by Theo Walcott
‘I wanted to see what was so special about this football team that seems to have turned your whole school around,’ Mr Turvey said with a smile. ‘Good luck in your semifinal, everyone!’
The referee was waiting. ‘OK,’ said Mr Wood. ‘Jamie in goal, Leila and Tommy at the back, then Rodrigo and Rafi, and TJ and Tulsi up front. You know what to do.’
TJ looked at Deng, as they took up their positions. He was still grinning, as if someone had just told him a very funny joke. ‘Why are you all looking so worried?’ said Leila.
‘You haven’t seen him play,’ Rafi told her.
‘But we’ve got Jamie in goal now,’ Leila said. ‘He won’t let them score.’
Jamie blushed, and the Parkview players laughed. Suddenly TJ felt a million times better. ‘We can win this,’ he called. ‘Come on, Parkview!’
The Parkview supporters took up the chant. ‘PARKVIEW!’ they yelled, as the dinner ladies and the cooks went into a complicated routine. ‘COME ON, PARKVIEW!’
Krissy Barton kicked off, and the barrel-shaped Kelvin played the ball out to Slim, the Hillside captain, who was playing on the wing. He pushed the ball back towards Deng. The pass was hit well enough, but Rafi was on fire. He darted in and stole the ball before Deng could reach it, and passed to Leila, who moved it on to TJ.
Instantly Deng moved over to try and cut off his run, and TJ knew that this was like a duel between the two of them. If he could beat Deng, if he could put doubt and fear into Deng’s heart, then it would change the game completely. So he ran at Deng, with the ball at his feet, and Deng backed off, watching the ball closely. TJ feinted to go inside Deng, and at the last moment played the ball outside him with his left foot. Deng saw what was happening and his right foot flashed out, but the ball had already gone.
TJ felt a spike of pain as Deng’s boot clipped his ankle, but he didn’t go down. He knew that this was a big chance. He jumped over Deng’s outstretched leg and struggled for a moment to keep his balance. The ball was running towards the touchline, and with a desperate stretch, TJ managed to keep it in play.
Now he was free. Deng was on the ground and would never catch him. As he raced for the dead-ball line, he looked across and saw Tulsi taking up her usual position near the penalty spot. Two of the Hillside players had gone with her, leaving plenty of space for Rafi to burst forward, completely unmarked.
TJ hit a perfectly weighted pass. Somehow he knew exactly how hard to strike the ball so that it would arrive at the perfect moment for Rafi to make the shot. And it did. Rafi hit a scorching drive that TJ was pretty sure even Jamie wouldn’t have stopped.
‘I meant that one!’ Rafi said, as he exchanged high-fives with TJ and the Parkview fans began singing again. ‘Great pass, TJ. Amazing run too. That showed them!’
For the rest of the first half, the game was evenly balanced. Jamie had to make two saves from Kelvin’s shots, and once Tulsi managed a long-range effort, but every spectator was riveted by the battle between TJ and Deng. When Deng had seen TJ’s cross converted by Rafi, he’d climbed to his feet with the grin still on his face, and begun to shadow TJ everywhere he went. Every time TJ received the ball, Deng was there. If TJ tried to beat him, Deng’s boot snaked out and won the ball. If TJ made a run, Deng tracked him all the way. ‘I don’t know what to do,’ TJ said at half time. ‘He never gives me a second.’
‘Just keep at it,’ Mr Wood told him. ‘This is when fitness is going to start to make a real difference. Hillside have had some hard games. Deng’s going to tire. You can make it worse for him by keeping up those runs when you don’t have the ball. You’re fast, TJ, and you’ve been training hard. Now make it count.’
TJ did as Mr Wood had suggested. He made runs right back inside his own half, calling for the ball from the defenders and playing it back to them, then turning and making new runs down the wing. Every time, Deng came with him. TJ thought his lungs were going to burst, as he saw Krissy intercept a pass and hit a shot at Jamie. TJ raced back, forcing his legs to keep moving, and now, at last, he realized that he’d left Deng gasping behind him. ‘Here, Jamie!’ he called. ‘Give it to me.’
Jamie rolled the ball to his feet and TJ took it forward a few metres, and space suddenly opened up ahead of him. Deng had turned and was following doggedly, but TJ was certain now that Deng couldn’t keep up with him. As he ran forward, Tulsi was heading towards the edge of the penalty area, while Rafi was moving quickly through the centre circle. Two of the Hillside players had followed Rafi. There was nothing between TJ and the Hillside goal. He felt as if he was flying, as if he could run for ever.
