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From Cockfosters to Fulham Broadway: A life lived in Blue
Cockfosters is where the Piccadilly Line begins, and also where author Steve McCarthy’s love affair with the Blues began in 1962. The journey from there to Fulham Broadway takes just under an hour and is a destination he has arrived at countless times and from many different starting points in the 63 years that have followed. So often those Chelsea experiences have been inextricably linked to significant events in his personal life, many of which may resonate with other fans.
There was an improbable beginning because as a ten-year old, Steve had no interest in football, let alone an attachment to one club. That all changed when he forged an unlikely friendship at his North London primary school with the eldest son of the then Chelsea Manager, Tommy Docherty. Free entry to Stamford Bridge as the manager’s guest in the 1961-2 season became the catalyst for an everlasting bond with Chelsea, and the Beautiful Game as a whole.
In the years that followed, Steve discovered that his devotion to Chelsea transcended his schoolboy friendship and the identity of the club’s manager, to the extent that he was quite happy to follow Chelsea solo, having no friends who were Blues, and parents who were indifferent to Football. As the 1970s unfolded seeing first time triumphs for the club at home and abroad, a blind date with a girl from South London ensured that following Chelsea would never be a solo experience again. Together, Steve and his future wife stuck with the blues for better or worse through the traumas of the club’s near descent into the Third Division, and Steve’s own life-saving heart surgery.
Their journey became a shared one as each of their three sons were born into a family in which supporting anyone other than Chelsea was not an option! As a family they have lived and breathed with the club, attending many cup finals, representing the club as matchday mascots, enjoying close encounters with legends such as Bobby Tambling, Kerry Dixon, Dennis Wise, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Jose Mourinho, as well as the author himself living the dream by playing in the club’s first team colours on the Stamford Bridge pitch!
This is the story of a life lived in Blue.
“Uplifting and entertaining, Steve’s journey through life supporting Chelsea will bring a smile to the face of every Blues fan young and old.”
Kerry Dixon
There was an improbable beginning because as a ten-year old, Steve had no interest in football, let alone an attachment to one club. That all changed when he forged an unlikely friendship at his North London primary school with the eldest son of the then Chelsea Manager, Tommy Docherty. Free entry to Stamford Bridge as the manager’s guest in the 1961-2 season became the catalyst for an everlasting bond with Chelsea, and the Beautiful Game as a whole.
In the years that followed, Steve discovered that his devotion to Chelsea transcended his schoolboy friendship and the identity of the club’s manager, to the extent that he was quite happy to follow Chelsea solo, having no friends who were Blues, and parents who were indifferent to Football. As the 1970s unfolded seeing first time triumphs for the club at home and abroad, a blind date with a girl from South London ensured that following Chelsea would never be a solo experience again. Together, Steve and his future wife stuck with the blues for better or worse through the traumas of the club’s near descent into the Third Division, and Steve’s own life-saving heart surgery.
Their journey became a shared one as each of their three sons were born into a family in which supporting anyone other than Chelsea was not an option! As a family they have lived and breathed with the club, attending many cup finals, representing the club as matchday mascots, enjoying close encounters with legends such as Bobby Tambling, Kerry Dixon, Dennis Wise, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Jose Mourinho, as well as the author himself living the dream by playing in the club’s first team colours on the Stamford Bridge pitch!
This is the story of a life lived in Blue.
“Uplifting and entertaining, Steve’s journey through life supporting Chelsea will bring a smile to the face of every Blues fan young and old.”
Kerry Dixon
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2025
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Steve McCarthy
33 books2 followersSteve McCarthy has been writing a column called "Road Trippin'" for several years, giving advice on how best to enjoy driving, seeing the odd and unusual, and generally ruminating on all things Road Trip related. He and his wife Marianne enjoy taking their old Triumph TR3 on long back roads trips and love sharing their experiences with others. He is also a regular contributor to "Garage Style Magazine." Steve and Marianne are also photographers and offer their work through their website www.mccarthypix.com. In real life, Steve has been a high school history teacher for over 30 years, enjoys model railroading and they have raised 3 fine daughters and a Basset Hound named Mat."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 20, 2025
Decent book about a fellow Chelsea fans experiences watching them. Enjoyed it and read it in less than a week. Probably not a book for non Chelsea fans.
Displaying 1 of 1 review