David O’Driscoll reviews an ‘entertaining’ book about Walthamstow FC by Andrzej Perkins
Andrzej Perkins is the vice chairman of Walthamstow FC, yet his responsibilities are extensive.
He regularly takes card payments at the gate on match days and manages the team’s X/Twitter account, while writing most of the content on the club’s website.
He previously produced match-day programmes until they became too numerous, and even cleans up after games. And if all of that wasn’t enough, now he is the author of a candid book about Walthamstow FC.
This entertaining and thoughtful account reveals the reality, challenges and joys of non-league football.
Written in a diary format, Winners Win details early morning starts to unfamiliar locations in the south-east of England to support the boys in blue. It has to be said that supporting Walthamstow gives you insight into the geography of this country.
The book also records the significant turnover of footballers at the club, and Perkins provides a helpful index at the back with a list of 44 players who had played during this time. The book also includes accounts of managers being sacked, encounters with opposition fans, opposition committee members and a run through of the general challenges in running a non-league team.
The book begins with Walthamstow FC’s most famous victory. The game, a 2-1 win over Stanway Rovers to secure the Essex Senior League title, drew a substantial crowd of over 600, a considerable number for Walthamstow.
However, Perkins notes that was not always the case. At one point, when he was initially involved, the club was on the brink of collapse until a new owner emerged.
This owner changed the club’s name from Waltham Forest and invested money to begin a new chapter for the club. While I found some of the off-field encounters more engaging than the extensive match reports,
I attended many of the reported matches as a Walthamstow season ticket holder. Two partially interesting match accounts are when Walthamstow lost very disappointingly in the playoffs to Didcot, and a famous game against Ware which the team won 6-4 despite being 4-3 down in the final minutes.
Perkins provides several anecdotes that illustrate the significant difference between non-league and professional football. He recounts an instance where a Premier League team requested a free ticket for one of its scouts.
To his credit, Perkins declined the request, explaining that that club could certainly afford the £8 entry fee. This demonstrates the importance of financial management for the club and underscores the significance of local football fans supporting their local team.
‘Winners Win: A Season with Walthamstow FC’ by Andrzej Perkins is available on Amazon now (£7.99)
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