89

The closest title decider in footballing history. A goal that changed everything.

‘Isn’t it lovely to have moments in your life where you think, oh, nothing can beat that. Nothing.’
George Graham

Anfield, May 26th 1989. The final day of the Division One season. An iconic underdog story.

Set against the backdrop of Hillsborough disaster, and during an emotional era in football long before the Premier League as we now know it, 89 is an oral history of a sporting moment so unusual it felt instantly historic.

Drawing on years of research, writer Amy Lawrence brings together fascinating and never-before seen testimony from the voices who were there, on the pitch, off it, and beyond.

89 creates a definitive and kaleidoscopic portrait of a match that changed English football forever.

‘Once it hits the net I’m just thinking ecstasy really. It’s incredible. I’ve done what I wanted to do. That’s that feeling. I’ve done it.’
Michael Thomas

About the Author

Amy Lawrence has been writing about football ever since she faced the dilemma of going to the 1994 World Cup or forsaking the trip to take her first job on the editorial team of Four Four Two magazine. She has mostly covered the beautiful game for the Guardian and the Observer, and broadcasts for BBC on Radio 5 Live and Match of the Day 2 Extra. Her books include three works on Arsenal, whose beat she has followed for many years - Proud To Say That Name, Invincible, and The Wenger Revolution. She has ghostwritten autobiographies for David Ginola (From St Tropez to St James's) and Ray Parlour (The Romford Pele), and composed the text for the photographic work David Beckham VII. Amy was voted the FSA Football Writer of the Year in 2014, and the Words By Women Sports Journalist of the Year and Women In Football Journalist of the Year in 2016.