As the goalkeeper came out, TJ slid the ball underneath him and he knew – he just knew – that they were going to win the match. Parkview were going through to the final!
CHAPTER 19
‘THAT WAS FABULOUS, TJ,’ Marshall said after the game. ‘Just a terrific performance. And a great game to watch.’ Marshall had been out on the pitch and shaken hands with every one of the Hillside players, so now everyone knew that Marshall was here. He’d even taken off his hoodie, and TJ knew that people were watching them. ‘The whole team did great,’ continued Marshall. ‘But it was you running Deng into the ground that made the difference.’
TJ smiled with satisfaction. Deng had shaken his hand after the game. ‘You were just too good,’ he’d said. ‘I don’t know how you kept going like that. I’m shattered.’
‘You remember Phil, don’t you, TJ?’ Marshall asked him. ‘He’s from Wanderers. He showed you around when you visited.’
TJ could see now why he hadn’t recognized Phil before. His puffa jacket and hat made him look fat, and a lot older than he was, and now TJ realized that Phil was the man who’d been at the Wasps match. The one everyone had said was a scout.
‘I come to all these tournaments,’ Phil said. ‘And a lot of Sunday League games. We’re always on the lookout for talent. That lad, Deng, for instance,’ he said, with a twinkle in his eye. ‘I’ve been watching him for a while. Good luck in the final. You’re going to have your work cut out.’
‘What did he mean?’ asked TJ, as Phil walked away.
‘Didn’t you know?’ said TJ’s dad. ‘You’re playing Meadow Green. They won their semi-final five nil. They’re playing out of their skins!’
‘Get some rest, everyone,’ said Mr Wood. ‘The final is at two o’clock, so you’ve got time to have something to eat and drink too. Not too much, mind. Remember what happened to the Wasps. They won’t be making that mistake again.’
‘Here, TJ,’ said his mum. ‘I’ve got you a wrap with chicken and salad. And some juice. You must be starving after all that running.’
TJ realized that it was true. He finished the wrap quickly. ‘I could eat that all over again,’ he said.
‘Well, don’t,’ said his brother Joey. ‘But maybe you should go and check up on Jamie.’
A short distance away Jamie was laughing and joking with his family. And eating. TJ’s heart sank. If Jamie ate too much it would be a disaster. ‘What are you doing?’ TJ said to him. ‘Didn’t you hear what Mr Wood said?’
Jamie was lifting a large piece of pork pie to his mouth. ‘Now then, TJ,’ said Jamie’s mum. ‘You let him be. One piece of pie’s not going to do any harm.’
‘And the rest,’ said TJ, looking at the tell-tale crumbs on Jamie’s plate.
Jamie put the pie down. ‘It’s all right for you,’ he said. ‘You’ve got a scout from Wanderers watching you. I’m just a goalie. And I’m famished.’
‘He’s not watching me—’ began TJ. Then he stopped, remembering the look that had passed between Marshall and Phil.
‘Of course he is,’ Jamie said. ‘Everybody knows. But anyway, I don’t have to run like you do, and I’ve been starving myself for weeks.’
‘Please, Jamie. You want to win the final, don’t you?’
Jamie looked at TJ, then he looked at the pie. Finally he handed the plate to little Max.
‘Here,’ he said. ‘
You share this with Cody. Me and TJ are going to get some practice.’
As TJ hit shots at Jamie, they could see the crowd gathering around the pitch where the final was going to be played. Meadow Green had almost as many supporters as Parkview.
‘We wouldn’t be in the final if it wasn’t for you,’ TJ said to Jamie. ‘All those saves you made.’
‘I’m sort of getting used to it,’ Jamie replied, as he caught one of TJ’s fierce drives easily and bowled it back to him. ‘I mean, in a way the goalie is the ultimate defender, isn’t he?’
TJ laughed. ‘Just make sure you keep your eye on the ball when you’re kicking it out,’ he said.
‘I’ve been practising,’ Jamie told him confidently. ‘I won’t make a mistake.’
TJ looked at him. That was Jamie, he thought. He was someone you could rely on – as long as food wasn’t involved. And actually Jamie had probably had a harder job than any of them to get fit. But he’d done it.
