Gary Boswell

I’m Gary Boswell – also known as Boz – and have been a professional writer for twenty five years and a professional sports tipster for seven. I specialise in UK non-league football courtesy of having grown up watching Redditch United and finding myself in Morecambe when my oldest son was of an age to be taken to games.

2007/8 will be the first season the team I support compete in the football league!

As the son of a bookmaker, I grew up on the racecourses around Redditch- Warwick,Worcester,Stratford etc- and have maintained a passion for horse-race betting all my life. I still do it and greyhound betting as my hobby once all the serious football study is done!

Started betting on football only when Betfair came along and quickly realised here was a way to win back all the money I’ve lost on horses over the years! The worst losses are too numerous to mention balanced by the memorable £100 treble at Fontwell one misty October in 1997 which stays sharp as my most memorable win ever.

My sporting hero is Mohammed Ali as the supreme athlete who also has a way with words. Until recently, I’d always thought my footballing hero was Gordon Banks and the greatest moment his save from Pele in the 1970 game against Brazil. I was ten years old at the time and it made a life imprint.

Recently though I bought a DVD of that game and watched the whole 90 minutes again in real time. It’s amazing how the quality stands up 37 years on. I had assumed that the game today was such that no players from that era would have a hope in hell of competing on today’s pitch but 47 year old Boz was so impressed with Bobby Moore that day to make me think that in fact today’s centre-backs couldn’t have coped with 1970 Brazil. I now name Bobby Moore as my footballing hero!

• Non-League Betting: Oxford win is by no means academic
• Non-league Betting Preview: Multiple meltdown
• FA Cup Betting: Non-League duo can give it a real go