Released October 2008

Does anyone know Roy Race's birthdate?  Because Roy surely broke some records in his time.  Longest Serving Player EVVVERRR when he stayed with Melchester Rovers from 1955 to 1983.  A twenty-eight year run that only ended when he joined Walford Rovers, and that was before Eastenders began its long-suffering soap opera... Everyone, whether he be man or boy, was utterly gobsmacked when he joined the up-and-coming Walford. It was just wrong, however brief his stint, it was just soooo wrong.... Of course he returned to his beloved Melchester - for another ten years.  No one seems to know how old he was... but Roy Race was most definitely the Richard Alpert of the footballing world.  Nevertheless, his career did not end because he could not cut it, or because he was old.  It was because he lost his leg in a helicopter crash.  Oh... the irony of it!  Played football for thirty-eight years.... and that damn helicopter. Tsk Tsk!

Oh - and he scored 436 League Goals, another record.

His England career, which will hopefully be recorded here soon in the 'Honorary Players' section, was also another outstanding feat.  A career that spanned from his debut against that dynamic country, Caragua (!!!???), in 1963, until 1987 - a twenty-four year career that just pips the twenty-three actual record held by the great Stanley Matthews. Ah! But Stanley did not manage the England B team since 1992, nor did he look after the national side in 1978, albeit on a temporary basis.

The point is - this long running saga, kept every child's dreams alive.  Every boy dreamed of delivering the perfect Racey's Rocket.  If only the Melchester Rovers kit was available when we were kids, then the dream could have been a reality.  For the record, I never dreamed of being Roy Race, I always wanted to be his side-kick, his scoring partner, Blackie Gray.  He was the true grit behind the façade.

And now, as a nostalgic adult, and many thanks to freelancer Mick Collins, I can relive those golden days... and there were a lot of days!  I am just grateful that someone could actually pick it all out and create the ultimate biography of a living legend.  And alongside it - the story behind the storylines. What actually brought this boy to our doorsteps week in, week out. And why it all had to end.  It is all well worth the read again.
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Following on from his bestselling All-Round Genius about a real life sports man who resembled a comic strip hero, Mick Collins turns his attention to a comic strip hero that many thought was a real life striker. Roy of the Rovers delighted fans from the early '50s right up to the strip's closure in the 1990s. This affectionate, entertaining book takes the reader through Roy's many incarnations and gets the inside stories from the editors, illustrators and story creators who worked on the comic through the years. It also has memories and contributions from sports celebrities involved in the comic, such as Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker. This is a 'biography' of Roy, but it sets the comic in the context of the times showing how the rise in computer games eventually spelled the death knell for Britain's most famous sporting hero. Written in a light, entertaining style and illustrated with strips from across the years and a colour plate section, Roy of the Rovers is the perfect guilty pleasure for every childhood fan who is now a nostalgic adult. Mick Collins is a freelance sports writer, BBC radio host and author of the hugely popular All-Round Genius, also published by Aurum. He lives in London. -  Waterstones.com synopsis

To buy:  Amazon
To buy: Waterstones
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