Rochdale AFC have spent the last 27 years in the bottom division of the Football League. Mark Hodkinson has remained devoted to his hometown team during those lean years and they have been a touchstone of his life since he first saw them play on a cold, misty night in 1974.

At the start of the 2000/2001 season he was commissioned by The Times to provide a weekly bulletin from Spotland. Over the course of the season, these articles provided a compelling insight into the fanaticism engendered by the country’s lower division sides. Life Sentence developed a cult status as the wry prose touched a chord with supporters, especially in an era when big-time sport lost its soul to rampant commercialism.

He writes of hope and heartache; anguish and agony; pie and peas on a tray with gravy, please. The columns are included here with 40,000 words of additional comment, insight and afterthought.