FOOTBALL played in blizzards by men with hangovers - Muddy Sunday' is amateur football at its most raw.

And Craig Cowell has charted the lot in the book, which follows his former amateur club Burnley Dynamos FC in their debut season back in 1990-91, giving an insight into why grown men take to a muddy pitch on a dreary Sunday to play the beautiful game.

And the entertaining recount of the highs and lows of the campaign, building up to the climatic finale, is already proving a big hit with football fans throughout the county and the country.

Burnley author Cowell, who is the son of Lancashire author John Cowell (author of The Broken Biscuit, Cracks in the Ceiling, and Elephant Grass'), said: "It took us about four seasons to become a good side and it was about six years ago that I started reading over the old match reports. I honestly got tingles in the back of my neck.

"I knew there was a lot of scope for writing a book about the team. It has experienced probably everything that amateur soccer has to offer. The last decade and a half has provided many good and bad memories.

"There has been tears and humiliation, but also glory days with lots of laughs. My book captures all these emotions as it follows Dynamos through an entire season, offering a climatic finish. It's taken over three years to write but it's been worth it."

Muddy Sunday is available online from several book stores, including Amazon and WH Smith, priced £9.99 and is published by Bacup: Rossendale Books (2007).

To purchase the book, or for more information, log onto www.muddysunday.co.uk