'I wrote so my kids knew who their dad was. I was terrified'

THE LIFE AND TRAUMAS OF A KEEGAN 'SUPERKID'

- PAUL FERRIS talks to IAN MURTAGH

PAUL FERRIS was once labelled “the new George Best” when he left his home in Northern Ireland to join Newcastle.

Within weeks, Kevin Keegan hailed the teenager “the best young player I’ve ever seen”.

And when Ferris became the Toon’s youngest-ever debutant at 16 years and 294 days in 1981, the boy from Lisburn had the world at his feet.

Yet today, his professional career is but a footnote in a roller coaster journey of jarring lows and extraordinary achievements.

Forced to quit with a knee injury within four years of writing his name in the history books, Ferris spent 13 years as a physio at Newcastle.

He then passed his law exams and became a barrister before packing it in to join Alan Shearer’s short-lived management team at St James’ Park.

But Ferris is perhaps best known as the ex-pro who suffered a heart attack at 49, then survived prostate cancer to become an award-winning author, whose fourth book 'Once Upon A Toon' (inset, right) has just been released.