FINAL PUSH FOR DONATIONS

Well the FA Cup final is just over a week away and Runcorn2wembley appears to have run out of help from the organisations, clubs and the FA.

After receiving great support from fans and the non-league and small league clubs since the start and along the way, it's sad to keep hitting a brick wall when trying to get help from the big clubs, The FA, councils and police.

Football, and in particular the FA Cup, is meant to be about the fans, but money is now the only factor in professional football in this country.

After travelling over 3,000 miles to every corner of the country and meeting so many true fans of the game at places like Runcorn, Guiseley, Kendal and Nuneaton, how pathetic that clubs like Chelsea and Aston Villa either ignore emails and phone calls, or dismiss a charity campaign without even looking at the history of it.

Runcorn2wembley is in memory of our dad who died when Rob and I were still in primary school. As an amateur footballer with clubs like Marine, Runcorn and Skelmersdale, our dad played for the love of the game, not for the money it could give him.

I know he would be disgusted at how the game has developed since he played in the 1960s.

The 'investment' at clubs like Man City and Tottenham can make fans happy with the relative success it achieves, but at what cost? Who pays for the disgusting wages of £100k a week for people who don't care about the club they play for, like the fans do?

That's right - the fans pay for it in ticket costs and the various refreshments etc available at matches.

In the Premiership money is bringing the game to the brink of disaster. Just look at Portsmouth with debts of £138m and the real threat of the club folding.

This shows money is the only thing that matters to the people who run these clubs and campaigns like Runcorn2wembley will find it harder and harder to find support.

Which brings me on to the main point of this post, to ask for a final push for Runcorn2wembley to reach the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research. We need just over £750 to reach it.

Any donations will make such a huge difference to the help Cancer Research can give to finding solutions to the many cancer deaths every year.

I'll update next week and hope to have good news on the donation front.

ONE MORE DAY TO GO

The summer weather may have been and gone in one weekend in June, but football is now back up and running.

All leagues but the Premiership started last weekend and now this weekend a double-header of Premiership and FA Cup action is getting football fans across the country excited.

While Premiership and Championship teams won't be thinking about the FA Cup until January next year, hundreds of smaller clubs are just 24 hours away from their first taste of FA Cup football this season.

I'll be at Wincham Park, Northwich for the Extra Preliminary round cheering on Runcorn Linnets as they face AFC Emley for the right to play Bamber Bridge away on the next round.

I'm hoping to build up a following along the way and anyone interested in joining me for one or more games can either twitter me (richthemaster) or comment on my blog.

To donate either see me at the game(s) or go online to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles

Up the Linnets!

Kit fitting

OK, so the kit from Cancer Research UK has come through and I've been trying everything on for size.

I've also been putting together the stickers, bucket and the other paraphernalia ready for the big kick-off.

Pictures of me will be done over the weekend and put on with my next post.

It's hard to believe we're in the middle of the summer with all this dismal weather about, but the Golf Open, Ashes series and rife football transfer speculation, it most defineitlye is!

Three weeks until the Football League season starts and four weeks until the Premiership and FA Cup.

Why not avoid the expensive Premiership ground and come along to see the non-league teams battle it out in the FA Cup; in fact come along to watch Runcorn Linnets play AFC Emley and help out with my collection at the same time.

For ease of use just click here to donate www.justgiving.com/richard-knowles