Playing In The Shadows

Stories from the netherworld of reserve & academy football - by @gavinwillacy Part of the @guardian_sport Network

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

After six years away, delighted to be back writing about football and starting off with a piece about the Brits playing all summer while you’ve been lying on a beach or moaning about the heat at home 👇🏽
Starring @larnefc @danbent https://t.co/j3ITbZqfmT

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

Attention #PEteachers: I'm looking for a qualified tutor to deliver #Btec Level 3 Sport to a small group in Herts on Mondays & Wednesdays. It's illness cover so don't know if it will be for a few weeks or months. Anyone suitable please contact [email protected]. Thanks!

[Colin Millar @Millar_Colin]

Marvin Park - who spent three years at Tranmere Rovers - is in Real Madrid's squad for Champions League trip to Liverpool. Son to a Nigerian father and South Korean mother - who briefly spent time in the UK for work purposes. What a story.

[Gavin Willacy @gavinwillacy]

Loving that ‘Sir’ Clive Sullivan is the Google search image today! Absolute rugby league legend. 👍🏾👏🏽 For those who don’t know, he was British sport’s first black captain of a major sport’s national team and the last Brit to lift the Rugby League World Cup.

[Colin Millar @Millar_Colin]

Tomorrow night's all-Basque Copa del Rey final is one of the most iconic matches ever in Spanish football, despite fan absence. That it is not even being broadcast (again) in the UK represents a total failure from Spanish football to market itself to an international audience.

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

Right up there with many other England national teams as the biggest under-achievers in world sport. Luckily for them, no one cares. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[Daniel Storey @danielstorey85]

England Under-21s have now won three of their last 18 matches at the European Championship. Shambolic given the resources.

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

@paras69alan @YTFC @stalbanscityfc @NonLeaguePaper @Ollie_Bayliss And hundreds of others! Para: City legend!

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

No, this is not a misprint. From 1987-88 when @YTFC drew over 6k for a game in what is now National League South! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 @stalbanscityfc played in front of crowds ranging from 184 to 6079 that season! 🧐 @NonLeaguePaper @Ollie_Bayliss

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

@JFfutbol The American model. Just be in the comp and drive the revenue. 🤦🏽

[JF @JFfutbol]

I am looking to connect with a coach in the east London / Essex area who wants to help put together 1-1 and group sessions to assist in player development once restrictions end.

FA Level 2 minimum. Get in touch if you’d like to learn more. ⚽️👌🏾

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

@cedwards3 @DennyAlderson On the breakfast menu in every hotel! 😬

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

@Jimbokav1971 @SchoolsFootball @middxfa @LawrenceV93 @JamzLowe @StevenageFC @BarnetFCAcademy Correct!

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

It’s 10 years since my last managerial triumph! Won South East @SchoolsFootball title with @middxfa Schools u17. GK @LawrenceV93. Great management to leave future Championship players @JamzLowe & Josh Clarke as subs! 🧐(Pic is from next game v @StevenageFC missing Jammers) 😊

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

😂

[Sports on HBO Max 🇸🇪 @sportshbomaxse]

Rikard Norling visar prov på god inkastförmåga!

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

A fine example of the absolute folly of mid-size non-league clubs having full-time playing squads and/or part-time players on full-time money. It’s the 5th division!!

[Kieran Maguire @KieranMaguire]

Dover Athletic lost £10,000 a month in the year to 31 May 2020

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

Fed up of so much football on TV? Well, hark back to 1970 when @ManCity fans couldn’t even watch their own team play in European Cup Winners Cup Final! Was same night as FA Cup Final Replay so FA refused to let BBC show it live! Nothing was seen until highlights following night😳

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

@JFfutbol @primevideouk This happened to French rugby league last year. BeIN opted out after taking Sky’s Super League coverage for years. Left the sport high and dry with no other takers. Deal was eventually done with @lequipe but only temporary. No deal for 2021 yet.

[Joel Segerdahl @JoelSegerdahl]

Allt i samhället var skit, men fotbollen gick bra.

Degerfors var i princip klart för allsvenskan. När sagan blev en mardröm.

Jag har gjort en film om ångesten. Om att ha gett alla en framgång, men sedan höll på att ta det tillbaka.

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

@chelseayouth @ground_guru Crazy thing about PL2 is the clubs can make it what they want. They opt to field u19s. They chose to play at non league grounds and afternoon KOs on training grounds. They chose to not select senior players. It’s all self inflicted but of course they blame a system they voted for

[Playing In The Shadows @playing_shadows]

Serious question: had the six-second rule gone? Cheltenham GK just held the ball for 18 and 15 seconds on last two possessions. Does ref just add time for this nowadays? Assume so, as they never seem to even warn a GK for that any more. GK could waste a couple of mins over 90mins