Injury Time

''One of the best football books I''ve ever read.'' John Motson on Provided You Don''t Kiss Me


''Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed by that attitude. I can assure you it''s much more important than that'' - Bill Shankly

What Shankly said isn''t even half-true. In fact, it''s bollocks. Football isn''t the be-all and end-all of everything. If nothing else, I know that much.

As a player, Thom Callaghan was defined by the winning goal he scored in an FA Cup final. The goal wasn''t the blessing he imagined it would be. His whole career was defined by that brief moment of glory.

With his playing days over, Callaghan, still a local hero, is tempted back to his old club as caretaker manager. His task to rescue it from relegation. He''s got the job solely on the recommendation of his former boss and mentor Frank Mallory, now desperately ill and responsible for the team''s precipitous decline.