Media Information
Spirit of 58 couldnt be coming out at a better time. It shows
Northern Ireland football at its typically raw and determined best
and thats something to inspire us all in the months ahead.
Michael ONeill, Northern Ireland team manager
Spirit of 58
The incredible untold story of Northern Irelands greatest
football team
By Evan Marshall
Published: 12 May 2016
In the summer of 1958 tiny Northern Ireland stood just one game
away from a semi-final appearance in the World Cup against mighty
Brazil. Led by their brilliant manager, Peter Doherty, and
captained by the inspirational Danny Blanchflower, the team had
triumphed against all the odds, blazing a trail through the
qualifying rounds and battling through their opening matches to
claim their place on the world stage.
Spirit of 58 tells the thrilling story of that incredible World
Cup campaign and of the remarkable transformation of the Northern
Ireland team during the 1950s. Drawing on newspaper coverage and a
whole range of sources from the time, as well as interviews with
the players, Evan Marshalls book takes you back to an era when
there were no substitutions; when training with a football was
frowned upon; and when a goalkeeper with a broken hand was still
allowed to continue playing.
Taking in the Munich Air Disaster, a fight against Sabbath
observers within the Irish Football Association, and a violent
win-or-bust struggle against Italy to qualify, this is the ultimate
underdog story, celebrating the glory days of Northern Irish
football.
With a foreword by Michael ONeill, Northern Ireland team
manager, this is a gripping rollercoaster of a story that will
thrill football and sports fans everywhere.
EVAN MARSHALL is from Northern Ireland and has worked in
television there for the past twelve years, much of that time with
DoubleBand Films in Belfast where he worked on Super 8 Stories and
Those Were the Days. He worked extensively on Northern Ireland
Screens Digital Film Archive, and it was here that he first saw a
Path news report on the 1958 Northern Ireland team. The footage
inspired his acclaimed documentary film, Spirit of 58, which he
produced and directed. In 2014 he established his own production
company, Clackity Films.
For further information, to request an interview with Evan
Marshall and/or to request a review copy of Spirit of 58 please
contact:
Jim Meredith, Blackstaff Press, 4D Weavers Court, Linfield Road,
Belfast, BT12 5GH
Telephone: 02890 347510
Email: [email protected]
All
Spirit of 58: The incredible untold story of Northern Irelands
greatest football team by Evan Marshall Paperback 9.99
978-0-85640-957-8
Publication date: 12 May 2016
www.blackstaffpress.com
