Best thing about non-league football?

The lack of segregation, meaning you can move ends at half-time with no great problem; the atmosphere (as long as you follow a team whose fanbase doesn't consist of one man and his dog, that is); and especially, the fact that, being so close to the pitch, you can actually influence the action: either by getting right behind your team, or intimidating the opponents. Believe me, I've lost count of how often I've seen opposition players go to pieces when on the receiving end of Wealdstone fans' wit: the humour of the supporters was what attracted me to the club in the first place.

The worst thing, though, is how vulnerable you can be to crowd trouble if your opponents have a rent-a-mob problem; and the 'pile-ups' can, of course, be bloody scary - as any Norwich fan, given what happened in the other FA Cup semi-final in 1989, of course knows. People lament the passing of the way football used to be, but it had to change after Hillsborough: no two ways about it.

Posted By: thebigfeller on December 3rd 2006 at 21:59:00

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