On a recent visit to South Africa, author Keith Salmon found out just what Liverpool fans descending on the World Cup's host nation can expect in terms of a welcome.

Are you following Stevie G and Nando down to South Africa for the World Cup? If you are take a word of advice give the local Reds a ring. If you are heading to Johannesburg give the boys at the local Gauteng Supporters Club a shout. They are more than happy to help you make your visit to South Africa a time to remember.

The Gauteng Supporters Club is named after the province in which Johannesburg is based, but there are supporters all over what is a massive country. They can give you advice about what to see, what to do and importantly how to stay safe whilst folowing the teams accross the diverse country. The local Reds have checked out the venues, reviewed the park and ride and most importantly where to get a pint before and after the game.

I have been travelling to South Africa regularly over the last five years and I can assure a wonderful experience awaits anyone who visits and the local Reds have become great friends in that time. My most recent visit coincided with the last game of the season at Hull and I spent the afternoon watching the game at the Grand Slam bar in the Northern Johannesburg suburb of Edenvale. Unfortunately there was little to cheer as our season faded away. Still, if you cant be in Hull, be in Johannesburg! As you can see from the picture we still had a great time.

Following a morning visit to Soweto where my Liverpool shirt certainly turned heads and brought smiles of acknowledgement, I spent the afternoon with like minded Liverpool supporters. Willing the Reds on with the guys and girls; a mixture of Scouse and British Expats with a fair sprinkling of South African guys was a wonderful way to spend a day in Africa. Most of them have spent a fortune coming to Anfield to cheer on the Reds and the hospitality they have found is only too willingly reciprocated.

Everywhere you go in South Africa, English football is what everyone wants to talk about. Liverpool are at the forefront of the conversation and the players the people most want to see are those who regularly take to the hallowed Anfield turf.

The one place I still need to visit is Spion Kop in Kwazulu-Natal South Africa and there is one really good reason. Besides the fact our Kop is named after the place, there is a wonderful memorial, in the form of a wooden bench. The bench sits at Spionkop Lodge and is a tribute to the 96 Liverpool supporters who perished at Hillsborough.

The bench was commissioned and paid for by a great guy called Guy Prowse.

Unfortunately upon my return I was informed that Guy had sadly passed away far too early - he was only in his early forties. Guy Prowse was a devoted husband, father and die-hard Liverpool fan who contributed a great deal of his day ensuring that each South African Supporters Club member was glued to their chairs reading his fantastic newsletters and website editorials.

The bench he commissioned is now synonymous with Guy and the annual Hillsborough Memorial Service that the Supporters Club has undertaken on April 15 since 2007.

He was a great man and will be sorely missed by all the South African Red and his family. May he never walk alone.

'We had dreams and songs to sing' is available in all good boookshops, the HJC shop and at www.wehaddreamsandsongstosing.co.uk

To contact the South African Reds e-mail supportersclub@liverpoolfc.co.za