One Shot at Glory by P J Davitt

One Shot at Glory by P J Davitt
Buy One Shot at Glory by P J Davitt at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Jill Murphy
Summary: Dave Shaw wants nothing more than to be a footballer. But he is just one among thousands of hopefuls. Paddy Davitt tells a truly relatable story and makes it warts and all. It won't stymie any ambitions but it doesn't make them feel like a fairy story either. We loved this story and its target audience will love it more. Go Rovers!
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 105	Date: December 2014
Publisher: Kindle
External links: Author's website
ISBN: B00RAXNPMU
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Dave Shaw wants nothing more than to be a footballer. He has the talent. He has the desire. He has a supportive family. And he has a place at the Wolston Rovers junior academy, where his instincts as a goalscorer are highly visible. A golden future beckons - and with it, the professional contract Dave dreams of. But a serious injury brings all Dave's dreams crashing down...

One Shot at Glory opens as Dave is coming back from injury. His progress has been put back and he has just one season left to prove to Rob Duncan, the Rovers academy chief, that he has what it takes. But recovery from injury has taken more than a physical toll on Dave. His confidence has been shattered and he struggles to score. And a combination of stress, pressure and immaturity results in some bad-tempered exchanges both on and off the pitch. Has Dave Shaw got either the talent or the temperament to make it?

I loved this story. Dave is just one among thousands of football hopefuls. His story will equally resonate with thousands of readers. And the search for the football stars of the future is a ruthless one. Young players are taken in, chewed up and, more often than not, spat back out again. So Dave's story will resonate with thousands of parents, too. Davitt tells it warts and all - the dashing of dreams by injury and by ruthless culling, the brattish behaviour on the pitch, the behind the scenes financial wrangling. It's an honest story.

But it's also a romantic one. You can really feel the levels of Dave's desire. And his love of the beautiful game. And his loyalty to his club.The match sequences in the book are really well done and Davitt communicates the joy of playing football superalatively. Despite his occasionally brattish behaviour, you're really rooting for Dave the whole way though the story. I particularly loved it that the height of Dave's ambition is to play for Wolston Rovers. He'd choose Rovers over an established Premier League club any day. Rovers, with their single FA Cup title, over Manchester United or City, or Chelsea, or Liverpool, or Arsenal. That's the love of football right there, isn't it?

All boys who love football will love One Shot at Glory. And their parents will love it. And girls who love football will love it, too. I think Davitt should write a story about a girl player. I know I'd read it.

And as if a super and super-relatable story isn't enough, Paddy is donating all proceeds from his debut novel to the UK-based national foodbank charity, The Trussell Trust. One Shot at Glory is probably the best £2 you'll spend all year! You can follow Paddy on Twitter @paddyjdavitt or the dedicated social media channels for One Shot at Glory @OneShotPDavitt and Facebook.

Young football fans could also look at Runaway Success by S W Parry or The Kick Off by Dan Freedman. Goal! Glory Days by Robert Rigby will also keep them reading. Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo might also appeal. Older, more sophisticated readers will love Exposure by Mal Peet.

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You can read more book reviews or buy One Shot at Glory by P J Davitt at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy One Shot at Glory by P J Davitt at Amazon.com.

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