Meet Joey; a talented sixteen-year-old footballer who is hoping to be taken on by the local professional football team. He lives next door to Sal, a football-mad tomboy whom he's known most of his life. She's a couple of years younger than him and really is his best friend (only out of school though, he's too cool to be seen with a Year 9 girl). They share a great banter and love of football. As the story progresses it's also very clear that Sal is madly in love with Joey but he's completely oblivious to it, mainly because . . . he's madly in love with Melanie! And Sal spends a good deal of time listening to Joey's endless eulogies of the school babe, and trying to help him to attain her. This of course never happens, a) cos Melanie's obviously not right for Joey and b) cos she's in love with . . . Mr Lovett, Joey's football coach (and role model). It all works out satisfactorily in the end though cos Joey realises that he's actually in love with . . . Sal! There is a romantic touch to the book as well as a gradual, natural plot about FOOTBALL! Loads of it. Professional matches, school matches, training sessions, showers with the lads. Boys will think they've died and gone to hea