It is FA Vase First Round time, and Phil Annests has his @favasefactfile hat on, detailing the debutants, the record breakers, and the downright bizarre. He is the man with the stats for every occasion. Those stats make for great stories but my next guest and his club have more stories than most. They are the kind that make me love non league. Real football, run by real football fans. Founded by a D-day veteran who is now 100 and still plays a part in the club he formed 75 years ago, they have a new progressive manager who celebrates the club, the people, and the ethos surrounding them. Steve Scott is an enthusiastic young manager who has served his apprenticeship lower down the pyramid with great success and plans to continue at Step 4 Ashville FC. With two massive games ahead he’s neither fazed nor over-confident, but ready to enjoy being part of a club I think everybody will want to be part of when they hear his sell. The Non League Paper’s, Matt Badcock is our man in the know in and around the week’s news. There’s FA Cup, FA Vase, Managerial moves, Club departures and non league making inroads at the highest level. All in a day’s work for nonleague’s finest media gurus.

It is FA Cup front and centre this week. The Fourth and final qualifying round. The last full-on celebration of Non League before that other lot gets involved. Of course, we look forward to that First Round draw and all the drama that will create plus Phil Annets is here with his @FACupFactFile hat on to guide us through the stats, facts and records ready to be set and broken this weekend  Old fans of the show will know Rich Luffman is a manager who still under 40, has learnt his trade in the lower levels of non league with much success. With over 500 games as a manager under his belt, he admits having never been with a club that doesn’t win most weeks. In his opening months at Step 3 with Taunton Town he has helped turn the Somerset club around, progressing in both the FA cup and FA Trophy and currently on a 10 game unbeaten run. As ever he’s great value as a guest. With the weekly news round-up and flagging some of the features of this weekend’s Non League Paper, Matt Badcock is another welcome returnee. 

We are in the Third Qualifying of the FA Trophy this weekend. The Step 3 clubs are the big boys and big scalps to be taken; 88 of those clubs and the 40 clubs from Step 4 have progressed from the last round. Phil Annets is on hand with some thoughts and insight wearing his @FATrophyFacts hat. Our manager this week, is another at a club built on camaraderie and a place people want to be. Ian Rowe has been the gaffer of Sporting Khalsa for 10 years now but the club is more than just the men’s first team, it’s very much about the people, as Ian explains. Helping with the weekly news round-up Jon Couch is back. Another packed issue of The Non League Paper ahead but first we discuss the FA Cup draw, clubs in trouble and of course, more managerial moves.

It is the FA Cup Third Qualifying round this weekend. 80 clubs, 40 ties in the penultimate qualifying round and the one where victory puts them in the hat potential to face National League clubs. Plenty of stories, an array of stats and some interesting insights from our man in the know Phil Annets @FACupFactfile. Craig Davis last came on the show this time last year before bowing out of the FA Cup in the Third Qualifying Round. Hoping for a different outcome this time around, his side face second tier opposition so a cupset could be on the cards but there’s already reason to celebrate with his club Winchester City returning home, to a refurbished stadium with a new 3G installed over the summer and they are all ready for this big weekend.  Matt Badcock is on hand rounding up the news of the week from The Non League Paper. Managerial moves, tables taking shape and a non league rap. Usual non-league fayre.

It is FA Vase and FA Trophy Second Qualifying round time. Nearly 400 non league clubs from Steps 2 down to 6 take part this weekend in their respective competitions  this weekend and Phil Annets is on hand to help us understand the most interesting stories behind the ties.  One manager leading his side into the FA Trophy for the first time in a number of years is Chris Ayres. His Flackwell Heath side took the Combined Counties Premier North by storm last term and they have started off well at Step 4 too in the Southern League Central Division One. He thinks he may have the best dressing room around, and we are not talking decor, but the camaraderie of a group of players, many of whom he has known for over a decade. With The Non League Paper round up this week is Jon Couch. Some big managerial moves, some big cup games and the National league beginning to take shape.

