The Magic Roundabout

We pick the story up on the top of a blustery Box Hill in Surrey, overlooking Dorking. Join Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill on their travels as the Magic Roundabout adventure takes them round the M25 in both directions for two consecutive away games following Hemel Hempstead Town.At Dorking they stop by some other notable roundabouts dominated by sculptures of Olympic Games cyclists and the Dorking chicken. How many toes does a Dorking chicken have? And does the Dorking Wanderers badge look like a chicken shop logo?Although Hemel couldn't quite turn the tables on Dorking, their manager Marc White did just that at half-time as his team trailed. We also catch up with the gaffer, Lee Bircham.Then it's off to Billericay – an away trip that proves that following a football team home and away has to be about more than the match results...We also met some lovely podcast listeners – Marc, Julian, Cam and Stavros in Dorking (thanks for the chocolate bars!), and Neil in Billericay... and unwrapped a box of goodies from Gavin at Uefa.

In this bumper episode of The Magic Roundabout, we talk about the home of The Tudors, the Focus Community Arena at Vauxhall Road. Part of the joy of watching non-league football is visiting the grounds and seeing the quirky stands and little nods to the club's history. Hemel Hempstead Town's ground is no different – in fact it's one of the most charming and individual grounds around.We talk to chairman and owner Dave Boggins about the ground he inherited when he took over the club in 1997. It was in a poor state and the facilities were temporary after a clubhouse fire five years before. He restored the clubhouse and gradually improved the ground over the years as Hemel rose up through the divisions. We learn the origins of one of the ground's most interesting features, the racing pigeon club hut that sits at one end.We also speak to young midfielder Jacob Cook, currently on loan from Championship club Swansea City, and who can currently call Vauxhall Road home in a literal sense.Simon heads off on his big birthday outing and receives a couple of presents.

Join Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill as they make another trip over the Dartford Crossing to Kent to see Hemel Hempstead Town take on Tonbridge Angels.This week, they try to traditional terrace favourite – a scalding hot cup of Bovril, Lionel ponders building a football stand in his back garden, and Simon looks ahead to a significant birthday and a call-up to represent England...In honour of The Tudors' assistant manager David Noble, they do a lap of the M25 and they find out about the origin of the Angels name.This episode of The Magic Roundabout was presented and produced by Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill.

In this episode, Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill head to Brooks pie and mash shop, round the corner from Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club for the pre-match meal of kings.We learn about the traditional East End meal, and the side dish of stewed or jellied eels, before Hemel Hempstead Town's eagerly-awaited clash with the title favourites.In the second half of the podcast, we head to Tuesday night training to meet a couple of the players. Charlie Rowan was appointed captain at the start of the season and, after a good start to the campaign, picked up an injury and has been watching from the sidelines. He talks about the experience of following the team home and away, unable to influence the results or performances.Harrison Panayiotou has just returned to Hemel after a three-week international break representing St Kitts and Nevis in the Concacaf Nations League. Only nine players have pulled on the national team jersey more often than Harry. We hear about the four matches against Bonaire, Grenada and a double against Cuba which ended with two wins and two draws for St Kitts.The Magic Roundabout is by Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill. This episode was produced by Lionel Birnie.

There was no first team game for Hemel Hempstead Town at the weekend but that doesn't mean there isn't a big match to enjoy on The Magic Roundabout.Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill headed to Woburn to meet England Subbuteo international Bob Varney to learn about the table football game that dominated our childhoods in the 1980s. After a brief demonstration and a brush up on the modern rules, Lionel and Simon staged a rematch of their last Subbuteo game.And for one of them, a 1-0 victory meant the end of 40 years of hurt...If you think Subbuteo can't work in audio, think again!We also look ahead to Saturday's big clash with Dagenham and Redbridge, managed by Hemel's old boss Lee Allinson. Finally we explain the links between Hemel Hempstead and King Henry the Eighth and explain why he features on the club's badge.And we explore an even more tenuous link between Hemel Hempstead Town FC and Strictly Come Dancing...