Books by Jamie Lawrence

Born in Battersea, south London in 1970, Jamie Lawrence realised every aspiring schoolboy footballer's dream by playing in the Premiership against some of the world's best players including David Beckham. He also won a Coca-Cola Cup medal and represented Jamaica in World Cup qualifiers. Yet his route into the sport's elite was far from conventional because Lawrence began his adult life at a teenage inmate. His parents returned to Jamaica in 1987 and Lawrence, 17, finding it impossible to live on meager motor mechanic's wages - and living with his sister who was also struggling financially - turned to crime to supplement their income. The inevitable happened and he had two spells in jail. Football proved to be his salvation though and through his brilliance for Camp Hill prison team on the Isle of Wight, Lawrence attracted interest from professional clubs. Sunderland signed him first and he quickly ended up in the Premiership first with Leicester and then Bradford City before International honors with Jamaica.