We celebrate The FA Cup reaching the Second Qualifying round this weekend. Step 2 clubs enter the fore and @FACupFactfile Phil Annets runs us through some of the most interesting stats and facts as some of the clubs taking part look for their fourth win of the season in the competition One of those is Harefield United. A Step 5 club who have already dumped out the in-form Step 3 club in the previous round, now looking for another scalp from that division. Their boss is certainly no stranger to non league both as a player and as a manager, and Wayne Carter is clearly loving the challenge directing his young squad to memories that will stay with them forever.  Matt Badcock is on hand again from The Non League Paper this week. More managerial moves, more clubs facing unplanned problems and what we really should be reading into with the embryonic table standings

The FA trophy takes the limelight this weekend, 160 sides from Step 4 as the FA Trophy reaches the First Qualifying Round. Phil Annets is with us wearing his new @fatrophyfacts hat, giving us the lowdown and the knowledge you need to understand the weekend’s action and of course to impress your friends.  My next guest is a new Chairman, just over a month in the role, it’s one he’s coveted for years but he’s been sprung into it quickly and in stressful times, but it’s clear Spencer Gore is enjoying his new role, and looking forward to building his childhood club Chelmsford City again to challenge and even aim for the Football League.  Matt Badcock is our man from The Non League Paper this week with thoughts on the week’s news, managerial moves and what’s ahead in this weekend’s issue of the Non League Paper.

The FA Cup reaches the First Qualifying Round. The Step 3 sides are in and there are 112 ties to look forward to. Phil Annets @FACupFactfile is the man in the know and the man at the top of the show to give us insight, knowledge and the magic of the FA Cup. 55 Step 5 clubs have made it through to this stage from the Extra Preliminary Round. One of those is AFC Stoneham and we speak to Chair Mark Stupple about his club and the 1500-plus players, registered with them this season across a multitude of sides under the club banner. Rounding up the week’s news is Jon Couch Executive Editor of The Non League Paper. More insight and knowledge about the football we know and love and previews of this weekend’s Non League Paper.

The FA Trophy and FA Vase begin this weekend. The Trophy has a rare Preliminary Round and the FA Vase the First Round Qualifying Round. Phil Annets is on hand to offer some stats and insight into the ties coming up this weekend, which is a busy weekend for him and Non League football. Not as busy for my next guest as while his team is back in the FA Vase after a 10-year hiatus they’ve been drawn away. No less exciting and still likely to be very well supported for a Step 6 side. Oliver Ellary explains more about his love for Non League and Staines & Lammas (Middlesex) FC Jon OCuch is the man with the Non League Paper round-up. Not the busiest week in Non League but still managerial changes and plenty to discuss.

It is the FA Cup Preliminary Round. 134 Clubs from Step 4 and 138 Clubs from Step 5 in action across the weekend, hoping to secure the £1444 winning prize-money but also a place in the First Qualifying Round when the 88 Step 3 clubs join the competition. Phil Annets returns to the fold to offer a review of the Extra Preliminary Round and a preview of this weekend’s games too. One club through to this round is Boro Rangers. A club younger than any of the players that will even feature in the completion this season but one on the up and in the right way too as founder and chairman Mark Curtis explains. Matt Badcock helps round up the week’s non-league news and previews this weekend’s Non League Paper.

Back with another season and this weekly look at the world of non league football. As many clubs up and down the country kick off their competitive season, it is often only possible thanks to the often-overlooked hard work of one or a handful of people at the club. The ground staff make football possible for all of us. Our first guest is at the heart of the revolution that has seen important changes and improvements of grass pitches up and down the country. Geoff Webb is the CEO of the Ground Management Association and he gives some insight into what has been happening, what's to come, and how you might get involved If you are a Groundsman or not - it's fascinating stuff. Lots went on over the summer and the Non League Paper covered it all. Jon Couch  helps round up some of the big talking points and gives us a heads-up on what’s to come in this weekend’s Non League Paper.