NOBODY forgets their first love and very few football fans have any problem recalling the exact moment they fell for the beautiful game.

Chronicling such life-affirming experiences, by gathering personal accounts from a variety of contributors, has proven an inspired decision by York City supporter Adam Bushby.

The short stories, compiled with the help of co-editor Rob MacDonald, recently prompted Esquire Magazine to make Falling For Football their publication of the week and the pair also pen a critically-acclaimed football blog Magic Spongers.

As it has done through the ages, love strikes for manifold reasons from chapter to chapter.

It can be forbidden - in the case of the English schoolboy seduced by Diego Maradona's 1986 Argentina team, or irrational - as proven by the Welsh Croatia fan with a hatred for Lilian Thuram.

Football can also be responsible for exciting, brief affairs - Bushby himself tells of connecting passionately with the Nigerian Olympics team of 1996 before settling down with his life-long partner at Bootham Crescent.

Some, meanwhile, stick with their first true love and never look elsewhere for stimulation while another author swaps his high-maintenance commitment to Aston Villa for a steadier relationship with Tooting & Mitcham.

Importantly, there is also little of the self-absorbed pretension often associated with prolific bloggers, although one chapter on Juventus' class of 1996 literally sent me to sleep with its abstract waffle.

But there is plenty here for Bootham Crescent enthusiasts too.

Bushby's entry will make many smile - he was taken to his first Minstermen game by his stepdad, who never set foot in the ground again following a drab 0-0 draw with Northampton.

Fellow York fan John Dobson also delivers his chapter with a good dose of dry wit while current City supremo Nigel Worthington might be interested in a copy after being compared to a "Brazilian wing back" by one disciple of Sheffield Wednesday's 1993 side.

Included are a plethora of examples, meanwhile, of how football provides a vital common ground for shared experiences within families.

There will be, at least, one account too that resonates with every reader.

The mention of an Espana 82 Ladybird book certainly transported me back three decades and evoked many fond memories.

Falling For Football - The teams that shaped our obsession, compiled by Adam Bushby & Rob MacDonald (£11.99, Ockley Books)