Nothing beats Sunday League football.Waking up early, often with a bit of a hangover, to join up for a game with your mates.Getting lumps kicked out of you on a muddy pitch, and always returning the favour.Where would we be without it?Everyone has their own set role within a Sunday League team. There’s the ball-hog, the lad who always tries skills, the one who always picks a fight and the player who once had trials at Arsenal but an injury forced him to cut his career short.

And then there’s the manager. And what a job that is.

Making sure there’s an opponent each week. That the pitch is suitable to play on. That there are corner flags, goal posts and nets. It’s not easy.

Sunday League manager invests in card machine

But the most difficult job any manager faces is collecting the match fees from their players.

“I’ve got no cash” is an excuse every manager hears each week.

But JK Silvertown FC’s manager has come up with an excellent idea to combat this excuse - bring a card machine to matches.

Cash may not be as popular as it once was. But everyone has a card on them, and now players don’t have an excuse not to pay their match fees.

Clever thinking from the manager of JK Silvertown, who play in the Essex Combination Sunday League.

Sunday League football has given us some incredible stories over the past few years.

There’s the team who have four former Premier League footballers in their squad.

Then there’s Duckpond FC, who spent £4,000 on an open-top bus parade after winning the Colchester and District Sunday League this year.

However, nothing beats the Sunday League side who received coaching from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

“You play so good. No believe me, you play so, so good,” Guardiola said after watching Kitchener FC, from Ipswich, in action at the City Football Academy.

“I’m jealous of you. I cannot play any more.

“Be angry when you lose, be happy when you win.

“You like to play football and do that until you can’t do it.”

For many amateur players, Sunday League football has provided memories that will never be taken away.