I've read five or six of Duncan Hamilton's non-fiction sports books, on both cricket and football, and I've always thought he's a fantastic writer. It was a delight to find out that his first fiction book carries that tradition on - well written, with fantastic characters, evocative descriptions of football from the 60s and 70s through to the Premier League, and an absolutely page turning ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and riverrun for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review - glad I can be honest and say it was a very good read!

Thanks to @quercusbooks and @netgalley for this copy of #injurytime by #duncanhamilton

“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.

Callaghan is pitched into the Premier League during the last months of the 1996-1997 season, where - among reputations more gilded than his own - he finds himself pitted against the likes of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, chasing their fourth title in five years, and also one of the newest recruits to the English game, Arsene Wenger.

Can Callaghan save his club from what seems the inevitability of the drop? Does Mallory - eccentric, inspirational and manipulative - even want him to succeed? What if the prize of a personal triumph isn't worth it in the end?”

As a massive football fan, I found this novel - which pitches fictional characters in amongst household names (both players and managers) in its storylines - a really good, nostalgic read with some brilliant references to popular culture and life in 1997 in particular.

It was also nice to see a very complimentary reference to my team Aberdeen FC in the storyline!

4/5 Very Good

Injury Time is very much a novel for us football fans. I think someone who doesn’t live and breathe for the beautiful game would be hard pressed to read this, but then this isn’t aimed at them, it’s aimed at me. A fan who sat in the stands at a single figure age and is still there.

Thom Callaghan was a hero, he scored the goal that won the FA Cup in an 80s cup final. Fast forward to 1996 and Thom is thrown in at the deep end - to help save his beloved club from relegation. Up against the very best, Ferguson and Wenger. Can he save the team again?

With an easy reading writing style, an exciting, at times extremely poignant and emotional story plays out that really lays bare our beautiful game. A bit cynical now and then, but it has it all. The joys and highs and lows. It has everything a football fan expects and experiences.

If you want a football set novel then look no further than this fine effort from Duncan Hamilton

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not my usual book to read/review, but after hearing so much about football in. Y life from various people I knew I had to know more about this incredible sport and all the sacrifices it takes to be successful. Full review to follow. This def looks like a page turner. Can’t wait to read Callaghans story.
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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.

Callaghan is pitched into the Premier League during the last months of the 1996-1997 season, where - among reputations more gilded than his own - he finds himself pitted against the likes of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, chasing their fourth title in five years, and also one of the newest recruits to the English game, Arsene Wenger.

Can Callaghan save his club from what seems the inevitability of the drop? Does Mallory - eccentric, inspirational and manipulative - even want him to succeed? What if the prize of a personal triumph isn't worth it in the end?