New book delves into the past and present of Doncaster's non-league clubs

Raising a smile at Askern. Pictures by Steven Penny

Towering Tales and a Ripping Yarn tells not only the story of his travels to non-league grounds in Yorkshire during the Covid-hit 2020/21 season but also uncovers many links between the grassroots game and the sport at its very highest level.

Penny’s season takes in games across the non-league pyramid, including the Northern Counties East League, Doncaster Rovers Saturday and Sheffield County Senior Leagues, plus a late-season visit to a charity encounter at the Eco-Power Stadium.

As well as details of the matches he watches, Penny digs into the clubs’ pasts and discovers a rich seam of stories to tell, many relating to the very beginnings of the game in Yorkshire and how the coal industry played a major part in its arrival here.

Yorkshire Main’s supporters stayed as loyal as they could during the Covid restrictions.

His journey starts at Wombwell in August, with the discovery of a Busby Babe. It takes in World Cup winners, a king of pop, a legendary outlaw, the most scenic ground in England and a classic TV comedy show. In a plethora of little-known and unheralded tales, it details the part the tiniest of clubs has played in football’s rich tapestry in the Broad Acres.

Locally, Penny compares present-day Tickhill Square with the ground he visited as a reporter for the Yorkshire Post during the final days of Denaby United’s life as a semi-professional club. He learns how FC Doncaster are trying to revive the fortunes of the Miners Welfare ground at Woodlands, and finds out how the world’s first black professional player ended up in a pauper’s grave in Edlington.

That same village was the starting point for the career of a Geordie legend. Newcastle United manager Joe Harvey played for Edlington Rangers and Penny traces the roots of the present Yorkshire Main club.

The rise and fall of Askern, both the football team and town, is investigated by Penny, who also takes a look at the historic Montagu Cup charity competition, which has been played annually at Mexborough since 1897.

The only professional club to get a visit is Doncaster Rovers but it is not a Football League match Penny attends. Instead he is in a crowd of a few dozen to witness a charity encounter as he pays tribute to the work of the Club Doncaster Foundation.

More than 60 Yorkshire clubs get a mention in the 248 pages, with almost 100 professional clubs also represented as Penny discovers the many links between the White Rose and the global game.

A mix of historical research, interviews with club staff and former players, as well as his own keen observations bring a true taste of the terraces to readers.

Illustrated throughout, the paperback Towering Tales and a Ripping Yarn costs £11.99, with a Kindle version (£9.99) also available, direct from Amazon HERE.

Penny’s previous book, Soap Stars & Burst Bubbles, told the tale of his trips across Yorkshire during the 2002/03 season, including reports on Doncaster Rovers’ final campaign as a non-league club, as well as visits to Brodsworth and Armthorpe. It is also available from Amazon.