely?

Oh I think Sven's done an excellent job for England, despite the intense media interest. Given time, I'm sure he'll lead England to success. Bah! Bunkum! Why not, he's got some exceptional players to choose from. Wayne Rooney is exceptionally gifted, of course, and I think Steven Gerrard is the best midfielder in the Premiership. Michael Owen is always a threat and seems to have been around for years, even though he's still in his early 20s, and Captain Marvel, David Beckham, is a fantastic role model and has the best right foot in the world. Yes yes. Anyway, what's the greatest goal ever scored? I'd have to say Diego Maradona's against England in the 1986 World Cup. That was pretty spectacular. Not the Hand of God goal, of course, the other one. Indeed, the other one was handball. How about one of your own? That's a tough choice. [Thinks for 10 seconds] I'd probably have to go for my first goal in a 6-0 victory against Gatesfield in an FA Cup Quarter Final in 1992. It was a super volley, I caught it just right.

Small Talk remembers that one - a real Racey Rocket and no mistake. What's in your pockets? Let me see, just a sleeve of chewing gum and my keys. There have been so many highs in Roy Race's glittering career. Which stands out as the pinnacle? My word, that is a tough one. Hmm, I'd say the highest point would have to be winning the European Cup for the first time. It was 1964 and we beat Nettruno of Italy 3-2. That was a very special night. You've also had several low points though, Roy. When did you hit the bottom? Probably when we [Melchester] lost 2-1 to non-league Sleaford Town in the FA Cup in January 1975. That was very, very disappointing. Small Talk imagines that so too was the time you and your Melchester team-mates were kidnapped in that military coup in Basran, and later when you were held hostage in Bogota, South America. Not to mention being shot by Sir Alf Ramsey, unless we're getting storylines confused, and when that helicopter crashed in 1993 and you ended up having your left foot lopped off?

All disappointing, but which of those was the worst? I would definitely say the fateful Basran incident in 1986, for it not only resulted in Melchester Rovers tragically losing eight fantastic footballers but in me losing eight very good friends. Hold on... Noel Baxter, Vic Guthrie, Trevor Cassidy, Carl Hunt ... Neville Jones ... Kenny Logan ... Steve Naylor and ... Jimmy Slade Well remembered. I'm lucky because despite everything, at least I'm still alive and I have my family and my football. There is that. Even though you're a marvellous ambassador for football, Roy, we all see red occasionally. Did you ever swear on the field of play? No, no never - I always let my football do the talking. Not even once? Even a small cuss under your breath while the ref's back was turned No, never. [Realising there'll be no joy here, Small Talk moves on] What was the last record or CD you bought? I don't buy too much music, to be honest. It was probably the record I made with Gary Lineker in 1990 called 'Europe United'. We shared vocals and I was on lead guitar.

A great track with some killer licks, Roy, and an absolute disgrace that it didn't chart. What's your favourite TV show? Well, I watch football programmes mostly, so I'd have to say either The Premiership or Sky Sports News. What newspapers or magazines do you read? [Thinks for a moment] I read FourFourTwo, the football magazine, and I take the Guardian, of course. Oh, of course. Who would you rate as Melchester Rovers' best-ever signing? [Quick as a flash] That would have to be Blackie Gray [legendary striker/midfield general] - he signed with me in 1954 and gave sterling service to the club for many, many, many years. And he didn't cost a penny, either! Bonus. Small Talk's favourites would have to be the dream team partnership of Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp and Steve Norman, who you of course signed from Rockola Wanderers. Ah yes. Martin and Steve certainly made an impact and they both fitted in very well. They played in the 84/85 season and I know Martin in particular still talks fondly about his time with the Rovers.

Only the other week, on the Richard and Judy show, he was saying how it was one of the highlights of his career. I would say that he was probably the better player and it was particularly unfortunate that he missed out on the Milk Cup Final, which he helped us to reach that season. A travesty indeed, Roy, but that's football. Small Talk imagines the dressing room was buzzing with regular close-harmony renditions of True. Would that be the case? [Laughs] Well they did sing in the dressing room quite a lot, that much is true [Small Talk smirks]. They also sang at the Players' Christmas Party and, along with the rest of the band, played a great concert at Mel Park. They were very musical lads. Were you a Spandau fan before you signed them? Yes I was, they were a great band. If you push me, as I imagine you might, I'd have to say that Gold was my favourite song of theirs, a classic. Indeed it is. Would you mind telling me what colour underpants you're wearing today? [Answers instantly] They're red and yellow.

[Small Talk wonders, aloud as it turns out, what style of pant Roy Race might take] I can't answer that, Small Talk, I've already given away too much personal information! Bah! How much is a pint of milk? [Answer: about 40p] I bought one only this morning and it was about, ooh, 40p? Stop reading my answers. Who's your favourite player ever? That has to be my old team-mate Blackie Gray, he was an exceptionally talented footballer. More importantly, who would you plump for - Kylie or Britney? I'd go for Kylie. Why? Well, simply because she seems to have been around as long as I have! Not quite. You've got a ringside seat as a lion takes on a tiger. Who's your money on? I would say the Tiger would win as the Tiger comic was my 'home' for nearly 30 years. Having said that, I don't gamble and I certainly wouldn't watch or condone such an unpleasant spectacle. Is it wrong that Small Talk would? Anyway, what was the last book you read? That would have been Addicted, Tony Adams' autobiography. It was a brilliant read.

