Football Academy

by Tom Palmer

Behind Craig and Kelly, Ryan was walking with Steve, carrying the sack of balls.

  Steve nodded. ‘You’ve done well, Ryan.’

  ‘You too,’ Ryan said.

  ‘But you. These last few weeks, you’ve been a fantastic captain. I’m ever so proud of you. Well done.’

  Ryan grinned the widest grin possible.

  Then Steve gestured behind him. His mum was walking, head down, slowly. As if she didn’t want to be seen.

  That was about as unlike Ryan’s mum as she could be.

  Ryan dropped back. His mum smiled at him. Then frowned. Ryan thought she looked confused.

  ‘Steve told me what he thinks of me,’ she said, like a child who has been scolded.

  ‘What –’

  ‘What did he say?’ she interrupted.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Just what you told me, Ryan.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Ryan said.

  His mum nodded. ‘Maybe I should be sorry. I just… I just get so… involved.’

  ‘I like it,’ Ryan said. ‘Sometimes.’

  ‘Yeah, well, maybe I should shut up more.’

  Then Ryan’s mum put her arm round her son, squeezed his shoulder, sighed, and the two of them took up the rear. United’s under-twelves, their parents and their coaches walked back to the dressing rooms, happy to be back in winning ways.

  Sunday 15 January

  United 2 Huddersfield 1

  Goals: Jake, Will

  Bookings: none

  Under-twelves manager’s marks out of ten for each player:

  Tomasz 7

  Daniel 6

  Tony (subbed for Imran, half-time) 5

  Ryan 7

  Craig 8

  Chi 6

  Jake 8

  Yunis 8

  Sam (subbed for Ben H, half-time) 6

  Ben 6

  Will 8

  Ben H 6

  Imran 8

  Thank Yous

  My wife is the first person to read all my books. She helps me get things right before I show it to anyone else. She has great ideas. She spots my errors and weaknesses. She always deserves the biggest thank you. And – along with my daughter – she gives me the support and encouragement and self-belief I need to write books.

  Sophie Hannah and James Nash are the other members of the writing group I am in. They are both great writers and help me get the book into shape. Sophie Hannah writes great crime novels and poems, published by Hodder, Penguin, Carcanet and others. James Nash is a great poet and short-story writer, published by several publishers. This book is dedicated to them because I think, without them, I would not have developed as much as I needed to be published by Puffin Books.

  Thanks, as always, to Burnley FC for allowing me to spend time at their training ground and get some of the facts about academy football straight. I am thrilled to see them in the Premier League. They are a great club who do a lot in their community among the Pennines.

  I’d like to thank everyone at Puffin for the wonderful work they do to make the books look and read so well – and to reach so many people.

  Thanks to all the bookshops and libraries who are supporting this series. Particularly Sonia Benster and her colleagues at The Children’s Bookshop in Huddersfield, and Amelia and her colleagues at Madeleine Lindley’s in Oldham.