A million miles away from the rich uplands of the Premier League lies the Poundland world of non-league football. A far grittier version of the beautiful game, it’s a glorious ragbag of former EFL clubs on the down, impoverished minnows and ambitious outfits on the make, played by a mix of full-time, part-time and amateur performers.
This is the inside story of life in the lower reaches of English football, seen through the eyes of a player with over a decade’s experience in the Conference and National Leagues. Footballer X lifts the lid on never-before-told stories of dust-ups, bust-ups, backhanders and betting scandals, the players lucky enough to get contracts and the rest who live precariously from game to game. It’s a story of constant financial struggle, big sacrifices and small victories for owners, fans and players alike. Our footballer is still playing, so the cloak of anonymity allows him to give us a true picture of what life is really like playing as a non-league footballer today.
“A really bad choice for a title… shouldn’t obscure the brilliance of the latest in ‘The Secret’ genre, first made famous of course by The Secret Footballer. Co-writer Marvin Close enables the anonymous player to delve deep into the realities of the part-time player with a full commitment to their sport, the harsh reality of life outside the league with hope for rising thru’ the tiers in equal measure, makes for a read quite unlike most player not-exactly tells-it-alls.” –Mark Perryman, Philiosophy Football.com, ‘Books To Brighten Up A Summer of Sport’