by Theo Walcott
As Jamie took the ball from the net the referee blew his whistle again and pointed to the touchline. Leila had taken off her top and was standing beside Mr Wood. He was beckoning to Rob. ‘Sorry, Rob,’ he said. ‘I can see that the nerves have got to you. You’d better take a break.’
Rob walked miserably off the pitch and Leila ran on to take his place.
CHAPTER 18
‘COME AND STAND here with me,’ Mr Wood said to Rob, as he pulled on his training top and his hat and gloves. ‘Watch the game and you’ll see why we need your passing.’
‘It’s no good,’ said Rob. ‘I can’t do it with all these people watching. Everything happens too fast out there.’
‘Rubbish,’ said Mr Wood. ‘I’ve seen what you can do, Rob, and I know from Miss Berry that your passing made the difference in the semifinal. You understand the game better than anyone. Right now, I want you to go back to being Assistant Coach. Just watch what’s happening.’
Out on the pitch, Parkview were fighting hard. Leila and Rafi were chasing backwards and forwards in midfield, intercepting passes and making tackles. TJ was running back whenever he could to try and win the ball, and every time Kelvin or Krissy broke through, Rodrigo and Tommy were able to tackle them. Twice, Deng tried again from long-range. The first time Leila forced him to hurry his shot, and the ball flew just wide of the post. The second time, he slipped away from Rafi’s challenge and hit a fierce drive which Jamie touched over the bar to loud applause from the crowd.
‘Well?’ Mr Wood asked Rob. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think we won’t ever score like this,’ Rob said. ‘Not unless we get very lucky. And there’s a good chance Deng will get another one. He’s awesome.’
‘So, what can we do to change it?’
‘Someone needs to get the ball to TJ. He’s hardly touched it. Neither has Tulsi.’
‘Exactly,’ replied Mr Wood. ‘Leila has turned out to be an excellent tackler. She’s a natural holding midfield player. And unfortunately that’s Rafi’s natural game too. Neither of them can pass the ball like you, Rob. That’s why we need you out there. This Hillside team is a very different proposition to the one we played in our first game together.’
‘I know what I want to do,’ Rob said. ‘But I can’t stop thinking about all the people watching me.’
‘Well, if you don’t go out there and do something,’ Mr Wood said, ‘then I think Parkview are going to lose this game. You can do the exact same job that Paco Sanchez does for Wanderers. All those amazing players can’t do a thing if they haven’t got Paco to get the ball to them. And besides, Rob, I know you can do it. Get out there on the pitch and try not to think so much. When the ball comes to you, control it and pass it instantly, as if it was a two-touch practice at school. Are you ready?’
Rob nodded and Mr Wood signalled to the referee. ‘There’s just two minutes to go until half time,’ he said. ‘Let’s see if we can take them by surprise. A goal just before half time would really give them something to think about.’
Mr Wood called Rafi over. ‘Great work, Rafi,’ he said. ‘Take a rest now. Leila can handle the tackling.’
Rob took up his position as the Hillside goalkeeper rolled the ball out to the blond defender. The defender’s long pass found Kelvin running down the left wing, but Rodrigo watched the ball carefully and when Kelvin tried to go past him he made a neat tackle and came away with the ball. With Kelvin snapping at his heels trying to win it back he passed hurriedly to Leila. She stopped the ball, and turned cleverly away from the onrushing Deng.
‘Yes!’ called Rob. ‘Give it to me!’
Out on the wing, with a defender close behind him, TJ saw Rob receive the ball from Leila and he knew what Rob was going to do. He took off, sprinting at top speed, diagonally across the pitch. And then he hesitated. What if Rob didn’t make the pass?
He only paused for a millisecond, no more than a brief stutter in his run, but that was enough to do the damage, because Rob did play the pass TJ had been anticipating. The pass fooled Deng completely. It fooled the entire Hillside team as it split their defence in two, but TJ arrived too late. The ball slid past him and the goalkeeper raced to the edge of his area and rolled it out to the defender who had been marking TJ and was now completely free.
The defender moved forward. TJ skidded to a halt, turned, and raced after him. But before TJ could catch him the defender hit a low, hard pass to Deng who was running towards the Parkview goal. Deng let the ball hit the outside of his right boot. It was only the slightest of touches, but it lifted the ball over Tommy’s head and, as it bounced, it sat up perfectly for Krissy to slam it into the net.
Hillside were now two goals ahead! A few moments later a disheartened Parkview side walked slowly off the pitch for half time.
‘I suppose we were bound to lose a game sooner or later,’ Jamie said.
‘Deng’s just too good,’ agreed Tulsi.
The others all began to nod agreement as they drank from their water bottles, and then they heard Rob’s voice.
‘What are you talking about?’ he said. ‘We’ve been two–nil down before, haven’t we? And we still won. We should have scored just then, but I hit the pass a bit too hard. I’ll get it right next time.’
