Grimsby Town legend John McDermott tells all in autobiography

"IT'S all about the working class lad who didn't have anything and had to work to get where he wanted to be."

The words of Grimsby Town legend John McDermott, ahead of the release of 'It's Not All Black and White' – an autobiography to chronicle his remarkable career.

The book, which comes out next month, takes readers from Macca's school days in Middlesbrough right through to becoming the Mariners' record appearance holder and beyond.

McDemott has described the book as honest and revealing, giving fans an insight into a side of the game that they do not always see.

"I've always thought about writing a book but I didn't want to do it just for the sake of it," he told the Telegraph.

"I wanted to write one at the right time and this feels like that time."

McDermott explained that he was encouraged to release an autobiography by former Town Youth-teamer Paul Goodhand – now playing for Louth Town.

And hours spent recalling his extensive career with co-author Simon Ashberry has led to a detailed account that McDemott hopes will attract plenty of interest from those who hailed him from the terraces at Blundell Park.

He said: "Paul (Goodhand), who used to be an ex-pro at Grimsby, now works at the Bradley Community Stadium.

"Because of my work with the Grimsby Institute's football side, we're down there every day to train and Paul and me always have a bit of a banter.

"One day, he turned around and said 'your memory is so clear, you should write a book!'

"I laughed it off at the time, but then, off his own back, he found a couple of ghostwriters who wanted to do it.

"Simon (Ashberry) popped up and I went to meet him. It just grew from there really.

"I'm like my Dad in that I'd probably forget where my keys were half an hour ago but I can remember things from years and years ago.

"That lends itself well to the book.

"I can remember the day that I started at Town, who picked me up and who met me at the club, so the book's full of detail."

He continued: "It goes right from my school days, when I first fell in love with the game, how I got to Town and then through every era that I spent at the club.

"There's stories in there about every manager that I ever played under and certain things that went on behind closed doors.

"I don't persecute anyone in it, but there are stories in there that no fan would ever see or hear about.

"For example, there are some stories in there about how different players reacted when we went on trips abroad together and what we got up to – it's all good fun.

"As well as my time at Town, it also deals with me getting into the management side of things and it's a totally different ball game.

"Your attitude to the game changes. When you're a player, you think you know everything but when you come on to the manager's side of things later on in your career, you think 'actually, he was probably right back then'.

"I've always had respect for every manager that I've ever played for. Obviously I've not seen eye to eye with certain people but it's business at the end of the day."

As well as 'local' readers, McDermott hopes that the book will attract wider interest, as it is, as he put it, the story of a "working class lad done good".

He added: "I'd like to think it's an interesting book – there's going to be a few eyebrows raised after it's released but it's mainly good fun.

"I've not put things into it just to make it funnier or more shocking – what I've put in is exactly what happened.

"I didn't want anything to go in that would make people think 'that's not John saying that'.

"There's an element of sarcasm in it because people who know me will read it and think 'yeah, that's him'.

"It's all about the lad who didn't have anything and had to work at something to get where he wants to be – I hope people will enjoy it.

"I've had people from Middlesbrough to Australia tell me that they're buying it.

"I've even got mates out on the rigs in the North Sea who are reading it.

"I want fans to read it, enjoy it and realise why everything in my career happened.

"Hopefully it will give the fans an insight into a side of the game that they don't usually get to see.

"I'm proud of the book. It's the book I wanted to write and I hope people enjoy it."

John McDermott's new book – 'It's Not All Black and White' – is due for release on Monday, August 26.