It has been announced that Jonathan Sayer, best known as part of the writing team behind many Mischief Comedy hits, will release a warts-and-all insight into the running of a non-league football club, published by Transworld, in 2023. 

Nowhere to Run follows the first year in which Sayer and his father took ownership of Ashton United FC, his local football club. It tells the tale of how after an initial optimistic honeymoon period, Sayer came to realise the scale of the challenge ahead and battled to keep the club afloat with a record number of games without a win, a mutiny from a group of octogenarian supporters, battles with the local council and a striker who somehow passed his medical despite being on crutches. 

With the team’s form deteriorating and rifts with his father, Jonathan made many decisions to keep the club going including dressing as a robin to bring in the crowds, sinking his savings into an ever-spiralling wage bill and even contending with a boxing day curse. Nowhere to Run is an hilarious heart-warming tale of life in the hot seat of a non-league football club and a story of a father and son working together. 

Sayer said: “I’m delighted to be able to bring together two of my biggest passions the world of comedy and the world of football. Becoming the chairman of Ashton United FC with my dad (David) has been both a dream come true and a living nightmare and I’m so excited to get to tell the story and make people laugh along the way.”

Nowhere to Run by Jonathan Sayer will be published on 18 May 2023.