Black boots and football pinks : 50 lost wonders of the beautiful game

'A paean to football before the days of big money and soulless stadia.' - The i Goalkeepers in trousers, proper division names, turf patterns, pixelated scoreboards and, of course, Saturday evening pink newspapers... They were the gritty stardust that made football sparkle. Here, 50 such wonders are drawn together with evocative charm before they slip from memory forever. Dedicating a chapter to each wonder, Daniel Gray's pieces read more like love letters than essays. Here is a sentimental meander beneath main-stand clocks and through streets where children still play football. Written in the same wistful and whimsical style as Gray's much-admired previous book, Saturday, 3pm , the unashamedly nostalgic Black Boots and Football Pinks will warm the heart and prompt fond sighs of recognition. Gray's words preserve on paper the relics and minutiae of a shared obsession and identity. They make yesterday's football feel within touching distance, and offer cosy refuge from a boisterous game and world. A collection of lyrical sweet-nothings whispered to old-fashioned wingers, ramshackle dugouts, multiple cup replays and 47 other wonders that made us love football. Goalkeepers in trousers, proper division names, turf patterns, pixelated scoreboards and, of course, Saturday evening pink newspapers... They were the gritty stardust that made football sparkle. Here, 50 such wonders are drawn together with evocative charm before they slip from memory forever. Dedicating a chapter to each wonder, Daniel Gray's pieces read more like love letters than essays. Here is a sentimental meander beneath main-stand clocks and through streets where children still play football. Written in the same wistful and whimsical style as Gray's much-admired previous book, Saturday, 3pm , the unashamedly nostalgic Black Boots and Football Pinks will warm the heart and prompt fond sighs of recognition. Gray's words preserve on paper the relics and minutiae of a shared obsession and identity. They make yesterday's football feel within touching distance, and offer cosy refuge from a boisterous game and world. **'A paean to football before the days of big money and soulless stadia.' - __The i__** Goalkeepers in trousers, proper division names, turf patterns, pixelated scoreboards and, of course, Saturday evening pink newspapers... They were the gritty stardust that made football sparkle.Here, 50 such wonders are drawn together with evocative charm before they slip from memory forever. Dedicating a chapter to each wonder, Daniel Gray's pieces read more like love letters than essays. Here is a sentimental meander beneath main-stand clocks and through streets where children still play football. Written in the same wistful and whimsical style as Gray's much-admired previous book, , the unashamedly nostalgic will warm the heart and prompt fond sighs of recognition. Gray's words preserve on paper the relics and minutiae of a shared obsession and identity. They make yesterday's football feel within touching distance, and offer cosy refuge from a boisterous game and world. Ramshackle dugouts, matches played in fog, muddy goalmouths, the smell of tobacco, floodlight failure and of course Saturday evening pink newspapers They were the gritty stardust which made football sparkle. Here, 50 such wonders are drawn together with evocative charm before they slip from memory altogether. Dedicating a chapter to each wonder, Gray's pieces read more like loveletters than essays. Unashamedly nostalgic, this is a charming canter through the disappearing particles of football. Written in the same wistful and whimsical style as Gray's much-admired Saturday, 3pm, Black Boots and Football Pinks will warm the heart and prompt fond sighs of recognition. A delightful exploration of the small details that make football great, from streakers to cup replays, paper tickets to floodlight failings, brawls, fanzines and cycling shorts, and of course, football pinks. Written with wit, nostalgia for the past, and packed with interesting facts to please any football fan. Entries include: 1. Sharing the scores from elsewhere 2. Referee occupations and hometowns 3. Stripy, tartan and other turf patterns 4. Black boots 5. Late fitness tests 6. Streakers 7. Knowing the names of grounds 8. Keepers in trousers and hats 9. Local shirt and hoarding sponsors 10. Football Pinks