‘Come on,’ said Jamie. ‘It’s time.’
Rodrigo ran to the centre of the pitch and shook hands with Leroy. Leroy won the toss.
‘Good luck, everyone,’ said the ref. ‘Let’s have a great game for all these spectators.’
There was rope running along the touchline to keep the spectators back, but behind the rope people were crowded three or four deep. Both sets of supporters were shouting at the tops of their voices.
Suddenly TJ was desperate for the match to begin. He didn’t feel nervous any more. He felt full of energy, and he wanted to run.
Then the whistle blew and the final of the District Tournament was under way.
Meadow Green attacked hard. Several times they pressed forward and hit shots that fizzed just wide or over the bar. But Parkview gave as good as they got. Tulsi had a long-range shot saved, and once TJ was nearly through on goal when the black-haired defender made an incredible tackle.
Then Leroy punched the ball out to little Martin on the left wing, and Martin took on Rodrigo before hitting a clever pass into the path of Meadow Green’s blond-haired striker. He took the ball on his right foot and smashed his way past Tommy before unleashing a thunderous shot. Jamie dived to his right and just managed to push the ball onto the post. It rebounded from the post, hit Jamie and rolled towards the line. There were gasps from the crowd as he hurled himself backwards and grabbed the ball at the last possible moment.
Jamie stood up, grinning, and rolled the ball to Tommy. Now it was Parkview’s turn to attack as Tommy moved forward and played a precise pass down the line for TJ to chase.
It was just what TJ had been waiting for. It was a race between him and the defender, and he never doubted that he would win. He felt as if he could outrun anyone, and the pass was brilliant. He didn’t even have to break his stride as he picked up the ball, swerved inside the last defender and curled the ball around the goalkeeper, just inside the post.
CHAPTER 20
AFTER TJ’S BRILLIANT goal the Meadow Green resistance seemed to crumble. Every Parkview pass found its target, and the Meadow Green players couldn’t even get a touch. Every time TJ received the ball he tormented the defenders with dazzling runs down the wing. And every time he made a run the Parkview supporters yelled, ‘Go on, TJ! Skin him!’
Just before half time, Parkview scored again. At the end of a move that involved every single Parkview player, Rodrigo strode forward into the Meadow Green half and launched a powerful shot from nearly thirty metres out. The ball was still rising when it hit the back of the net. All the Parkview players ran to Rodrigo, and their supporters began to chant, ‘WE’RE GONNA WIN THE CUP! WE’RE GONNA WIN THE CUP!’
Even Jamie ran out from his goal to clap Rodrigo on the back. Rodrigo jumped up and down with excitement and punched the air, and TJ could hear Rodrigo’s dad yelling, ‘Gol! Gol! Gol! Goooooooooooooal!!!’
We’re going to win, TJ thought, as Meadow Green kicked off. We’ll be District Champions. He was already dreaming of lifting the trophy into the air. He looked across and saw Tulsi waving to her gran, who was dancing around on the touchline.
Rodrigo was still beaming and laughing with Tommy. Then TJ heard Jamie screaming, ‘Look out, you idiots! They’ve kicked off!’
It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water at him. The Meadow Green players were streaming forward, but the Parkview team had woken up far too late.
The blond-haired striker was through, and Jamie was desperately trying to spread himself, but it was no good, because Leroy was running free. The striker slid the ball to him and he slotted it home. 2–1!
The Meadow Green fans erupted, but on the Parkview side there was an eerie silence, before Janice and the dinner ladies slowly started chanting again, and gradually the whole crowd began to join in. In the middle of all the noise, Meadow Green attacked again and again, forcing Jamie to make two more saves before the whistle blew for half time.
‘You made a stupid mistake,’ said Mr Wood. ‘You all switched off. But even Premier League teams do it. Even Wanderers, right, Marshall?’
‘It’s true,’ said Marshall. ‘You’ve done great, but you thought you’d won it already, right?’
They all nodded despondently. ‘Well, you have to put it behind you,’ Marshall continued. ‘You were outplaying them before they scored, and you can outplay them again. You’re still one goal ahead. But remember – you haven’t won the game until the ref blows the final whistle!’
When they ran back onto the pitch TJ could see the determination on everyone’s faces. He heard Marshall’s voice yelling, ‘Come on, Parkview! You can do it!’
