This is an interesting and feel-good story, which, although it centres around a love of football, is so much more than that.

Sam is obsessed with football – in particular Aaron Ramsey, from the Welsh national team. He lives with his parents and younger sister, but money is tight, family life is marred by arguments, and his Dad, Huw, is secretly illiterate. Huw is also football-mad and when he is signed as a player by local club Peniel, the future looks brighter and home life becomes happier.

Tragically, after a very successful debut game, a terrible injury cuts short Huw’s fledgling career and an awful sadness seeps into the family; Sam’s way of escaping his dad’s depression and his own anxieties (that he nicknames The Bad) is by immersing himself in Aaron Ramsey videos. Home is quiet and unwelcoming. Then hope arrives in the form of a Wales vs England game at Cardiff and a force-of-nature friend who gives the family something to aim for and makes Huw consider his choices.

The story has clever hook lines at the end (and even at the beginning) of chapters to keep the reader eager for more, plus themes of anxiety, friendship, bullying, resilience, mental health and educational struggles. There’s definitely enough to interest those without a particular interest in football too. I enjoyed it.