Tea or coffee? I prefer tea, with just a little milk but no sugar. And what's your poison? Tea - milk, no sugar! Ha ha, very good. Very good. Are you tea-total? Not quite, I sometimes like a glass of wine with my evening meal but I tend to keep off the alcohol. I like to keep a clear head. Tell us a joke... What did the left football boot say to the right football boot? Between us we should have a ball [laughs]. A good family gag, Roy. There's no need for smut is there. Cheese or chocolate? Oh, chocolate - it's my one vice! And finally, where might you be off to now? I'm off to watch a game - England U21s against their Slovakian counterparts. Roy Of The Rovers may have gone, but Roy Race lives on in glorious colour at the official site . stop work and visit it now.

Roy Of The Rovers Ruined The English Game - Sabotage Times Football Roy Of The Rovers Ruined The English Game From Gazza to Wazza, footballing talismen have become the stuff of legend in this country, thanks in no small part to Roy Race and his animated heroics. But is this dependance on one mercurial man the main reason "the continentals" are beating us at our own game? Avatar: Social count: 24 From Gazza to Wazza, footballing talismen have become the stuff of legend in this country, thanks in no small part to Roy Race and his animated heroics. But is this dependance on one mercurial man the main reason "the continentals" are beating us at our own game? 24 0 The early 1950s saw English football suffer several hammer blows from which it has arguably never recovered. In 1950, the national team was knocked out of their first-ever World Cup by a gaggle of part-time chancers representing the USA: a pot washer, a hearse driver, some postmen and a Haitian accountant.

In 1953, England were finally beaten at home by Johnny Foreigner, the little fat chaps of Hungary popping over to Wembley to hand their haughty hosts a 6-3 skelping. Ferenc Puskás and the lads went one better the following year, dishing out a record 7-1 whipping in Budapest, a humiliation arguably topped later in 1954 when England were shamed at the World Cup again, this time losing 4-2 to eight fit Uruguayans. These incidents knocked the stuffing out of the English, who had previously considered themselves the cocks of the walk when it came to the game they invented. But they had been given a rude awakening. It was time to go back to the drawing board. In this they were not alone: the Brazilians , for example, had been outthought by Uruguay in 1950 and outfought by Hungary in 1954, so came up with the 4-2-4 to land the 1958 and 1962 World Cups.

England too put their thinking caps on, Alf Ramsey eventually working out that repeatedly shuttling the ball out wide to a wiry gent who reeked of pomade and pre-match eggnog was a tactic that had been old since 1928. There would be benefits to this come the sixties. But the 1950s had still to plant one ticking time-bomb, one that when exploded would resonate through the ages. Seven months after Hungary had inflicted that record 7-1 defeat on England, someone came along to tell the nation’s kids that English football wasn’t on the bones of its arse. That in fact everything was fine, and would be forever more, so there was no need to worry, or indeed think, about anything. In September 1954, Roy Race signed for Melchester Rovers. His attitudes to women were barely more sophisticated, marrying Penny and forcing her to follow him around for years like a spare part. Small mercies: at least he never spit-roasted her with Blackie Gray. Destined to become the greatest cartoon footballer of all time, Racey’s heroic influence on English football would, in fact, over the years prove disastrous.

Roy was a good man at heart, virtuous, sporting and honest, attributes rewarded by his popularity with both the fictional Melchester faithful and the millions of young football fans who followed his adventures via the pages of Tiger magazine. He was super-talented, too, able to belt in goals from all angles, usually thundering home one of his trademark Racey’s Rockets in the last minute to save the day. But while his insistence on sportsmanship offered a valuable life lesson for impressionable young readers, his talent for timely goalscoring and pulling irons from fires warped their minds in far more harmful ways. While little schemers from Italy dreamt of becoming fantasistas, conducting their team-mates to victory from the centre of the park, while South American youths honed their skills and picked up a few street-smarts in the dusty favelas, hoping to put it all together in a gambeta; thanks to Roy Race, English children spent their formative years sat on their arses being taught a very strange lesson: it doesn’t really matter what you do for 89 minutes, because a superhero will turn up eventually, welt the ball into the net, and you can all go home with your cups and medals.

Such was the sermon preached from the Melchester pulpit. In the big games, Rovers were perfectly happy to wing it, knowing Racey would amble along to the rescue at some point. As a result, nobody would bother preparing for anything. More often than not, Melchester would yawn onto the pitch, and end up a goal or two down not long after kick off. A Race-inspired comeback was nearly always on the cards. In one early adventure, Melchester’s French winger Pierre Dupont was kidnapped ahead of a game, and only escaped his captors just in time for kick-off. The match started as he was getting changed, Rovers not giving a toss about kicking off a man light. By the time Dupont arrived on the scene, Rovers were three down. Roy’s hat-trick helped them to a sweet 4-3 win. England have long pinned their hopes on a Roy Race figure to take them through the big tournaments only to suffer when something went wrong, the country’s mood zipping up and down at the mere crack of a metatarsal.

