Football Book Review: The Farther Corner by Harry Pearson

A brilliant book from start to finish.

In The Farther Corner Harry Pearson returns to North East football which is the scene of a previous book of some 25 years ago called The Far Corner. His first book saw him visit many North East grounds from top flight right through to non-league although this latest book is set mostly amongst the delights of the Northern League. However, regardless of the matches he takes in, Pearson still manages to fill the pages with many witty observations akin to what we saw in the first book whilst even more so than in that first offering they are interwoven with many tales from North East football's past across the professional and amateur game.

Pearson's interest in the history of North East football brings up some fascinating tales from the game and also paints a vivid picture of the hard life amongst the coalfields of County Durham and Northumberland, as well as the steelworks of Teesside, that were an existence for many in the region across large parts of the twentieth century. With memories from friends, family, and others with a history in the local football scene to draw upon the book is rich in detail of the inner workings of North East football's past and its importance within its local communities. The book particularly immerses itself in some of the great non-league teams of the past, particularly the great (perhaps not so) amateur sides such as Bishop Auckland who won a record ten FA Amateur Cup's for example whilst also covering the ups and downs of the regions three main professional clubs.

Whilst the book includes many tales from the past it also covers the more recent era of not just football but Pearson's life in general with many anecdotes bordering on the peculiar. All of this is set around a season of non-league football and the specific games he attends where he has a sharp-witted awareness of his surroundings and the people present. This comes with the ability to poke fun at some of the inane habits and characteristics of some of the supporters he comes across as well as football fans in general.

This is a brilliant book from start to finish that involves lots of chuckling to yourself at Pearson's humorous observations as well as getting engrossed in his fascinating stories from North East football's past. On a scale of 1 to an absolute belter, I'd say it is an absolute belter.