It was a very close match now. The play swung from one end to the other. Both goalkeepers made great saves and both teams put together sparkling moves that ended in narrow misses. The crowd gasped and roared and groaned. It was a wonderful game to watch.
Time was ticking away, as Tulsi played the ball out to Rafi, who had run wide. Rafi laid the ball back to Rodrigo. The blond-haired striker tried to tackle Rodrigo, who sidestepped and cleared the ball towards Tulsi.
Just at that moment she saw the ref look at his watch. She took her eye off the ball and she controlled it badly. Leroy pounced, looked up, and saw the blond-haired striker racing forward. He hit a high, curling pass over the striker’s shoulder, but Tommy was alert to the danger.
As the striker took the ball into the penalty area, Tommy was matching him stride for stride. He timed his challenge perfectly, and hooked the ball to safety. Both Tommy and the striker tumbled to the ground in a heap.
TJ breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he heard the gasps from the Parkview fans. The linesman was waving his flag in the air. The ref ran over to him, listened for a moment, then turned and pointed to the penalty spot.
CHAPTER 21
TJ FELT HIMSELF trembling. It seemed so unfair. He could hear mutterings of discontent from the Parkview supporters, but then Janice began to shout. ‘JAMIE! JAMIE!’
‘Go for it, Jamie, you can do it,’ yelled Leila and the other subs.
Tommy tried to get to his feet, but as he put his weight on his leg it seemed to collapse underneath him. Mr Wood raced onto the pitch and Rob followed him carrying Mr Wood’s bag. All the Parkview players gathered in the penalty area. ‘Sorry, everyone,’ said Tulsi, as they waited. ‘I should have been ready.’
‘None of us were ready,’ TJ said. ‘And now this. It was never a penalty.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Rob said. ‘You can save it, Jamie. Leroy takes their penalties. He’s taken three today already, and each one was the same. Low to the left. That’s your right,’ he added, to Jamie, just to be sure. ‘I asked one of the Meadow Green parents and she said he always does the same.’
‘Hold on,’ said Jamie. ‘How many of them did he score?’
‘I was hoping you wouldn’t ask me that,’ Rob replied.
‘He scored all of them, didn’t he?’ said Jamie, shaking his head.
‘But you weren’t the goalie,’ sai
d Rob. ‘Just go for it. Low to your right.’
Mr Wood helped Tommy off the pitch and Leila ran on to take his place. ‘Tough luck, Tommy,’ she said, as she ran past him. ‘That was a great tackle.’
Leroy placed the ball on the spot, then stood up and looked Jamie in the eye. Jamie stared back at him, and spread his arms wide, bouncing on the balls of his feet. TJ remembered suddenly how unfit Jamie had been a few short weeks ago. Back then Jamie could never have saved a penalty, but now he looked like a big cat, ready to pounce.
The crowd fell silent as the referee’s whistle blew. Leroy’s run-up seemed to happen in slow motion. As he struck the ball, Jamie was already diving to his right. The ball flew hard and low. It was going in, right inside the post, but then, at the last possible moment, Jamie was there, stretching full-length like an Olympic diver to grab the ball with both hands. He bounced to his feet and ran to the edge of the area, waving the Parkview players forward, as he rolled the ball into Leila’s path. She slid a pass to Rafi. TJ was running to the left, away from the goal, taking a defender with him. Then he turned suddenly, calling to Rafi, running back towards the centre just the way they’d practised at the Wanderers training ground.
Rafi understood at once and played the ball in to TJ’s feet. He passed it first time to Tulsi and followed his pass, as Tulsi laid the ball back to him.
It was perfect! TJ’s shot hit the back of the net before the keeper could move.
TJ pulled his shirt over his face and ran round in circles until Rafi caught up with him and lifted him off the ground. And in the middle of the Parkview celebrations the referee blew his whistle a second time. The match was over, and now Parkview School really were the District Champions.
On the touchline, Mr Burrows and Mr Coggins had borrowed pom-poms from the dinner ladies and were waving them madly.
The Meadow Green players fell to their knees, but they cheered up a little when Marshall came onto the pitch and talked to them and shook their hands. ‘You’re dead lucky having Marshall Jones helping you,’ Leroy said when TJ shook hands with him. ‘Maybe I could come to your school.’
