Bullied and humiliated at school, 15-year-old Jimmy (jug-eared charmer Lewis McKenzie) wangles his way on to the school soccer squad by covering up the 'trial' notice, but finds the coach (Robert Carlyle) equally under the thumb of the team hooligans. Meanwhile, Jimmy's single mum (Gina McKee) takes up with a biker (Ben Miller) Jimmy hates, after ditching nice guy Ray Winstone, who takes Jimmy to Man City games, but proves to be married. And Jimmy's too shy to date the girl (Samia Ghadie) who fancies him, but is more into boxing than footy. Then a bag lady (Jane Lapotaire) gives him a pair of old football boots... The rest doesn't take much guessing, but some of the soccer staging just isn't believable, and it's tough to think of Winstone as the nicest of men after seeing him as so many hard-cursing bad lots.