The Footballer Who Could Fly

Ultimately it’s about a man’s unspoken love for his dad…and Duncan Hamilton is far from alone in that regret.

I’ve just finished reading The Footballer Who Could Fly by sports journalist Duncan Hamilton. It was a Christmas present from my brother Malcolm and despite reading all the football book reviews in each month’s edition of When Saturday Comes I have to confess that Malc had once again managed to present me with a book I hadn’t heard of; worse still I also have to admit I hadn’t heard of its award-winning author.

Duncan Hamilton’s pre-narrative dedication captures the essence of the book: “To my father. And to those fathers who understand that football is better shared with their sons and daughters than watched alone.”

It’s more than a book about football. As seen through the eyes of the author and his Stirling-born father James, it’s about their relationship: “Without football, we were strangers under the same roof. With it, we were father and son.”

Past players, managers and matches are recalled but ultimately it’s about a man’s unspoken love for his dad…and Duncan Hamilton is far from alone in that regret.