Towards the end of October, there comes a moment when the air starts to feel cold and the floodlights flicker on as the sun sets behind the terraces. It’s the kind of evening that makes you grateful for a hot pie clutched between chilly fingers. For Felix White, the present isn’t just another football season. It’s a pilgrimage, stitched with anticipation and the faint ache of nostalgia, as he sets off to follow the twists of the 2024/25 FA Cup from its humble beginnings to the grand finale at Wembley.
The journey begins in Leamington, where the pitch is more brown than green, and the players’ studs dig into the earth with the same resolve as the supporters stamping their feet on battered terraces. White, with his keen eye for detail and ear for the poetic, paints every scene with affection: from the young lad in a Maidenhead United scarf scrawling line-ups in a battered programme to the veteran steward at Liverpool who recalls the glory days of Dalglish and Rush as if they were yesterday.
Each round, each unlikely victory, is both a celebration and a lesson in the wild democracy of the Cup. The book becomes a tapestry of voices: managers barking encouragement in muddy dugouts, volunteers brewing tea in draughty clubrooms, and fans who measure their years not in birthdays but in cup runs and heartbreaks. White doesn’t shy away from the contradictions, either. He writes of the swelling disparities between the non-league dreamers and the moneyed giants—of Manchester City’s slick precision offset by the raw hunger of underdogs from places like Eastleigh and Gateshead.
But it’s the smaller moments that linger. A trainer tends to a striker's swollen ankle with tape and hope, a manager quietly prays in the corridor before extra time, and everyone shares laughter and the inevitable collective groan as a penalty sails over the bar. These pieces show the essence of English football for White—not just in the spectacle, but in the struggle, the striving, and the stubborn belief that anything might happen.
By the time the journey winds towards Wembley, the reader feels every mile, every muddy bootprint, and every burst of song. Through Felix’s eyes, the FA Cup isn’t simply a competition—it’s England in miniature: hopeful, imperfect, and utterly obsessed.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48 [Delivered to You Last Week October 2025]
Publisher: Great Book Selection – Visit Cassell
Published: October 23, 2025
Price: £22
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1788405595
ISBN-13: 978-1788405591
Dimensions: 234 x 153 (mm)Why Pre-order?
Since 2022, we've observed that publishers often opt for smaller print runs to manage costs effectively. This process has occasionally resulted in stock shortages. We strongly recommend pre-ordering to secure your copy and avoid disappointment.
