The ten games chosen by Keane are examined in-depth, with full context given to each and supported by quotes from key participants, including the likes of Eamon Dunphy, Paddy Crerand, Liam Tuohy, Alfie Hale, Pat Morley, Eoin Hand, John Minnock, Liam Coyle, Damien Richardson, Pat Scully, Dermot Keely, Paul Doolin, Pat Fenlon, Owen Heary, and Stuey Byrne, to name just a few.
The author sets the scene for each of these ties magnificently, creating a valuable document for football and League of Ireland historians in the process. He includes some legendary tales from domestic football in this country - for example, the story of former Athlone Town 'keeper Mick O'Brien breaking a crossbar - while his interviews also unearthed some excellent anecdotes.
Legendary Athlone Town goalkeeper Mick O'Brien gets sent off for breaking a crossbar against Finn Harps in 1974. Source: killianM2 YouTube channel.
One such tale involves Alfie Hale meeting George Best in an unexpected place. The pair had faced off once before in the clash of the Uniteds, Waterford and Manchester, in 1968. Their second meeting took place some time after they had met in the European Cup, with Best already in the midst of his sad decline, playing non-league football at Dunstable Town while Hale was lining out for Cork Celtic.
"I met him in the corridor before the game and we looked at each other," Hale told Keane. "He says, 'What are you doing here?' I just turned and said to him, 'What are you doing here? Whatever about me, I'm entitled to be here, it's Dunstable against Cork Celtic.' He was the one who shouldn't have been there. He was one of the game's greats. It was a sad situation when you saw that waste of talent."
Continue reading my review of Gods Vs Mortals by Paul Keane on Extratime.ie. With thanks to the author for sending me a copy in April 2015 when I was having trouble tracking it down. Paul can be followed on Twitter: @keanepaul11.
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