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Never Offside
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Nov 6 2026
Pages: 252
Weight: 0.65
Height: 0.53 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
One young man left the green fields of Feakle carrying little more than courage, faith and the memory of home. In Silsden, he would become far more than the village doctor.
Never Offside follows the remarkable journey of Dr John Purcell-from a farm boy beneath the Sliabh Aughty hills of County Clare to medical training in Edinburgh, and finally to the Yorkshire town where the greater part of his life and legacy was waiting.
In Silsden, Dr Purcell treated the sick, comforted families and served people from every part of the community. Yet his influence reached far beyond the consulting room. He encouraged young men, brought people together through sport and played a defining role in the establishment of Silsden Football Club.
At a time when industrial towns were being transformed by hardship, ambition and change, Dr Purcell understood something that remains just as important today: a community becomes stronger when people are given a reason to believe in themselves-and in one another.
This is not simply the story of a doctor. It is the story of two villages separated by the Irish Sea and united by one extraordinary life. Feakle gave John Purcell his roots, his faith and his determination. Silsden gave him a home, a purpose and a community that would carry his influence forward for generations.
Rich in Irish heritage, Yorkshire history, human warmth and the early spirit of association football, Never Offside honours the farm boy who crossed the sea, the doctor who answered every call and the leader whose greatest achievement was bringing people together.
From the fields of County Clare to the football grounds of Yorkshire, his spirit-and the fire he carried with him-never died.
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