It's 1979 and in Birkenhead smack and Maggie Thatcher are still less of an issue than Lois jeans and Adidas Forest Hills training shoes. for Paul Carty, 19, and his mystical, Joy Division-loving mate Elvis, life revolves around The Pack, a mob of violent Tranmere Rovers supporters. Carty and Elvis travel the Northern wastelands, always by train, causing mayhem in the 'woollyback' strongholds of Halifax, Crewe and Chesterfield.

For most of the mob, The Pack is their reason for living. But Elvis, who loves Ezra Pound, and Carty, still getting over the death of his mother, are starting to get bored of it all. The question is: will the Pack let them go? And can they get by without each other?

Kevin Sampson is the author of eight novels, as well asExtra Time, his account of a season in the life of a Liverpool FC fanatic, and the moving narrative of the Hillsborough tragedy,Hillsborough Voices. He has also contributed to football anthologies, includingHere We Go Gathering Cups in MayandRedmen, which he also edited. Kevin is a regular contributor to theGuardian,Observerand the award-winning LFC podcast,The Anfield Wrap. He lives on Merseyside where he is a long-term supporter of CALM, a charity specialising in the mental health needs of young males. You can find him at @ksampsonwriter on Twitter.