AS A youngster I was fascinated by all things football and to a lesser, more cynical degree, I still am today. But as an impatient kid, I hated actually reading about football, preferring to look at pictures and had Paul Harrison's book been around then, I would have loved it.

The book, aptly titled Gravesend & Northfleet FC, charts the history of the Nationwide Conference club from day one, with more pictures than you could throw a book at ... if you get my meaning.

It is clear Paul is not only a Fleet fan but also a fan of all football - the amount of research in this book is mind-blowing.

It cannot have been easy to find a picture of Stonebridge Road before the ground was there, but Paul has.

And I would put money on the fact some Fleet fans never knew the club is an amalgamation of two teams - well, it is.

I particularly like the sweet postcard sent to Gravesend forward Len Stott informing him he had been selected to face Maidstone United on September 23, 1905.

Through the many carefully-selected photos, Paul talks us through the Tottenham connection years' and arguably Fleet's first team in the 1950s.

I find the pictures of Stonebridge Road through the ages fascinating, especially when the predominant stand in a 1932 snap is the same as today - think how many people must have sat there!

But Paul does not deal solely in nostalgia, as the book comes right up to date with Fleet's visit to Aston Villa in the FA Cup and a special mention for goal- machine Charlie MacDonald.

This book is a must for fans of Fleet and fans of football as a whole.

Gravesend & Northfleet FC, by Paul Harrison. £12.99, available from Waterstones in Bluewater, WHSmith in Gravesend or email paulharrison38@aol.com