A Wimbledon football fanatic is hoping to recapture the days where jumpers were goal posts and millions waited by the letter box every Saturday morning for the latest football comic book to land on the door mat.

Darlaston Road resident Robert Frankland has just finished compiling a book tracing the rise and fall of the stories which once used to sell 350m comics a year.

And by including tales of footballers from outer space to mythical machines used to keep the ball out of the goal, Robert hopes “Football’s Comic Book Heroes” will convert fans to a bygone era of the beautiful game.

He said: “It’s a dying art nowadays but back in the 1940s and 50s there were some comics that would sell more than two and a half million copies a week.

“This book won’t just be for kids but an entire generation that can instantly remember the characters and stories from years ago. It’s incredible what a memory jogger this book can be.”

Publishers of all the famous football comics gave Robert and co-writers Adam Riches and Tim Parker access to archives dating back to the 1920s and beyond.

Robert said: “The book features brilliant stories from all the different eras of football which just show how the game and comic books have evolved over the years.

“These books only came into being to cater for the growth and insatiable appetite for football over the years.

“It’s disappointing that kids nowadays are more interested in video games but it’d be great if this book gets them to read about football again, even if it that might be like trying to push water uphill with a toothpick!”

The Wimbledon Guardian has four copies of Football’s Comic Book Heroes to give away. To win one, answer this question: During peak popularity of the football comic, how many were sold per year?

Email your answer to newsdesk@wimbledonguardian.co.uk or write to Wimbledon Guardian, Unecol House, 819 London Road, North Cheam, SM3 9BN.

Deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday, August 25.