This year’s National League play-off final pitches a team with a rich history in the Football League against one with none, yet Forest Green are not the plucky underdogs they may appear to be from the outside.
“Welcome to the Vanarama Big Day Out 3.” The message on the giant LED screen on Wembley’s glass-fronted exterior is impossible to miss, catching the eye the moment you exit Wembley Park station.
There are two and a half hours to kick-off and only a trickle of spectators outside the stadium, yet there is no disputing the significance of this so-called Big Day Out. It will draw an attendance nowhere near the crowds assembling elsewhere in the capital today – Tottenham Hotspur say goodbye to White Hart Lane, and West Ham United host Liverpool – but for those involved, the National League play-off final is as sizeable as its billing.
For one club, Forest Green Rovers, it is an opportunity to reach the Football League for the first time in their 128-year history. For the other, Tranmere Rovers, it is about reclaiming the League status lost, after 94 years, two seasons ago. Both clubs have owners with ambitions that stretch as far as the Championship. In Forest Green’s case that is Dale Vince, owner of green energy company Ecotricity, who has drawn the spotlight to the Cotswold town of Nailsworth with an eco-friendly approach bringing everything from vegan burgers to a solar-powered robot lawnmower to The New Lawn.
Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av When Saturday Comes.
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Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av When Saturday Comes.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Pirate Transmission
Broadcasters around the world are paying huge sums to screen football, but they will not be willing to invest if they cannot be protected.
Scandi Drama
Years before it was screened live in the UK, England’s Football League was building a cult following abroad thanks to a visionary broadcaster.
Pot Of Gold
A rare meeting between two local rivals brought FA Cup fever – and a useful financial boost – to one corner of Hertfordshire
Digital Divide
From earnest post-match punditry to being used in actual players’ matchday preparations, the virtual game is becoming increasingly blurred with reality.
Haringey Ladder
The decision to walk off in the face of abuse has shone a national spotlight on a community club with a progressive approach
Bournemouth 0 Norwich City 0
Dean Court may have received a Premier League facelift but against today’s visitors the home team fail to live up to their status, although the low-quality draw they play out is still somehow reassuring.
Room With A View
Hampden Park
Not In The Script
ARSENAL FILM
Out Of Place...
After another unsuccessful qualifying attempt Martin O’Neill is under pressure, while a poor Republic of Ireland squad is only getting weaker
Uncomfortable Truth
At the end of April Sheffield United surprised many people by re-signing Ched Evans, who, following a retrial, has now been found not guilty of the rape charge for which he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.
