I enjoyed the book but I found the inclusion of real clubs, managers and players awkward. Not all celebrities earn their book deals.

In general, I have a problem with football fiction. By rights, the game should offer all of the ingredients necessary for the creation of a compelling read. Unfortunately, that rarely ends up being the case. However, if any writer could overcome this challenge it should be Duncan Hamilton, a tremendous sportswriter and the author of several brilliant and award-winning narrative non-fiction books. Injury Time is certainly well-written. However, I found the plot a little flat and struggled to engage with it. Hamilton places his fictional footballer among real-life contemporaries, but the result still feels like a weak imitation of one of his non-fiction efforts. It would be incredibly difficult, for example, to create a fictional character more compelling than the real-life Brian Clough. Overall, I rate this as a worthy effort, and I will very much look forward to the author's next non-fiction book.

Injury Time by Duncan Hamilton

Hats off to Duncan Hamilton for writing a corker of an 'adult' football novel!

A real roller coaster of a book, evoking emotions not merely football-related, but about life, and the sheer joy and utter sadness that it can bring.

The use of fictional players, managers and events combined with 'real' ones is genius, and it becomes virtually impossible to decide which is which, in the most excellent of ways.

I found this totally credible, and one of those books that you never want to finish.

If you are a football fan of any age, but perhaps especially 40+, I think you will love this as much as I did.

Even if you are not a big footy fan, it's still hugely worth a read.

Injury Time is a fictionalised autobiography about a footballer, who becomes a manager. It focuses on Thom Callaghan, the hero of the 1982 FA Cup Final, and his experiences through the First Division and Premier League.

As a kid, I used to love reading novels about football. There were loads of them; but it seemed that as soon as I switched to adult fiction, there were no fictional books about the beautiful game. Injury Time is great, and it made me feel like a kid again.

Hamilton's writing is brilliant. He intertwines fiction with reality so well, that you believe you are reading a true autobiography. I almost believe I can go onto YouTube and find some of the goals mentioned. I want to read Robbie Clayton's Wikipedia page.

Injury Time is almost about Nottingham Forest, but it is different enough to be its own team. Hamilton hasn't just taken from an existing club - he has created a whole new team, given it its own history and traditions, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it. I would happily read more about Thom Callaghan and his future forays into management.

Injury Time is a love letter to football. If you are a fan of the game, and of a certain age (I'm 31, but know my footballing history), you will really like this. I highly recommend!

Thanks to Duncan Hamilton, NetGalley, and Quercus Books for this copy.

Duncan Hamilton is one of the UK's foremost and most gifted sports writers who has produced a marvellous body of work over the years particularly on his favourite subject of Brian Clough.

This is the first time he has turned his hand to fiction and I did have some misgivings knowing how hard to is to produce a realistic and authentic fictional account of football. I need not have worried as Hamilton has carried a difficult task off with aplomb.

It focuses on the 80s and 90s - a time when he was a local sports reporter in Nottingham and it features a team and a manager suspiciously similar to Nottingham Forest and Brian Clough. If you read carefully you will also identify other heroes of the time who form the basis for his memorable characters. I inhaled this book in one long sitting and identified with what was written which showed a deep knowledge of the inner working s of the game and the politics surrounding a football club. It gos without saying that the writing was elegant and engaging. What a treat this book was and it was a pleasure and privilege to read.