In an emotive performance, Sheffield born Sean Bean stars as Jimmy Muir, captain of the local football team within a gritty working class Sheffield community, who sees life as a game both on and off the pitch. Though encouraged by his spirited girlfriend Annie (Emily Lloyd), it is not until he is spotted by local talent scout Ken Jackson (Pete Postlethwaite), that Jimmy starts to believe his dream to make it into professional football could be realised. When offered the chance to prove himself at trials for Sheffield United, Jimmy struggles to handle the pressure as problems start to stack up. Getting the red card from both Annie and United for scoring off the pitch and not on it, Jimmy has some important decisions to make. Confronted by a bitter and unsupportive father, hard-drinking friends, and a lifetime of bad habits... has Jimmy the will to achieve his ultimate goal?