In the good books

There is a Cliftonville ‘hero’ in Henry McDonald’s novel set partly on Irish Cup Final Day 1979 – but he doesn’t belong to the trio of teenagers who morph from peaceful punk rockers to football hooligans and eventually to warring paramilitaries.

The real Reds hero is an elderly man who confronts them on the Spion Kop at Windsor Park just after Cliftonville’s 3-2 win over Portadown.

“You bloody animals,” the veteran supporter tells them. “How dare you sully our Club on this great day.”

The main protagonists laugh and sneer at the old fan but their fates are already sealed. They fall into a vortex of violence, factionalism, death – a tragedy tracked through this novel written by a lifelong Cliftonville supporter.

‘Two Souls’ is published by Merrion Press and on sale in all good bookshops as well as online – but we’ve got two signed copies to give away!

For your chance to win one, simply email competitions@188.166.149.59 with your answer to the following question before midnight on Friday:

Who scored Cliftonville’s winning goal in the 1979 Irish Cup Final?
a) Tony Bell
b) John Platt
c) Marty Quinn