Robin Friday dreams of being a professional footballer: rejection, drugs, borstal, and a near-fatal industrial accident won't stop him.

In early 1974, Reading's manager, Charlie Hurley, signs Friday. After three games, it is plain to see that he's a very special talent, but it's also clear to Charlie Hurley that he has an untameable spirit on his hands. This fact-based fiction takes the reader into the nerve endings of Friday's character, into the smaller moments, and brings him back to life and finishes in the summer of 1976. It is a story of love, crime, disloyalty, friendship, humour, and some battling football scenes.

Reviews

'A clearly well-researched novelistic depiction of the life of a talented but troubled sporting individual. Kane captures the fluidity of a football match with lilting rhythms and riffs that illuminate Friday's skill on the field, but also the perpetual pressures Friday faced off it too. Without doubt, one of the finest football novels you'll read.' Ashley Hickson-Lovence, author, The 392, YOUR SHOW (The Uriah Rennie Story - Faber Spring 2022)

'I am enjoying the book immensely, it has brought back Robin and his time at Elm Park back to life for me.' David Downs, Reading FC Historian, and author of Biscuits & Royals.

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