Years later, having reached a European Cup-Winners Cup final in the mid 1970s, Racey – by now player-manager – simply could not be bothered to scout both sides from the opposite semi, deciding to run the rule over the one team he liked the look of. Sure enough, the team Race ignored and knew bugger all about won through. Once again, Racey did what the English do: shamble about, wing it, hold on for dear life, and grab a late winner. Tactics were usually non-existent in Roverland. And on the few occasions Race scrawled a few dots onto a blackboard, the results were underwhelming. Here’s his tutorial as caretaker boss to the England squad ahead of a World Cup warm-up match against Holland in 1978: “I don’t think there’s any point in trying to match the continentals for skills. I think we’ve got to believe in ourselves and rely on the things we’re best at: fitness, speed, and POWER IN THE AIR!!!” The cartoonist’s use of bold type illustrated how central these tenets were to Racey’s credo; Gusztav Sebes our hero was not.

England still won 5-1, though, and English football stumbled into the 1980s, a jurassic arena in which Harfords and Fashanus roamed the earth freely, creating wanton havoc. Race was aptly named, trumpeting attitudes to foreigners which could be charitably described as being a good width of Big Ron’s bulbous head to the right of the Daily Mail. In the early years of the 1950s and 1960s – during which he was regularly kidnapped by swarthy Latin types, and once drugged while on tour in Australia by a poison dart launched by an “Abbo” – this take on foreign cultures could just about be explained away by the times, Rovers coming from a country still reeling from loss of Empire. But from the 1970s onwards, there really was no excuse. The “continentals” would regularly be portrayed kicking lumps out of their opponents, deploying cheeky antifútbol tactics that would have put Estudiantes to shame.

Even as late as the early 1990s, Italian sides would be depicted surrounding referees demanding sending offs for spurious offences, while the national team of the USA once resorted to utilising hi-tech bugging equipment in the English changing room in order to lug in on whatever vacant nonsense Race was jabbering to his charges at half-time. Racey’s sides, visibly piqued at the saucy boldness of Johnny’s wily ways, would inevitably storm onto the pitch with a steely determination to mete out a few strokes of punishment, the last lash inevitably coming from Racey’s left boot of justice. English children spent their formative years sat on their arses being taught a very strange lesson: it doesn’t really matter what you do for 89 minutes, because a superhero will turn up eventually, welt the ball into the net, and you can all go home with your cups and medals. His attitudes to women were barely more sophisticated, marrying Penny, a Rovers office administrator, and forcing her to follow him around for years like a spare part, with no useful function of her own. Small mercies: at least he never spit-roasted her with Blackie Gray.

So, then: instilling into generations of children a disdain for tactics and organisation, a fear of progressive thought, and myopic Little Englander viewpoints. Yep, Racey single-handedly scuppered the progress of English football alright, snipping it off at the bud, warping young minds during those crucial formative years. Don’t believe it? Then see how life subsequently imitated art at the highest level of England’s club and international game. The nation’s most feted European Cup wins are Liverpool’s 2005 miracle of Istanbul, a Melchesteresque tactical cock-up followed by a one-man supershow, and Manchester United ’s 1999 triumph, another organizational balls-up saved only by a last-minute whirlwind. Italians, by way of comparison, may point to Fabio Capello’s Milan coolly dissecting a superb Barcelona team 4-0 in 1994, while the Spanish have Real Madrid’s signature strokes of 1960 to fawn over. As far as we’re aware, Italian or Iberian kids were never lectured by a Roberto or Rafael Race. As for the national side?

England have long pinned their hopes on a Roy Race figure to take them through the big tournaments – from the days of Kevin Keegan and Bryan Robson to the modern era of David Beckham and Wayne Rooney – only to suffer when something went wrong, the country’s mood zipping up and down at the mere crack of a metatarsal. It’s not healthy, this; by any other measurement, that’s manic depression. And consider this: everybody involved in the 1966 World Cup squad, with the possible exception of Alan Ball, would have been too old to bother with comics when Racey made his debut in Tiger. And look what they achieved. Having taken on board the lessons from the Magical Magyars, while remaining blissfully unaffected by the pernicious influence of Roy Race that would stifle subsequent generations, England’s tactically innovative team, built around a system which took precedence over its stars – spare a thought for poor old Jimmy Greaves, the Roy Race of his day – took their country to the top of the world. "This piece is an extract from The Blizzard, a new quarterly journal of football writing available in print and digital formats on a pay-what-you-like basis from .

Edited by Jonathan Wilson, its pilot issue includes articles by a host of top writers including Uli Hesse, Simon Kuper and Gabriele Marcotti." Click here for our interview with The Blizzard

Question: For which fictitious Football Team did Roy of the Rovers play
Answer: Melchester Rovers