How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers won the F.A,Cup.
Written by J.L.Carr v First Published in 1975 This reprint 2005 by The Quince Tree Press-Bury St Edmunds
If you look at lists of Football books to read this invariably comes up. Unfortunately not true but a glorious way to indulge in football fantasy that you wished were true.
Todays F.A. Cup does not have the same cache of when the book was written, gone are the endless replays, the top teams not puting out full squads, not being too upset when they go out in an early round and there seems fewer small team giant killing stories. Games are now clinically decide sometimes on penalties.
The glamour and fun have been taken away from the competition but it is there in full technicolour in this book. It is definitely a comedy novel but still almost believable.
From playing local football the team enter the F.A. Cup and progress through the many rounds to a final with Glasgow Rangers.
It’s the characters who are the stars, Alex Slingsby, Sid ‘the Shooting Star’ Swift, Monkey Tonk (son of a trapeze artist) the milkman turned goalkeeper, Mr Fangloss, Dr Kossuth, head teacher of the local school who is from Hungary and more. The interactions and the intricacies and depth of local village relationships are carefully woven into the story.
A quick read of 124 pages it will lift spirits at such an uncertain time.
Payonthegate 