A season on film
Words: Tom Reed
Images: Tom Reed
Football is quiet in England, away from the narrative as a sport of loud chanting and violence waiting to happen, that most often doesn’t.
Fans negotiate the train network diligently and stewards scurry purposefully to make their morning briefing.
Pints are drunk with quiet slurps and foreheads rubbed.
The aches of the working week come out in barely audible sighs.
Supporters make way for one another and say sorry when they are late to their seats.
In December it was dark as soon as it was light. There’s lakes where there should be fields.
The perma-grey of the sheet metal skies weighs heavy but outshined by the collective-eyed glint of goals scored.
The next train’s cancelled but there will be another one at some point.
Best get home to the sofa, Adidas Gazelles in a pile and a long look in the fridge.
Football remains a fundamentally decent game, though not run in that way, for the people.
All images shot on film in the 2023/24 English football season by Tom Reed.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Queens Park Rangers FC. October 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Queens Park Rangers FC. October 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition .Queens Park Rangers FC. October 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Queens Park Rangers FC. October 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Queens Park Rangers FC October 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Aldershot Town FC. November 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Aldershot Town FC. November 2023. Parachute Regiment beret.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Aldershot Town FC. November 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. St Albans City FC. December 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. St Albans City FC. December 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. St Albans City FC. December 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. St Albans City FC. December 2023.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Coventry City FC. January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Coventry City FC January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC. January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC. January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC. January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC. January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC. January 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Northampton Town FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Northampton Town FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Northampton Town FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Tamworth FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Tamworth FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. AFC Wimbledon. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. AFC Wimbledon. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. AFC Wimbledon. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. AFC Wimbledon. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editon. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.
Tom Reed. Lincoln City FC. April 2024.
Tom Reed. Lincoln City FC. April 2024.
Tom Reed. Lincoln City FC. April 2024.
Tom Reed. Lincoln City FC. April 2024.
Tom Reed. Lincoln City FC. April 2024.
The weeds lie, dried out, gnarled on the pavements
The sun rubs shirt collars
The bus takes an age to arrive
Kids bounce footballs off curbs
The players stopped a while ago
On the beach
They call it.
Tom is Terrace Edition Editor and can be found on X: @tomreedwriting
