Old Salopian releases debut novel

An Old Salopian has recently become a published author exploring the power of football fandom.  

George Mallett (S, 2007-2012) has produced his debut novel entitled Potter, Hopcutt and a Desk in East London which he began writing in 018.  

George said: “In 2017, myself and my friend James were both working reasonably mundane office jobs in London that time coinciding with our hometown club, York City being relegated to the regionalised delights of the National League North. Looking for something to fill the void the pair of us started following the fortunes of a team in Sweden that strangely enough had two York players at its core.  

“Their ascent through the Swedish football pyramid had reached new levels when, in 2017, they won the Swedish Cup to qualify for the Europa League. It was here that James and I began to think that maybe we should follow their journey in person.  

“Potter, Hopcutt and a Desk in East London charts that historic season, introducing us to a series of players more or less rejected by most clubs in Europe but given a chance by now former Chelsea manager Graham Potter. It follows our trips to Bilbao and the Emirates, our bizarre experiences and the people we met along the way.  

“Perhaps more importantly it aims to show the power of football fandom to create an escape impossible to replicate elsewhere and the intangible strength of these teams to provide some structure and meaning to peoples lives.  

“I began writing the book in 2018, more as the series of events that we’d encountered seemed bizarre enough to make a good story. Initially just a 1,000 word note to myself I read it out to a friend who found it funny enough to encourage me to see if it had legs.  

“As a book it was largely inspired by some of my favourite football books, notably the Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGuiness and A Season in Verona by Tim Parks, and aims to bring to life a football culture with which the reader likely won’t be familiar through characters we grow to endear through the book.  

“Originally working in insurance for six years out of Durham University, this book in many ways was the inspiration for me to change career and follow my passions. I am now a Researcher for the Production Company Fulwell73, helping to write the scripts to sports documentaries and hope to write some further books along the way.  

“If anyone would like to get hold of a copy Potter, Hopcutt and a Desk in East London can be found on Amazon, Waterstones and WHSmith online. Each and every purchase makes a huge difference to the author and if you enjoyed it a review would be amazing.”