From Prison to the Premiership - The Amazing True Story of Britain's Hardest Footballer

Book excerpt: Few footballers have 'Jailhouse Rock' played over the PA when the make their professional debut, but that's what happened to Jamie Lawrence when he came on as a substitute for Sunderland against Middlesbrough 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 Premiership against some of the world's best players, including David Beckham. He has won the Liverpool Cup with Leicester and has played for Jamaica I 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 prefoessional club. When his parents returned to Jamaica when he was 17, Jamie 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 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 and 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 of a hilarious insight into one of football's greatest characters.