Overview

‘I was never as proud to be part of a team as I was being part of that team.’ PAT JENNINGS By the end of the 1970s, the Northern Ireland football team was in the doldrums. Against a background of civil unrest, the team had endured long periods of playing all their games away from home and had just finished bottom of the British Championship for the fourth successive year. Two years later they walked onto the pitch against France to play for a place in the 1982 World Cup semi-finals. In Fields of Wonder, Evan Marshall charts Northern Ireland’s incredible World Cup journey in thrilling detail, from the appointment of Billy Bingham as manager and the winning of the British Home Championship in 1980 through the ups and downs of the qualifying stages, and that night of pulsating drama against Spain in Valencia. Based on interviews with manager Billy Bingham and with many of the players, including Pat Jennings, Martin O’Neill, Gerry Armstrong and Norman Whiteside, and told against the backdrop of the Troubles, this book vividly captures the struggles, spirit and magic of Northern Ireland’s 1982 World Cup campaign.

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9781780732404

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Reviews

'Evan Marshall's new book captures the remarkable spirit of Billy Bingham's fabled team of the early-80s' -- Darren Fullerton * BelfastLive * 'I am old enough to remember names from the early days of the (GAWA) 'Green and White Army' through my childhood 1050's and teenage 1060/70s and early adult life in the 1980s and beyond - Danny Blanchflower, Harry Gregg, George Best, Gerry Armstrong, Norman Whiteside, Sammy McIlroy, Pat Jennings to name just a few and of course manager Billy Bingham. Those nostalgic names and bygone days are captured perfectly in this detailed but easy to read book. It is a fitting testament to a team and outstanding players who shone and gave hope and entertainment on the pitch to many against the background of the dark days of our casually referred to 'Troubles'. Players who showed that the sectarian divide could be forgotten and the spirit of believing that they could achieve success was all that mattered. And were proved right in that memorable wonderful world cup field of dreams in Spain in 1982. Even if you are not a seasoned football fan this is an enjoyable read complete with a series of photographs that I certainly enjoyed.' -- George Larmour * Amazon *

Author Information

Evan Marshall has worked in local television for the past 15 years, much of that time with Doubleband Films in Belfast where he worked on Super 8 Stories and Those Were the Days. He worked extensively on Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive and it was here that he first saw a Pathé news report on the 1958 NI team that led him to tell the players’ remarkable story with the passion that he now brings to the team of 1980-86.

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