T.J. and the Winning Goal

by Theo Walcott

  ‘She’s not having a very good day,’ TJ said, telling them about the old lady.

  ‘She’s not having a very good month, you mean,’ said Jamie. ‘We have to do something.’

  ‘I’ve been trying,’ said TJ. ‘But nothing seems to work.’

  Later that morning Mr Burrows came to the classroom to speak to Tulsi. ‘I’ve had a complaint, young lady,’ he said.

  ‘It was an accident,’ said Tulsi. ‘I said I was sorry. I—’

  Just for a moment TJ thought that Tulsi was going to make things even worse, but Mr Burrows held up a hand. ‘Quite right,’ he said. ‘I know you need to practise for the tournament, and I explained that to Mrs Barlow. I told her Mr Wood will take some of you round to weed her garden next week.’

  Tulsi sat down again, but she still didn’t look very happy. ‘Now then,’ Mr Burrows continued, ‘I expect you’ve all seen the paper. Jolly good picture of me, I thought!’

  Everyone laughed, but even that didn’t cheer Tulsi up for long, and at break time she wouldn’t even kick a ball around with her friends.

  That night TJ’s mum picked him up from school in the car. ‘You’re growing, TJ,’ she said. ‘Look at those trousers. We’re going into town to get you some new ones.’

  ‘Can we get new football boots as well?’ TJ asked. ‘Only I’ll need them for the tournament. My old ones are getting too small.’

  It was when they were coming out of the sports shop in the mall that TJ’s mum said,

  ‘Hey, look, TJ. Doesn’t that boy go to your school?’

  TJ peered over the balcony at the people milling around on the floor below. ‘It’s Danny,’ he said. ‘Hey, Danny! Up here!’

  Danny looked up. ‘Is that Danny’s mum?’ asked Mrs Wilson. ‘She has got her hands full, hasn’t she?’

  Danny’s mum was pushing a huge double buggy with a pair of screaming twins inside it. Danny was holding the hand of a toddler with a chocolate-covered face. TJ and his mum rode the escalator down to the next level and Mrs Wilson was soon busy admiring the twins. ‘I’m Stacy,’ said Danny’s mum. ‘Stacy Gray. This is Rosie, and these are the twins. They’re six weeks old today.’

  ‘And they never sleep,’ said Danny gloomily.

  ‘Really?’ said TJ.

  ‘Well, it seems like it,’ Danny said. ‘And when they wake up then Rosie wakes up too.’

  Rosie was staring up at TJ, then she suddenly laughed and hid her face against Danny’s legs. ‘Danny’s been great,’ Mrs Gray told TJ’s mum. ‘My husband’s away working abroad. Danny helps me feed the twins and he looks after Rosie. He’s even learned to change their nappies.’

  Danny’s face went bright red. ‘Mum!’ he said. ‘You don’t have to tell everyone.’

  ‘Is that why you don’t come to training?’ asked TJ.

  ‘I told him I could manage,’ said Mrs Gray. ‘But he just wouldn’t go.’

  ‘I can’t imagine TJ changing a baby’s nappy,’ said Mrs Wilson.

  ‘Me, neither,’ said TJ. And then he had an idea. ‘Mum?’ he said. ‘I don’t suppose . . .’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Maybe you could help Mrs Gray? We really need Danny in the team and—’

  ‘I couldn’t let you,’ interrupted Danny’s mum.

  ‘No, wait,’ said Mrs Wilson, who already seemed to have made friends with Mrs Gray. ‘I’d love to give you a hand, Stacy. It wouldn’t be any trouble, honestly. We could have a laugh together too.’

  ‘Well, thanks,’ replied Mrs Gray, smiling. ‘That’s brilliant. It’ll be great for Danny to get out. It’s training tomorrow, isn’t it, boys?’

  ‘Thanks, Mum,’ said TJ. ‘You’ll come, won’t you?’ he asked Danny.

  Danny hesitated, and looked at his mum.

  ‘Sure,’ he said finally. ‘I’ll be there.’

  CHAPTER 10

  ‘DON’T TELL THEM all I’ve been looking after the babies,’ Danny said to TJ the next morning before school.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Just don’t, that’s all. Please.’

  ‘Well, OK,’ said TJ. ‘But everyone would love those twins. They’re well funny.’

  ‘Not when they’re both screaming at the same time, they’re not,’ said Danny. ‘I bet your mum won’t want to help out more than once.’

  Everyone was surprised to see Danny at training that night. ‘You can’t just walk straight back into the team for the tournament,’ Tulsi said to him.

