In search of the Holy Grail - A match programme from 1929

Should you ever happen to stumble upon a match programme for Ireland versus Belgium from April, 1929 then don’t hesitate to get in touch with Gary Spain. But, a word to the wise: be sure he’s sitting down when you tell him.

Having amassed a collection of Irish football-related programmes numbering “tens of thousands” and stretching all the way back to 1884 - for the record, a game played at Anfield between Stanley and Ulster — the 52-year-old Limerick man can now claim to be the proud owner of “every Irish home programme — bar one”.