Step This Way... Mr Lynam: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

by Francis Ponder

Overview

Francis Ponder grew up with football and loved the game from the moment he first kicked a ball. He also spent nearly thirty years as a football commentator, reporting on the fortunes of his beloved team, Colchester United. For sixty-five years, Francis has observed the club, both as a fan and journalist and has now written about his experiences in Step This Way… Mr Lynam. In this revealing new book, the author spills the beans on more than fifteen seasons of football, providing us with a unique insight into Colchester United’s varying fortunes, from the despair of relegation to the triumph of promotion. Written from the heart, this book takes a look at football during a time now past when players and managers were in it for the love of the game rather than fame or material gain, giving us a glimpse of life inside a family club under the chairmanship of Gordon Parker, James Bowdidge and Peter Heard. This book is a must for all fans of Colchester United and anyone with an interest in football history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911476177
Publisher:	Andrews UK
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Francis Ponder was born in 1944, the third of four brothers, in his grandparents’ tiny cottage in the Essex village of Tolleshunt D'Arcy. Francis attended Maldon Secondary School (today's Lower Plume School) at the age of eleven, moving to the newly built Tiptree County Secondary School (now Thurstable School) two years later. Following redundancy, Francis joined the Colchester Evening Gazette in 1981, becoming the newspaper's county cricket correspondent, going on to enjoy a long career as a football reporter, commenting on the highs and lows of Colchester United. During his twenty-eight years with the paper, Francis witnessed three Wembley finals, two promotions and two relegations at the club. A keen sportsman, Francis played Saturday football until the ripe old age of thirty-seven, despite suffering a severe cruciate ligament injury in his late twenties, representing several local clubs over the years. He also played cricket as a wicket-keeper/batsman for Tollesbury until well into his forties. Francis has two grown up children, Jamie and Marie, and lives with his partner Joanna Wright, and their dog, Finley, in Tolleshunt D'Arcy.