  ‘I know,’ said Danny. ‘I want to play football, that’s all.’

  ‘So where have you been?’ asked Jamie.

  ‘Busy,’ replied Danny.

  ‘Leave him alone,’ said TJ. ‘We should be warming up.’

  They set off to jog around the edge of the field. Rob came up alongside TJ. ‘Why do you want to be friends with Danny?’ he said. ‘You know he used to give me a hard time.’

  ‘He doesn’t any more, does he?’ said TJ. Rob shook his head.

  ‘I mean, maybe there was a reason he had a bad temper,’ TJ continued. ‘Perhaps it’s not all his fault.’

  Rob didn’t reply.

  TJ was certain that if he could just tell everyone all about Danny they’d like him a lot more. It was stupid. ‘Well, anyway,’ he said. ‘Danny’s a very good defender and we need him in the squad for the tournament, don’t we?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Rob, and he put on a burst of speed that left TJ struggling to keep up.

  Fifteen minutes into the training session Mr Wood called them all together. ‘This next drill is all about penetrating defences,’ he said. ‘We’re going to practise the wall pass, and we’re going to practise at top speed. I want all of you to move as fast as you know how. TJ, Danny – come over here and we’ll demonstrate.’

  Mr Wood set up three cones close to the edge of the penalty area. ‘These are defenders,’ he told them. ‘We’ll have three groups working at this end of the pitch and three at the other end with Miss Berry. TJ, you run at the space to the left of the defender and you keep control of the ball with the outside of your front foot. You’re trying to commit that defender. This one’s only a cone, so it won’t move.’

  Everyone laughed. ‘Then you fire the ball at Danny, who’s waiting, half turned towards the goal. He’ll be the wall and the ball will bounce off him. You run on and score. Ideally you shoot first time, but the most important thing is to get your shot on target. Show us how it’s done.’

  TJ put the ball down and Danny took up his position. TJ sprinted forward, trying to keep the ball as close to his feet as he could. As he approached the cone he touched the ball with his left foot, as if he was going to take it past the defender on that side, and then used his right foot to fire the ball at Danny. He raced into the penalty area and Danny’s return pass fell perfectly for him to lash it into the net. There was a ripple of applause.

  ‘That’s good,’ said Mr Wood. ‘Now, TJ, you become the wall and Danny, you go to the back of the line. Tulsi, Rob and Jamie – you join them here. When everyone’s had two goes on one cone, we’ll swap round. Each cone gives you a different angle of attack on the goal. Remember, do it all as fast as you can.’

  ‘I’ll be rubbish at this,’ laughed Jamie. ‘Going fast isn’t my thing.’

  Tulsi didn’t say anything at all. She was at the head of the line and TJ was the wall. She took the ball forward towards the cone and hit it to TJ, who bounced it back into her path. Tulsi raced after the ball, but somehow it got stuck under her foot, as she went to shoot. She stumbled, took a second touch and hit her shot just wide of the post.

  ‘Bad luck,’ said TJ, as he jogged past her to join the back of the line.

  ‘It was a rubbish pass,’ said Tulsi, as she got ready to be a wall for Rob, but TJ knew there had been nothing wrong with his pass.

  Rob took off with the ball at his feet, dummied the defender and snapped his pass out to Tulsi. TJ knew at once that Tulsi’s return pass was all wrong. It bounced up from her foot and flew towards Rob
at waist height. Somehow, Rob twisted in the air, brought his knee up over the ball and volleyed it into the net. Then he jogged over to take his place as a wall.

  It was Jamie’s turn next. ‘Watch me mess this up,’ he said with a grin. His pass flew at Rob like a bullet, but Rob calmly took the pace off the ball and returned it expertly into Jamie’s path. Jamie couldn’t miss. ‘I don’t know which was better,’ TJ said to Rob, as he rejoined the line, ‘the volley or that pass. You’ve been practising again, haven’t you?’

  Rob grinned sheepishly. ‘Every night,’ he said. ‘Against the wall in the back garden.’

  ‘Great,’ said TJ. ‘Hey, Tulsi, did you see it?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Tulsi. ‘Go on. It’s you again.’

  TJ hit another perfect one-two with Danny, then he was the wall again and Tulsi was rushing forward. She’s trying too hard, thought TJ, as Tulsi hit her pass towards him. It was wild, and TJ had to move fast to his right and stretch out a leg just to reach the ball. Somehow he managed to play it back to Tulsi. She took a touch and planted the ball in the net.

