Prison to Premiership/Sunderland/Bradford City/Jamaica

'From Prison to the Premiership - The Amazing True Story of Britain's Hardest Footballer'   by Jamie LAWRENCE with Ron SHILLINGFORD.  Published in hardback by John Blake Publishing Limited, please note that this book is a 2006 first edition book which is in excellent condition and not price-clipped at all.

Few footballers have 'Jailhouse Rock' played over the PA when they make their professional debut, but that's what happened to Jamie Lawrence when he came on as a substitute for Sunderland against Middlesborough in 1993. In a life that has seen him go from prison to the football premiership, Jamie has one hell of a story to tell.

In a career that has lasted over 12 years, Jamie Lawrence has played in the Prmeiership against some of the world's best players, including David Beckham. He has won the Littlewoods Cup with Leicester and has played for Jamaica in World Cup qualifiers. But his route into football's elite was far from conventional, for Jamie spent his late teens in Borstal.

Jamie's skill for football emerged at the age of three but, although he played for local teams in Battersea as a schoolboy, he wasn't scouted by a professional club. When his parents returned to Jamaica when he was 17, Jamie soon fell into a life of petty crime. It was during his second spell in prison, at Camp Hill on the Isle of Wight, that he began to turn his life around. He joined the prison football team and his talent was soon spotted when they played a semi-professional team. Three months after his release from prison in 1993, Jamie was signed by Sunderland.

Jamie's character, which is as colourful as his ever-changing hair styles, has endeared him to everyone he meets. Fans, managers, team-mates, opponents, friends nd ex-lovers all tell tales of his various escapades, including his legendary capacity for consuming Guinness and his numerous sexual adventures. And Jamie reveals how he has matured to the point that he is now in a settled relationship and is taking responsibility for his children.

This biography is a hilarious and intriguing insight into one of football's great characters.

This 2006 first edition volume is fully illustrated and runs to 291 pages. The book is in excellent condition and a fascinating read.

Please note that this book has FREE shipping for UK bidders ONLY.

The authors: Jamie LAWRENCE was born to Jamaican parents in Battersea, South London in 1970, and soon showed an aptitude for every sport he tried. Struggling financially as a teenager, he turned to a life of crime and was twice sent to prison. But his skill at football proved to be his salvation, when playing for the Camp Hill prison team on the Isle of Wight led to an interest from the professional clubs. He has played for Sunderland and the premiership clubs Leicester and Bradford City. He has also won a Littlewoods Cup medal and represented Jamaica in World Cup qualifying matches.  Ron SHILLINFORD has worked as a journalist since 1982, concentrating mainly on sport. His assignments have taking him all over Europe and to America, Africa and the Caribbean, and he has interviewed world champion boxers such as Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno and Nigel Benn. He is the author of the boxing novel No Glove No Love and the martial arts book The Elite Forces. He is currently the editor of the London-based Carribean Times weekly newspaper. He is married and has two daughters. 

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