Black Boots and Football Pinks: 50 Lost Wonders of the Beautiful GameHardcover, 8 January 2019

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.