• The Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • Log in
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • The Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • Log in
  • Subscribe

Book review: Village Voice by Ian Cusack

PinkbyPink
May 13, 2015
inLatest, Review
Book review: Village Voice by Ian Cusack

BY MARK GODFREY

Several of The Football Pink contributors have recently become fully fledged book authors (watch this space for more upcoming reviews) so, with my recent holiday freeing up some much-needed reading time, I packed a copy of Ian Cusack’s (TFP issues 4 and 5) Village Voice – The story of Percy Main Amateurs 2009/10 season into the suitcase next to my flip-flops, sunscreen and garish swimming shorts.

It’s fair to assume that the overwhelming majority of you reading this won’t know where the hell Percy Main is or, indeed, what a Percy Main might be. No, it’s not the name of a mythical wizard cooked up to rival the tales of Harry Potter; in fact it’s a small village on North Tyneside - on the periphery of North Shields – that grew up in the early 19th century around the colliery of the same name. And just like the hundreds of other estates and towns of a similar ilk, sport, and particularly the working class escape of football, played a huge role in the development and growth of such communities.

Cusack’s book is a detailed account of the amateur club’s dramatic and ultimately rewarding 2009/10 season in the Northern Alliance Division 1 and the various bizarrely-monikered Cup competitions in and around Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland and Country Durham (the Northern Alliance Pin Point Recruitment Combination Cup being one such example).

The book begins with the writer laying out his own story of how his disillusionment with his lifelong love – Newcastle United – had persuaded him to turn his back on the glitzy razzamatazz and overpriced hype of the Premier League (or Championship for NUFC in this particular campaign following relegation in 2009) for involvement in locally-based football in the North East of England; often referred to as the hottest of the game’s hotbeds, from Sunday league to St.James’ Park.

Ian takes us on a chronological odyssey through the team’s season and the happenings both on and off the field giving an insight specifically into the life of the thousands of hardy souls who volunteer their time and hard work to maintain amateur and non-league clubs up and down the land – often for little reward or praise.

We get the usual tales of agricultural pitches, dubious standards of officiating and meddlesome governing bodies as well as many of the trials and tribulations of the men and women who keep the club maintained and afloat (Ian being of them). We also get to know many of the players through Ian’s insight into their real world problems (one dropped off the radar due to courting a young lady in Scotland) and their exploits on the pitch; which, the book is perhaps a little bit heavy on for my tastes but act as comprehensive summaries for each fixture Percy Main played throughout the season.

Things bubble along nicely through the 180+ pages until the campaign’s gripping final weeks when the team’s hard work and countless comebacks could all amount to nothing as promotion to the Northern Alliance Premier Division hangs in the balance right ’til the end.

Being a long time resident of the North East and an ex-player in the region’s amateur ranks, both the places and scenarios mentioned in the book are familiar. But whether you live by the Tyne, the Thames or the Tay, football at the humblest of grassroots will throw up these tales of running a football club against the odds.

Village Voice is a charming book, reading more like a collection of entertaining monthly club website blog entries than any heavyweight literary goliath. But with Cusack’s attention to the minutiae and an apparent edge to his personality that comes through just enough in his writing, you’ll want to stick with Ian and Percy Main right to the end.

 

Village Voice is available in paperback for £2 (inc. P+P) via Paypal by paying account iancusack@blueyonder.co.uk

Related Posts

Latest

WWE Royal Rumble Betting Odds, Highlights, and Latest Updates

The WWE Royal Rumble (2023) aired live from inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and it did not...

by Jamie Ingram
August 29, 2023
0
RBC Heritage Odds
Latest

RBC Heritage Odds, Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets: Where to Bet on the PGA Tour Event

The Grand Slam events might get all the attention on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t necessarily make them...

by Jamie Ingram
April 13, 2023
0
Latest

Mexican Open Tennis Betting Odds: Where to Bet on the 2023 ATP Acapulco Tennis Tournament

Tennis fans are in for a treat with the upcoming 2023 Mexican Open (ATP Acapulco) lineup. We’ve got a...

by Jamie Ingram
February 17, 2023
0
Latest

Dubai Tennis Championships Betting Odds – How to Bet on the 2023 ATP Dubai Championships

The Dubai Open is the first ATP tour 500 event of the tennis year - and we’ve got the...

by Jamie Ingram
February 14, 2023
0
Load More
Next Post
Kit of the Week No.33: Sheffield Wednesday away 1987-88

Kit of the Week No.33: Sheffield Wednesday away 1987-88

Please login to join discussion
nfl-picks-ats
Current

Week 2 NFL Picks Against the Spread: Big Game Odds and the Best In-Game Bets for NFL Week 2

by Jamie Ingram
September 20, 2023
0
0

Big-time action takes place in NFL’s highly-anticipated Week 2 matchups, with a few standout games you have to pay attention...

Read more
MLB Picks Today

MLB Picks Today (2023): Free Daily MLB Picks, Predictions, Odds, Betting Tips, and More

September 19, 2023
0
college-football-prediction

College Football Week 6 Predictions & Overview: Expert Analysis of Best Picks and Odds

September 18, 2023
0
best sportsbook for corners 2

Best 8 Sportsbooks for Corners Betting: 6 UK Betting Sites That Offer Corner Bets in 2023

September 19, 2023
0
sean-o_malley-next-fight

Sean O’Malley Next Fight: Where to Bet on the New Champ’s First Title Defense

September 18, 2023
0
Menu
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Profile

© Copyright 2023 – Football Pink

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Profile

© Copyright 2022 - Ronnie Dog Media All Rights Reserved. Live Score

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Gmail
  • Print Friendly
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr