Striker (1975)

One of my favourite TV series as a lad. Corrie's Don Brennan played Ben's Dad. He was an ex-footballer who had broken his leg and had to stop playing. This caused Ben's mum to have to get a job. She was killed driving into a bridge in an effort to get home one night. As a result, the Dad hated football and wouldn't let Ben play, despite him being a talented player. They arrived in an area which had a hopeless team. Ben joined secretly but his Dad eventually found out. After a row and stand-off, he agreed to coach the team. Another part of the story concerned a local girl who was also a brilliant player, and the team's efforts to find a way to get round the league's 'boys only' rule. How did the team get on? You'll have to find and read the book! The second series, like the book, was called 'Striker- Second Leg'.