  As she turned to run back TJ saw an anxious look cross her face. She was looking towards the centre of the pitch where Mr Wood was making a note on his clipboard.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ TJ said. ‘That was better.’

  But TJ only had to look across at the other groups to know that there were at least ten other players who were making a better job of the drill than Tulsi was, and he could see that Tulsi knew that too.

  At the end of the session Mr Wood announced the squad for their final warm-up match before the tournament. ‘Jamie in goal. Defenders – Tommy, Rodrigo and Danny. Well done, Danny. Nice to have you back. Midfield – Rafi, Rob and Leila. Up front – TJ, Ebony and Ariyan. Tulsi, I know you’ve been in every squad so far, but I’m worried you look a bit tired. I think it might be best if you take a break for this one. We need you to be fresh for the tournament.’

  ‘Fine,’ muttered Tulsi under her breath. ‘See if I care.’

  CHAPTER 11

  ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT Mr Wilson drove Jamie and TJ to the Sports Centre where the Player Development Centre was based. As usual, Rob came with them so that he could go for a run with TJ’s dad on the Sports Centre’s running trail. ‘So, who are you playing in this friendly match then?’ asked Mr Wilson.

  ‘It’s against the Sunday league team, Meadow Green Wasps,’ TJ told him. ‘You remember, we played them last term. Leroy’s their captain. Look, there he is now.’

  TJ and Jamie knew Leroy well, because he also attended the PDC. They got out of the car and Rob took off with Mr Wilson to run ten kilometres. Leroy waved to Rob, as he ran past with TJ’s dad. ‘Your midfield genius,’ he said to TJ and Jamie. ‘I saw you all in the paper. But what happened to that girl? Your striker? There weren’t any pictures of her. Has she left your school?’

  ‘No,’ said Jamie, shaking his head. ‘But Mr Wood dropped her for our next match.’

  ‘She was really good,’ said Leroy, puzzled. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I wish I knew,’ replied TJ. He turned to Jamie. ‘Leroy’s right, you know. We have to help Tulsi get back in the team.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Jamie. ‘But what if she doesn’t want to be in the team? Have you thought of that?’

  That Sunday the Parkview team travelled in the minibus to the Wasps ground. Meadow Green Wasps had some of the best facilities in the whole area, and the place was buzzing with activity. Every pitch was occupied, and the home teams in their black and orange striped kit looked exactly like a swarm of angry wasps. As they were getting out of the minibus, TJ saw Tulsi. ‘Great,’ he said. ‘You’ve come to watch.’

  ‘I didn’t want to,’ she said irritably. ‘Gran made me.’

  ‘Hi, Mrs Patel,’ said TJ. Tulsi’s gran was wearing a big black Puffa jacket and a woolly hat. Strands of white hair sneaked out from the edges of her hat and her brown eyes twinkled when she saw the Parkview team.

  ‘Hi, Jamie,’ she said. ‘Hello, Rodrigo. Hello, everyone. I’m really looking forward to this. Don’t mind Tulsi. She’s in one of her grumpy moods.’

  Tulsi’s gran was passionate about football. When they had held a World Food and Football day at school Mrs Patel had played in goal for Tulsi’s family team, and she’d been amazing. ‘I’ve come to stay,’ she said. ‘I’ll be here to support you in the tournament too. It’s all very exciting.’

  ‘Not for me,’ said Tulsi. ‘I think I might just give up football completely. I mean, if you’re a boy you might have a chance to play for Wanderers one day, but I won’t, will I?’

  ‘Nonsense,’ replied her gran. ‘You won’t give up if I have anything to do with it. You’ll be back in the team in no time. I’m going to give you some of my special coaching.’

  The others tried not to laugh. They could see from the expression on Tulsi’s face that laughing wasn’t a good idea. They ran off to get changed, and when they emerged from the dressing room Mr Wood was waiting for them. ‘Listen,’ he said. ‘There’s a TV crew here from the local station. They saw the story in the paper and they want to get some footage of you playing. I think they want to follow us at the Regional Tournament too. Just try to ignore them and concentrate on the football. I’ve told them they can’t talk to any of you until after the match, and we’ll be checking with your parents to make sure it’s OK for you to be on TV.’

  ‘They wouldn’t dare to say no,’ replied Jamie. ‘Hey, it’ll be like Match of the Day. One of us will have to be interviewed.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Mr Wood. ‘Now, this is our starting line-up. Tommy and Rodrigo, Rafi and Rob, then TJ and Ebony. Remember, I want to see movement, and lots of it. But not just running around for the sake of it,’ he added, looking at Rafi. ‘And I want us to pass the ball fast and accurately right from the start.’

