It is the 1980s, the fag end of punk and disco, and the beginning of synthesiser dominated groups with weird geometric haircuts. Steve is as Leeds boy who has been following Leeds United all his life. It irks him that football commentators talk about United, meaning Manchester United, when there are actually several football teams that sport United as part of their name. As a lifelong Man Utd supporter I could argue the case for there being only one true United but I will happily concede the author's point, particularly as Leeds haven't graced the Premiership in recent years and 'we' look down on them from the lofty heights of 2nd in the Premiership.

The story opens as Leeds begin their fall from grace, from the heady days of the great Don Revie team to languishing in the old Second Division. Steve and his mates remain faithful nevertheless, trailing their ailing side around the country and watching more bad matches than good. One match is so boring that a fan-made mudslide behind the stand provides more entertainment than the game. I'm sure every travelling football fan has similar stories to tell.

Steve, nineteen going on twenty, decides to leave home and take a room in a shared flat. This longed for freedom has an unexpected effect on Steve; much as he enjoys his new life with his mates he finds himself missing his mum and younger brother far more than he could ever have imagined. However the opportunities for getting girls is greatly increased by having his own flat, however untidy and unhygienic, although Steve is less smooth with the opposite sex in reality than he is in his own mind.

Drinking plays a large part in Steve's life, alternating drunken nights with hung-over days, but never interfering with his devotion to Leeds. Steve also manages to set up an amateur football team but finds his ambitions somewhat thwarted by his manager friend's refusal to pick him for the team.

Music is the other defining element of Steve's life and the book is named after a song by his great love, The Stranglers. Other bands get a look in but time and again Steve returns to Hugh and J.J. and some of the best bass-lines in the business.

Endeacott's book is primarily about the highs and lows of being a football fan, but it encompasses much more than that. With a great deal of wit and humour he portrays the vicissitudes of being a teenager in the dog-days of the 1980s. Even if you don't like football this is a warm evocation of that difficult time between the teenage years and becoming a proper grown-up that is well worth reading.

Shirley Whiteside is a Glasgow-based freelance writer who has contributed to The Herald, Herald Magazine, The List and the Scottish Daily Mail. She has also worked as a film/tv publicist on a variety of projects including Orphans, Mrs Brown, The Crow Road, Cardiac Arrest, Takin' Over The Asylum, Small Faces, Ex-S and Bookmark. She is currently working on short screenplays and short stories.

© 2006 Laura Hird All rights reserved.