Reed 2024

Words: Tom Reed

Images: Tom Reed

My grandfather was a football groundsman and horticulturalist.

He knew how to prepare a playing field.

I’ve never had to pull a heavy roller into position or push a mower around a pitch that makes young men breathless.

A compact Fuji film camera and mild pain from typing, rather than the strong ache of backbreaking toil in the lawns and the playing fields.

Light work.

The problem with photographing football in England is that we don’t have much of it, that stuff, that’s supposed to permeate through the clouds.

A frost cover pulled overhead. Even in July you’ll find cocker spaniel furry skies.

A chill wind. Better go inside for a bit.

And yet we come back out, clutching a flat pint in a plastic cup which crumples between our fingers and leaves them sticky.

Shorts and a cagoule.

Goretex trainers while they are in Brazil doing kick ups on the beach barefoot.

A tea lady looks forlornly through the tea hatch, she hasn’t had chance to crisp up the bacon properly and the first customers are starting to muster.

There’s a bulb gone on the floodlight.

The active lads roll away their tifo, the skin’s broken on the drum.

Kids are kicking a ball down the front of the terraces, while the senior players on the pitch don’t provide much in being role models.

A cross comes in to the forward who’s taken out a library card.

Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.

The fisherman set his lines at different levels.

The forward readies himself for a volley but strikes it between knee and ankle.

Locals groan and the kids don’t notice.

“Get off the pitch” whispers the groundsman to himself as the players warm down. Pushing back the thousand divots with his fork.

I’ve forgotten to put any film in the camera.

Let Your Heart Beat Strong: Birmingham City FC. January 2024. Full article: Here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC. January 2024.

The Last Of Us: Port Vale FC. February 2024. Full article: here:

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Port Vale FC. February 2024.

Complete: Bath City FC. February 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Bath City FC. February 2024.

Wimbledon 1- MK didn’t. March 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition . Wimbledon vs Milton Keynes. March 2024.

Non-League Day 2024: Oh Alty. March 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Altrincham FC. March 2024.

Making Macclesfield. March 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Macclesfield FC. March 2024.

The Beautiful Ground. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Nottingham Forest FC. April 2024.

Lincoln City: Only You. April 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Lincoln City FC. April 2024.

A Champions League Flow: BVB vs Real Madrid. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. BVB vs Real Madrid. June 2024.

Home Front: England in Euro 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. England Euro 2024.

Racing Club Warwick: August 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Racing Club Warwick. August 2024.

Buxton: Big Skies. August 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Buxton FC. August 2024.

Great Yarmouth nets. August 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Great Yarmouth Town FC. August 2024.

Football in the river: Bourton-on-the-Water. August 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Editin. Bourton-on-the-Water. August 2024.

Malvern: The Light of Life: September 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Malvern Town FC. September 2024.

Black and White County: Notts County FC. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Notts County FC. September 2024.

Aston Villa: More than gold. September 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Aston Villa FC. September 2024.

Leyton Orient: Come a L0ng, L0ng Way Baby: September 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Leyton Orient FC. September 2024.

Being Biggleswade United. October 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Biggleswade United FC. October 2024.

Kettering Roads: Northampton Town vs Kettering Town. November 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Northampton Town vs Kettering Town November 2024.

Djurgår’n: An occasion. December 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Djurgårdens IF in Shrewsbury. December 2024.

Nene Derby: Full stream. December 2024. Full article: here

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Northampton Town vs Peterborough United. December 2024.

Tom is Terrace Edition Editor and can be found on x: @tomreedwriting