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NEW SEASON SPECIAL!

Premier League, EFL & Scottish Premiership
How your team will do, best and worst moments, new nicknames, walk-out music
WSL & National League
A shake-up for the rebranded WSL; calls for an extra National League promotion spot

Features
Please be seated Clubs are clamping down on season ticket holders who might miss a game
Turned off Why the 1985-86 blackout changed the game’s relationship with TV
Fist bump How goalkeepers’ glove preferences have changed over the years
Shelf life Going behind the scenes for a strange season at East Stirlingshire
Dad’s club Our 2025 writers’ competition winner on their memories of a footballing father, on the pitch and in retirement
Adventure time Our writers’ competition runners-up: the enjoyment of a solo matchday; a special St Mirren stag do in Catalonia
Object lessons An Exeter City programme that comes with stories from an older brother
Team spirit: Fulham From rags to riches in the 1990s; the riverside magic of a Craven Cottage matchday

Regulars
Editorial The Club World Cup ended with a farcical trophy presentation – one befitting the whole competition
Sidelines Uncertainty at Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe; tributes to Diogo Jota and André Silva; Carlisle fans yet to be convinced; multi-club ownership complexity
Shot! North West Counties Premier Division champions Bury welcome Chester for a pre-season friendly at Gigg Lane
Harry Pearson column Why do we persist with attending friendlies?
The perfect shot Terry Venables exits through the White Hart Lane car park in 1993
Letters In most cities it’s fairly clear where the main rivalries lie, but in London it’s a bit more complicated…
Season in brief Bankrolled by a billionaire, village team Hoffenheim secure promotion to the Bundesliga in 2007-08