by Theo Walcott
Mr Wood paused again, looking round at all the parents and friends and children. There was a long, anxious silence. Then Mr Wood’s face broke into a smile. ‘There was only one thing I could do,’ he said. ‘I’m staying here at Parkview.’
There was wild applause, but Mr Wood held up a hand.
‘After all,’ he continued, ‘this amazing team is going to be playing in the Regional Tournament after Christmas. And now that we’ve found a midfield magician, I think we might just have one of the best teams in the whole country. How could I possibly leave?’
Rob went bright red. TJ looked around at his friends. Jamie, Rafi, Rodrigo, Tommy, Leila, Tulsi, and all the others who’d been part of the team’s success. He hadn’t known them long but it seemed as if they’d been together for ever. Were they really as good as Mr Wood thought they were?
Maybe it was true. With Mr Wood in charge and Rob running the midfield maybe they could beat absolutely anyone.
And even if they couldn’t, TJ told himself, they were certainly going to try.
A NOTE FROM THEO
Mr Potter in this story is right about one thing: football should be a lot of fun. You want to win, but you also want to enjoy it. And sometimes, just like TJ and his mates, having a kickabout in the local park is as good as playing in a big game. I’ve always enjoyed playing, no matter what the occasion, and some of the best games have been impromptu ones with mates.
So keep on practising – but make sure you have fun with your football too!
Theo Walcott
About the Author
THEO WALCOTT was born on 16th March 1989 and grew up near Newbury. After joining the youth scheme at Southampton, he became the Saints’ youngest ever player, before joining Arsenal in January 2006.
Following Theo’s surprise selection in Sven-Göran Eriksson’s World Cup squad, Theo set another record in making his England debut at the age of just 17 years and 75 days, and was named the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2006.
Theo is now a star player for both Arsenal and England and in September 2008 became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for England.
Also by Theo Walcott:
T.J. AND THE HAT-TRICK
T.J. AND THE PENALTY
T.J. AND THE WINNING GOAL
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T.J. AND THE CUP RUN
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 407 09841 8
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2012
Copyright © TJW (Promotions) Limited, 2010
Illustrations copyright © Jerry Paris, 2010
Cover Illustration copyright © Theo Walcott, 2010
First Published in Great Britain
Corgi Childrens 9780552562478 2010
The right of Theo Walcott to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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