Clydebank inspires new children's football book 'Jump!'

Englishman J.G. Nolan’s book Jump!, about a young schoolboy who dreams of being a professional footballer, has received the backing of Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, who wrote the foreword for the fictional story.

Speaking to the Post, Mr Nolan, who like former England number one Hart is from the town of Shrewsbury, revealed the idea to make the main character a Bankie came from researching football history.

He said: “I wanted like a field of dreams kind of thing, like important events to happen in the book. And I was just going to make one up.

“But then I picked up a book called The Lost Football Grounds of Scotland and just started reading.”

Mr Nolan’s research took him to Clydebank via Hampden and Cathkin Park in Glasgow’s Southside and, with the knowledge of the demise of New Kilbowie Park in 1996, he began speaking to locals to get a feel for the place.

“This was the high point of the visit for me because I had been reading about all these places like the Bruce Street Baths and the town hall,” he added.

“And where the shipyards were because the shipyards and shipbuilding became a big thing for me and the story.

The book is set in Clydebank

Mr Nolan took in two visits to Clydebank during his time writing the book, and used footballing legend, like that of a famous Celtic goalscorer who grew up in the town, to get a feel for the rich history of the area.

He added: “Some of the football players like Patsy Gallacher were found by their manager in the Clydebank shipyards.

“These people, hardened, working in the shipyards in the week and then training and playing on the Saturday.

“The Titan was a big thing for me.

“I wanted the boy to be running past the Titan a lot and I wanted these strong visual echoes of the past and I felt Clydebank had that.”

The idea behind the story came from Mr Nolan’s own son Robbie, himself a promising footballer who suffered multiple leg breaks that set him back over the years. It was because of this that Joe Hart got involved.

Hart had heard Robbie was in the hospital and sent him a pair of gloves to try to cheer him up.

Robbie went to the same school in Shrewsbury that Hart had attended and when the book was being finalised at the publishers, Hart signed for Celtic and subsequently offered to do the foreword.

Hart said: “It's great that Jump! is based in Clydebank and Glasgow. I know personally, from my first year here, what a great city Glasgow is - I have been overwhelmed by how the fans have welcomed me and see me for what I am and who I am.

“It's a pleasure to be at a club that is so proud of its rich history and I can see why JG Nolan chose to draw upon this in his book."

This is Mr Nolan’s first attempt at writing a book and he admitted finding time to write around his day job as a teacher was tough.

“It was a bit scary at first because it just seems like a massive thing to write a book,” he continued.

“But I just got into a routine, I found it difficult to write when I was planning lessons, but I would write on Friday and Saturday nights, through the night.

“It took me about 18 months to write and six months to edit it together.”

The paperback will be released on August 11 and will be available in all book stores and online at https://www.sergarcreative.co.uk/