  There was a sudden commotion near the entrance, and TJ caught sight of a flash of red in the car park. ‘I don’t believe it,’ said Mr Wood. ‘I told him not to come today.’

  ‘It’s Marshall,’ said TJ happily, as the tall figure of Marshall Jones detached itself from the crowd and made its way towards them, waving. ‘Why didn’t you want him to come?’

  ‘Too many distractions,’ said Mr Wood. ‘Still, I guess it might give you all a lift.’

  ‘Hey, coach,’ said Marshall, wrapping an arm around his friend. ‘I couldn’t stay away. It’s not often I get the chance to come and watch some football at the weekend. Hi, guys!’

  ‘Hi, Marshall,’ they all replied.

  ‘We have to warm up,’ Mr Wood told them, frowning slightly. It was then that TJ realized just how much it meant to Mr Wood that the Parkview team did well. ‘We’re wasting time,’ Mr Wood continued. Then his face suddenly relaxed into a smile. ‘You can carry that bag of balls, Marshall. You may as well do something useful as you’re here. And the holdall.’

  ‘OK, guvnor,’ said Marshall with a grin. ‘Be right there.’

  When they reached the pitch the Wasps were already doing sprints. A big crowd of supporters had gathered along one touchline. TJ saw all of the dinner ladies with their blue sparkly pom-poms, and Mr Coggins brandishing a huge old-fashioned rattle. There were lots of mums and dads and grandparents too.

  ‘It’s a nice day,’ said Jamie. ‘I reckon they’ve all come out because it’s sunny.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ said Marshall. ‘You guys are getting famous. Newspapers. TV. You’ll soon be more famous than me!’

  ‘Off you go,’ said Mr Wood to the team. ‘TJ, you can be captain today. The ref is waiting.’

  TJ felt suddenly nervous. He’d never been captain before. Leroy was waiting with the ref. ‘Heads,’ said TJ, and was relieved to see the queen’s head glittering on the ground. ‘We’ll kick off.’

  He shook hands with Leroy, then turned and looked at his team. There was Jamie, filling the goal and looking unbeatable. Then Tommy and Rodrigo, both confident and smiling, and Rob with his usual look of fierce concentration. Ra
fi was bouncing up and down, ready to run for ever, and beside TJ even Ebony looked full of confidence although it was her first-ever start. Over on the touchline the subs were jogging up and down, keeping warm, ready to come on at any moment. It was a shame that Tulsi wasn’t playing, but TJ felt really proud to be a member of this fantastic team. ‘Come on!’ he yelled. ‘Let’s show them what we can do, Parkview!’

  The whistle blew, and he tapped the ball to Ebony.

  CHAPTER 12

  FROM HIS VERY first touch TJ knew that this game was going to be something special. Parkview lost the ball when Leroy made an interception, but Rafi won it back with a terrific tackle in midfield and slid it to Tommy who drilled an inch-perfect pass to Rob. Rob took the pace off the ball and slipped effortlessly away from his marker before hitting another fine pass to Ebony’s feet.

  Rob’s pass was so perfectly weighted that Ebony was able to play the ball first time to TJ, who instantly moved forward at pace, wrong-footing the defender. TJ touched the ball forward with the outside of his right foot, as the defender backed away uncertainly. Was TJ about to go outside him? Was it a bluff? TJ saw the defender make his move. He’d decided TJ was going outside and he lunged into a tackle. TJ opened his body and played a firm pass inside the defender with the inside of his back foot. He jumped over the defender’s leg and sprinted away down the wing. Ebony had played the return pass perfectly, just as he’d known she would. And now she had turned and was racing into the penalty area, taking a defender with her.

  Out of the corner of his eye, TJ saw Rob making a run. He was coming at top speed, heading for the empty space just outside the area that Ebony’s run had created. TJ knew the moment the ball left his foot that he couldn’t have hit it better. The pass had just enough pace on it to carry it perfectly into Rob’s path. He didn’t even have to break his stride, as he curled his shot expertly just inside the post.

  Rob had been practising his celebration. He held his hand in front of his face and pretended to write on it. TJ laughed, as he ran up to congratulate him. Rob was pretending to make a note of his goal in his notebook. Over among the wildly celebrating Parkview supporters Mr Coggins was doing exactly the same thing for real.