Chris Dunlavy: Be careful what Roo wish for

Macclesfield have a Rooney in the dugout, but was it the one they truly desired?

Tony Incenzo: We’ve got our green for go!

I’ve always believed that the most important mantra for any Non-League club is long-term stability.

Chris Dunlavy: Alex Scott grew away from the glare

As kids, aspiring footballers are often told that success depends on sacrifice, graft and living like a monk while your mates...

Mark Carruthers: Summer breather? I’m ready for the new season of hope to kick-off

Surely it was only last week when we left Wembley after the National League promotion final and reflected on Oldham Athletic’s...

Spencer Day: Deep pockets of the South!

By my reckoning, this season will be my eighth managing in National League South – and it’s the most exciting it’s...

Gregor Robertson: Now I miss the agony of old!

“Do you miss it?” Nine years have passed since my last game, for the Grimsby Town team that won the 2016...

Chris Dunlavy: Stepping up is a tall order!

Nick Woltemade – the two-metre Messi – is the talk of Europe after starring for Germany at the Under-21 European Championships.

Mark Carruthers: Paying tribute to the late Curtis Coppen

How can you describe Curtis Coppen when so many fitting words have been spoken in recent days? A stalwart of the...

Mark Harris: Data is a whole new ball game!

Henry Ford once said, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” This could...

Chris Dunlavy: Mark Hughes rounds up the troops

Carlisle United have got a lot wrong in recent years, and question marks remain over Mark Hughes’ capacity to manage in...

Chris Dunlavy: Age is no longer just a number

Ollie Pearce couldn’t have done much more to earn a shot at the EFL, but even a 30-goal season won’t do...

Steve Hill: Don’t be sad, be grateful!

“Burke’s gone”. Two words on my phone that transformed a normal Thursday evening into a JFK moment.

Mark Carruthers: Blyth Spartans’ decline, and how they can get back on their feet

Reporting on the North East non-league scene for over a decade has provided me with so many lifelong memories. From FA...

Chris Dunlavy: Simon Grayson’s got his work cut out!

Hartlepool United fans can be forgiven for affording Simon Grayson the sort of welcome reserved for cold-callers and travelling salesmen.

Tony Incenzo: John Dennett’s tribute is just Ton-derful

One of my highlights during the past season was visiting Ashville FC on the day of their 75th anniversary celebrations where...

Chris Dunlavy: Is this play-off system fair? Stats certainly stack it up!

How fair are the National League play-offs? Not very according to York City, who last week published an open letter criticising...

WRITE TRURO OFF AT YOUR PERIL

Chris DUNLAVY A FRESH TAKE ON FOOTBALL TRURO City will begin their first ever season in the National League as one...

Mark Carruthers: South Shields’ appointment of Ian Watson is great news for Mariners

Timing is everything in football – so they say. That is why Ian Watson’s appointment as the new manager of National...

Chris Dunlavy: Perilous Heed heading south

Gateshead lost a manager this week, but so much else has been squandered since the end of a deeply dispiriting season.

Francis Duku: Staying in shape is key now

It's fair to say that the way players look after themselves in the close season has changed a lot since my...

Chris Dunlavy: EFL clubs scared of cash cost

Julie-Anne Uggla, the co-owner of York City, should probably have dug into the history books before she published an open letter...

Adam Virgo: Take a bow, Kevin Maher and Micky Mellon

What an occasion today’s promotion final is set to be – two huge clubs with incredible history and tradition, backed by...

Tony Incenzo: My top ten from the second half

I’ve travelled far and wide watching almost 70 Non-League matches throughout the past season. From deepest Cornwall to the far North-East,...

Tony Incenzo: Pathway for a new future

Unprecedented winds of change are billowing through Non-League football circles in the Republic of Ireland.

Chris Dunlavy: Play-off pause shifted power

Play-offs are inherently unfair, but the fate of York City and Forest Green Rovers feels particularly cruel.