“AYRESOME PARK THROUGH WARTIME" - The life and times of Middlesbrough FC during World War II

From Great Expectations to the Great War…

The end of the 1938/39 season saw hopes rise among the Middlesbrough faithful that the new campaign was going to be a massive season for the club; it was felt by many that finally this was going to be “our year”.

Unfortunately, Middlesbrough’s hopes, along with football in general, were thrust into insignificance when the tyrant, Adolf Hitler, dramatically changed the course of history, as he and his evil henchmen brought misery and terror to millions around the world with the outbreak of WWII.

This book aims to enlighten readers about those “lost seasons” between 1939 and 1946 when Middlesbrough FC and the football authorities attempted to bring some form of “normality” to fans, if only for a Saturday afternoon, amid the chaos and hardships of those extraordinary, traumatic years of conflict. The publication is the result of hundreds of hours of extensive research and covers many different aspects of Middlesbrough FC during this wartime period when player and club performances were not officially recognised in Football League records. Discover many "new" and “forgotten” facts which have never previously been seen in the public domain, relating to Boro’s matches, results, players and guests who represented the club during the football seasons from 1939/40 to 1945/46.

• Peruse seasonal reviews of all matches played by Boro's First XI, Reserves and Colts teams.
• Find Middlesbrough fixture details, including results from the North-Eastern League (and Cup), Football League North (and Cup), Combined Counties Cup, South Bank & District League (Cup & Bowl), Stockton & Thornaby Nursing Cup, Tyne Tees & Wear Cup, Stead Cup and FA Cup, which have never been compiled collectively before.
• Identify over 140 guest players who represented Middlesbrough, including Liverpool’s Matt Busby who wore the Boro shirt 19 times, and Plymouth Argyle's Matt Middleton who played an astonishing 106 games, as well as 60 players who only made a solitary appearance for the club.
• Note the 29 registered Middlesbrough players who played for other clubs during the war, including three Boro stars who participated as guest players in six War Cup Finals.
• Discover the six Boro players who represented England and Scotland a total of 35 times during the War.
• Review over 160 images of selected programmes, teams, players, and press reports.
• Read about the player who made 170 appearances for Boro and scored an incredible 125 goals and yet his official Boro playing records shows just two FA Cup appearances in 1946.
• Pore over some of the astonishing results from this period, including some huge losses such as 0-11 at Newcastle United, 5-9 at York City and 0-8 at Sunderland along with some impressive victories, for example 8-0 at Hull City, 7-3 against Halifax Town and 8-2 against Bradford City.

The cost of the book is £20.00 (plus £3.00 postage & packing) or collection can be arranged to save on postage costs. Please email gary.bolton1@ntlworld.com to order your copy.