Former Newark Advertiser reporter and Nottinghamshire author to be at Lowdham and Newark book festivals to present tale about former Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough

An award-winning former radio, TV and newspaper reporter will be guest at two book festivals this summer following the release of his new book.

Marcus Alton, a Nottinghamshire best-selling author and former Newark Advertiser reporter has written five books about football manager Brian Clough.

His latest published book — Brian Clough The Lost Tapes — is helping raise money for the NSPCC and Nottinghamshire Hospice.

The book is a result of years of research by Marcus and includes tales from Cloughie’s first-ever studio-based radio phone-in, as well as stories from personal appearances and Brian’s regular guest slots on a radio show.

On Monday, June 24, Marcus will be appearing at Lowdham Book Festival for an intimate Q&A event with experienced event host Neil Kendrick at 7pm.

The author will also be a guest at the Newark Book Festival on Saturday, July 13, when Marcus will host a solo multi-media show at 10am.

“When I was a boy, I lived in Lowdham and started writing a monthly sports column for the parish magazine,” said Marcus.

He added: “After that, I got a Saturday job at Radio Trent and then joined the Newark Advertiser as a reporter.

“With all those wonderful memories, it’ll be tremendous to return to Lowdham and Newark to talk about the inside story of my latest book, as well as presenting some fantastic archive material featuring Brian Clough and some of his former players.

“The content for each event is being curated separately for each festival, so they will be very different.

“I was fortunate to interview Brian Clough several times, so it’ll be great to not only share those stories but also talk more about the tales from the Lost Tapes book too, including exclusive recordings.”

Marcus believes this one is his best book so far as he discovered a rare collection of cassette tapes and mini-discs, along with archive articles and interviews.

He added: “Brian talks with a lot of humour and passion about various subjects – including many issues

which are still relevant today. For example, he disliked the concept of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) which was still only an idea in those days.

“He said that having two referees was like having two chairmen of a football club, one was enough.

“It reminded me yet again how much we miss his entertaining media appearances, his controversial opinions and his wonderful way with words.

“One of the recordings included my first meeting with Cloughie in 1994, which I thought had been lost forever. He even burst into song during that special appearance.

“Fortunately, I still have a small cassette player and a device which plays mini-discs, so I could listen back to this treasure trove of recordings. On another cassette I found a really special recording of a radio phone-in when Brian chatted to my dad.

“During that conversation, Brian delivered one of his many classic comments. It’s special not only for the quote, but because my dad passed away suddenly in 2016 and it meant a lot to me to hear his voice again.”

Stories in the book include a dying man’s final wish to meet Brian and how Cloughie went to see him in hospital. The poignant moment reflects the incredible connection Clough had with his fans.

Tickets for both festivals are available at the non-profit tribute website Brian Clough.

Marcus hosts the tribute podcast ‘Green Jumper,’ which has thousands of listeners in 80 countries.

He was also the driving force behind the fund-raising campaign for the Cloughie statue which stands proudly in Nottingham city centre.