A rare FREE Friday piece for everyone to enjoy as I sat down with published non-league author Johnnie Lowery as we talked about his latest book (out now with links below) and his previous work, what inspires it and where he fits into non-league football.
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TK: So Johnnie, just before we get into the book you’ve written, a Sutton Utd fan, has that come through family or other avenues?
JL: My family actually hail from the North; my dad is a Middlesbrough fan and my mum’s family are Hull City. I grew up in London after they moved down here and as my dad didn’t want me supporting a Premier League club he took me around a host of non-league clubs in the hope I picked up one.
The Sutton connection came from within at a very young age and once I was old enough to go on my own I got a season ticket.
TK: And you also watch a bit of England as well?
JL: Yeah I go home and away, certainly a lot further away from non-league and a much different experience, a great hobby though. It does become a problem when they clash, I do choose Sutton Utd more despite needing the loyalty points for England tickets such is the demand.
TK: So, onto the book. You’ve written four of them so far with Amateur Hour the latest to be released in May, what prompted you to write one book let alone four?
JL: Well I’ve never studied for it in past, it more or less came out of nowhere. We’d had a bit of success at Sutton whilst I was at uni, the FA Cup run to the last 16 and promotion from the National League South, I was working behind the scenes at the club when I was home so my mates encouraged me to write down my thoughts and insights.
So I did, it was picked up by a local publisher and printed. I wouldn’t say looking back now it’s my greatest work but it sold pretty well and that gave me the impetus to carry on writing.
Match Fit, my second book, on mental health I started in the summer of 2020, that one took a little while! But it still sold fairly well too and that kind of gave me a hobby to fill in my free time and distract myself from everyday life as such.
TK: Was it easy to go and pitch to a publisher? Have you use Pitch Publishing for all four books?
JL: No, the first one was published by a company in Guildford closer to me. They sadly no longer exist but they got me off the ground taking a chance on an unknown 19 year old.
Pitch were really keen, the mental health one was the first through them and they jumped right on my samples straight away. Sutton Utd commissioned one from me that sold through their club shop only.
Amateur Hour I had to rewrite chunks on the advice of Pitch given I originally wrote it four years ago so the spare time at the Euros gave me the opportunity to get it done.
TK: What gave you the idea for following a whole FA Vase campaign then?
JL: I really can’t remember, it could have been one of those nights down the pub when it seems a very good idea! I’ve always liked the Vase because you get some unique and obscure team names that you won’t find anywhere else. And of course you get the reward of a Wembley final at the end.
I’ve been to quite a few Non League Finals Day and really enjoyed them, some great games I’ve seen there and that also includes the early rounds I watched in preparation for Amateur Hour.
TK: How did you pick where to start the journey? I’ve seen various ways people have done it in the past on their own route to the final, but what was yours?
JL: As it was still difficult to travel at the time following the winning team each time would probably have caused me so many problems so that was out of the question. I started in the North around family areas, a couple around the Bournemouth area and then it went back behind closed doors again so I was reliant on media passes to get me in.
It did actually come down to watching over the fences by the end, Warrington Rylands in the semi-finals we chose for that particular reason! And it wasn’t easy to get a ticket either, they sold out in about 5 minutes of going on sale.
TK: And whilst you were following that run to Wembley, Sutton were powering their way to the National League title behind closed doors.
JL: Yeah they were, I was still working at the club so was able to watch the home games but of course couldn’t go to the away ones. And with less people allowed inside meant more jobs, so car parking first and then ball boy because the balls needed disinfecting when they went out of play, seems mad saying that now.
Luckily by the time we won the title fans were allowed back in, Barnet actually took points off Torquay which meant we could win it the next day.
TK: Being non-league how much quirky stuff that we know you find in grounds did you encounter along the way?
JL: The first game we went to, Durham City their entire team was non-British quite amazing to see at that level! And to add to that a player had left the club recently to sign for a team in Andorra because he wanted Champions League football!?!?
At Bournemouth we witnessed a verbal slanging match between students, literally I think because they were bored and ended up at the game.
There are a few others but I’ll let you find out via the book.
TK: So now this book is out and available, what’s the plan for the next one?
JL: I am working on a new one but it’s light years away yet so I won’t give anything out on it. I am half way through it but it’s not a quick process to get through the various stages and into publication, a good couple of years I’d say and it’s similar to Match Fit being interview based.
If England win the World Cup in 2026 then there’s a book in that, I’d love to ghost write someone’s autobiography as well. You do get given a deadline by the publisher; I always make sure I’m a good way through the work when I submit it so I know it’s achievable. The pressure was on to produce the Sutton Utd book as they only gave me three months or so to get to written and ready for sale, just about managed that!
TK: So let’s give everything a plug, where can people buy this book from and any of the others?
JL: From Amazon of course, Pitch the publishers, shops plus online with the usual bookshops such as Waterstones etc (links below for all).
You can find me on X/Twitter @AddedSix, on Instagram @johnniesufc and I do have a website which is www.johnnielowery.co.uk.
Match Fit was nominated for Sports Book of the Year 2024; that’s probably my biggest achievement so far and hopefully not the only one within my writing career.
I am looking to branch out and get some clubs to take a few copies to sell, something I plan to look further into over the next year. I’d love to reach the levels of like ‘Bromley Boys’ by Dave Roberts, something of a cult following would be nice.
TK: Johnnie, thank you so much for your time, best of luck with the sales and the next book, fingers crossed at least one or two purchase after reading this and enjoy your work.
To buy Johnnie’s latest book on Amazon directly, you can purchase it here.
You can also purchase it via his website which will also direct you to Waterstones and Amazon.
Alternatively you can buy direct from the publisher www.pitchpublishing.co.uk and search for ‘Johnnie Lowery’.
