Back of The Net: a fresh round up of online football magic by Aaron› 7 Sep 2012

It might be an international break for some players, but there's no rest for Back Of The Net, consistently digging out the finest online football stories for your enjoyment - if you ignore the two months or so since our last round-up... Whatever the reasons for the delay, rest assured that we've got some top stuff for you to catch up on today if you're looking to waste some time before the weekend kicks in.

The international break marks the start of the qualification period for the World Cup in Brazil in two years, with everyone full of optimism for the campaign ahead. Obviously, by this time next week that optimism could have disappeared completely, but for now we can dream of a trip to Rio and some samba action on the beach. While we're still feeling positive, England fans can get a great preview of officially the world's third-best team over at The Stiles Council, while The Guardian have also done a great round up of 10 things they're looking forward to this weekend.

Of course, further down the football pyramid there's plenty of domestic action this weekend, with the preliminary rounds of the FA Cup continuing from tomorrow. To celebrate what makes non-league football so special, this week we wanted to turn your attention to three of the finest (and most literally-named) football Tumblrs around. Non League Dogs, Non League Chips and Crap Photos Of Non League all capture the particular appeal of the game up and down the country, whilst also giving an impressively in-depth review of what you can dip your chips in as you travel up and down the land. If you feel inspired to get a taste of non-league action, you should also read up on Non League Day, which is coming up in just over a month and encourages football fans to support their local grassroots teams.

Another great cause that's caught our attention recently is Prostrate Cancer UK, who are the official charity of the Football League this season. To mark the fact that one in nine men will be affected by prostrate cancer at some point in their lives, they've got fans of every Football League team to suggest their top number 9s of all time. It's bound to cause some disagreements, and also some fond recollections of classic players - and they've also thrown in a worst number 9 for each club for good measure!

Whilst we're continuing with this heavy dose of football nostalgia, it's probably also worth looking at some classic Umbro kits that the majestic Got, Not Got have dug up from our 1992-93 season. There's some terrific designs in here, combined with some wincingly-small shorts, which might explain the poses of the models in the photographs. Combine it with this article from When Saturday Comes on why radio is still a great way to experience a football match, and you'll be bathed in a hazy wave of good-time memories.

That is, at least, until you're brought zooming into the 21st century by taking a look at the Digital Football blog. Examining where the worlds of football and social media combine - and almost as importantly, where certain clubs and associations are failing to engage online - it's a great read for anyone looking for the latest innovations in the world of football.

The best in retro and future football action then - that should keep you busy at least until the match kicks off tonight!

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Football Stories