Climbing the Silver Pyramid

Climbing the Silver Pyramid

David Kindon


USD 27,99

Format: 13.5 x 21.5 cm
Number of Pages: 290
ISBN: 978-3-99107-639-1
Release Date: 22.02.2022
Lovers of ‘The Beautiful Game’, from supporters to professionals. David Kindon’s passion for the game comes through strongly as he takes you on this fascinating footballing journey from Cornwall to Wembley entertaining you until the final whistle.
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO THE SUPPORTERS, STAFF AND PLAYERS OF TAUNTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB

May the glorious claret and blue plumage
of The Peacocks never lose a feather,
Dave.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sincere and heartfelt thanks to the following people for their invaluable contribution to this project and for giving me a deeper insight into the Beautiful Game.

Greg Coulson - Chairman - Westbury United FC
Sean Rothwell - Referee - Football Association
Andy Power - Secretary - Taunton Town FC
Matt Wright - Captain - Taunton Town FC
Rob Wenham - Head Steward - Taunton Town FC
Dan Carter - Mascot - Taunton Town FC
Keith Tuckwell - Supporter - Billericay Town FC
John Croot - Director - Chesterfield FC
Neil Shipperley - Ex Player - Crystal Palace FC
Trevor Higgins - Manager - Elburton Villa FC
Richard Walker - Head of Media - Watford FC
Gary Cotterill - Reporter - Sky Sports News
Barry Silkman - Agent - Professional Football
Tom Sampson - County Rep - Devon FA
John Martindale - Rival - Subbuteo


“Football is undoubtably the oldest of all English national sports. For at least six centuries, the people have loved the rush and struggle of the rude and manly game … and Kings with their edicts … divines with their sermons … scholars with their cultured scorn … and wits with their ridicule, have failed to keep the people away from the pastime they enjoy.”

SIR MONTAGUE SHEARMAN
(English Judge and Athlete)
Late 19th century


Chapter Listing - FROM KIMBERLEY TO WEMBLEY

1) DASHES TO ASHES - Saltash v Odd Down
2) TALES OF THE WHITE HORSE - Westbury v Saltash
3) MEN IN BLACK - Bitton v Westbury
4) THE CURSE CONTINUES - Taunton v Bitton
5) IT’LL BE ALL WRIGHT ON THE NIGHT - Taunton v St Albans
6) FLYING WITH THE PEACOCKS - Billericay v Taunton
7) BILLERICAY BLUES - Chesterfield v Billericay
8) IT’S GRIMSBY UP NORTH - Chesterfield v Grimsby
9) SHINE THROUGH THE GLOOM - Crystal Palace v Grimsby
10) MONEY MAKES THE BALL GO ROUND - Crystal Palace v Tottenham
11) ROY AT THE ROVERS - Doncaster v Crystal Palace
12) THE EAGLES ARE LANDED - Watford v Crystal Palace
13) THE RETURN OF MAGIC MIKE - Watford v Wolves
14) BLACK DOG AND A BLUE MOON - Manchester City v Watford


Foreword - A RIDE WITH ME

A long time ago in a stadium, far, far away …

I blame a footballer called Kevin Keegan for not only my love of the FA Cup, but of football itself.
May the fourth is celebrated by fans of ancient galactic religions, wizardry and space pirates, but for me, that date in 1974 is as momentous to this fifty-three year old Englishman as Wembley Stadium stands as an iconic symbol to generations of football fans brought up kicking, screaming and falling in love, watching the greatest sporting competition in the world.

A few years before Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star and Han Solo blasted his way onto the silver screen, it was the green hallowed turf of our national stadium on which Keegan and his team mate Steve Heighway blasted three goals between them and destroyed Newcastle United’s hopes of returning to their north east base with the famous silver trophy.

The future captain of England replaced musician Bryan Ferry and, before him, my dad as a hero, and as far as my immediate family was concerned, I was lost. The boy who was still young enough to dream grew into a troubled teenager with a chip on his shoulder, a ‘rebel without a clue’.

Time took away the magic of Christmas and birthdays became just a number, but the FA Cup final was always there, keeping me on the good side of the law. Non-scripted but dramatic. No musical lyrics, yet poetic. And it was real.

The idea for this book was simple but took on a life of its own. Starting with the Cup’s preliminary rounds I watched Saltash United, geographically the nearest team to my doorstep who had a home tie in mid-August. I followed them until their elimination and then their victors until they lost and so on …

Nine months later, having travelled over five and a half thousand miles, I completed an epic journey through all fourteen stages of the competition. An adventure which started in Cornwall took me to Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Essex, Derbyshire, Surrey, Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and ended at Wembley in north London.

There are fourteen chapters in ‘Climbing the Silver Pyramid’ representing each round of the 2018-19 FA Cup, and each one includes interviews with football folk involved in all aspects of the game, a match report and a nostalgic nod back to the notable Cup finals of the competition’s glorious past.

But what happened to the FA Cup? Why has it lost it’s appeal to generations of football fans? How does the pyramid in English football work?

Money it seems has replaced the magic.

This journey was just as much about investigating the reasons why as much as it was about the glory. Coming out of depression in January 2017, I decided to give myself a long-term target to ensure my personal focus steadied itself on the track known as life contentment. Thus, my life was dominated on this nine-month quest as two ticks appeared on my bucket list.

The structure of our national game is unique and in my opinion, the best on the planet. I want this book to go some way to explain why anyone born post the mid-1980’s possesses more passion for The Premiership and only holds a mild sense of curiosity as to why the older generation’s love of the FA Cup remains strong.

Whatever age you are, and what ever team you follow, I’m sure you’ll agree that football is still and will always remain ‘The Beautiful Game’.

DAVID KINDON
JULY 2019

“Lose your dreams and you may lose your mind.”
MICK JAGGER
5 Stars
Brilliant  - 18.04.2022
Ian hooper

A great read not only a football journey but a personal one as well with some great stories along the way.

5 Stars
Brilliant  - 18.04.2022
Ian hooper

A great read not only a football journey but a personal one as well with some great stories along the way.

5 Stars
Brilliant! - 04.04.2022
Janine Kindon

Funny, poignant, informative, gripping, cleverly written. A must read for all football fans and for those who aren’t!

5 Stars
Brilliant! - 04.04.2022
Janine Kindon

Funny, poignant, informative, gripping, cleverly written. A must read for all football fans and for those who aren’t!

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