They all stared at Rob. He no longer looked sick, and he seemed to be a few centimetres taller. There was a determined expression on his face that TJ was very glad to see.
‘There was nothing wrong with your pass,’ he said. ‘It was me. I stopped for a second because I thought . . .’
‘You thought I wouldn’t make it?’ Rob said. ‘Well, you don’t have to worry any more. I don’t know why, but I feel a million times better. Let’s go and show them what we can do.’
CHAPTER 19
THE HILLSIDE TEAM ran back onto the pitch to loud applause from their supporters on the other side of the fence. ‘Don’t expect Hillside to get over-confident,’ Mr Wood warned the Parkview players. ‘They badly want to beat you. You’re going to have to be very good indeed.’
‘We will be,’ said Jamie, slapping Rob on the back. ‘Now we’ve got Rob back.’
Tulsi was the only one who didn’t seem so sure about Rob. ‘Was it really your fault that pass went wrong?’ she muttered to TJ, as they prepared to kick off.
TJ nodded. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘it’s not all down to Rob. We both have to make good runs so that he can find the passes.’
‘What do you mean?’ demanded Tulsi. ‘Just give me the ball and I’ll . . .’
‘Put it in the net. Yeah, I know that,’ said TJ. ‘But we’ve all got to find space for Rob to make those passes. Me, you, everyone.’
The referee blew his whistle and the second half began.
At first Hillside pressed forward, making crunching tackles and penning Parkview into their own half. Jamie had to make two more excellent saves before Parkview finally managed to mount an attack on the Hillside goal.
Krissy had the ball, deep inside the Parkview half. Deng sprinted past her, calling for it, and Krissy’s pass was inch-perfect. But Rob was tracking Deng and he spotted where the ball was heading. He managed to place himself between Deng and the ball, and then, somehow, he dragged it back between his legs, fooling the Hillside midfielder completely.
All the other Parkview players were closely marked, so TJ ran back towards Rob, offering himself for the pass. Rob played the ball to TJ’s feet and then ran directly towards TJ, following his own pass. TJ pretended to turn past the defender who was marking him, but he left the ball behind! And he also left an open space for Rob to run into.
Rob took one touch and then hit a pass with the outside of his left foot that curled into the space between the last defender and the goalkeeper. There was a groan from the Parkview supporters. Looking through the crowd of players, they saw only a wasted opportunity. They hadn’t been able to see the run that TJ had made after leaving the ball for Rob. Now TJ was clear of everyone, with only the goalkeeper to beat. As the keeper rushed
towards him he feinted to strike a shot and then, as the keeper dived, he swerved around him and smashed the ball home. Goal!
Now it was the turn of the Parkview fans to cheer. TJ punched the air and ran round and round in circles until Rob caught up with him.
‘Fantastic!’ TJ shouted to Rob. ‘I knew you’d do it. But where did that trick come from?’
‘I’ve been practising in the back garden,’ Rob said with a grin. ‘I never thought I’d do it in a match.’
‘Concentrate, Parkview,’ called Mr Wood. ‘You’re still a goal down. You haven’t won it yet.’
‘But we will,’ muttered Rob, with a fierce expression on his face.
Mr Wood chose that moment to make two substitutions. Danny replaced Tommy in defence, and Rafi took Leila’s place in midfield. ‘You’ve done a terrific job, you two,’ Mr Wood said, ‘but I think we’re going to need some fresh legs out there. It looks as if the Hillside coach, Mrs Singh, is doing the same thing.’
Sure enough, further along the touchline the Hillside teacher was sending on a fresh defender to replace the one who had been chasing TJ backwards and forwards. TJ eyed the replacement nervously. He looked fast. Hillside kicked off and the new Parkview players slotted easily into the team. Rafi chased every ball like an excited dog, and he very often won it. It made TJ smile to see him. Rafi had the ball now, but he wasn’t running in circles the way he used to. He had been too well trained by Mr Wood. He had his head up and he saw Rob calling for the ball. Rob took the pass with the inside of his right foot, dragging it away from Deng as he controlled it, shielding the ball from the Hillside player. Then, in a sudden blur of movement, he stopped, reversed direction, and squirted a left-foot pass between Deng’s legs as he struggled to turn.
No one had expected the pass – certainly not Tulsi. The ball flashed towards her and she controlled it instinctively with her back to goal. She had only one thought in her mind, even as TJ raced forward beside her, calling for the ball. She flicked it past the blond defender and bore down on the goal. The defender was right beside her. She could hear him panting. As she pulled back her foot to strike the ball she felt pain streak down the back of her leg and felt herself falling to the ground. The ball rolled harmlessly to the goalkeeper, but as he picked it up the whistle blew.
‘Free kick,’ said the referee. ‘You were lucky, young man,’ he said to the blond defender. ‘Another metre and that would have been a penalty.’
‘Are you, OK?’ TJ asked Tulsi as she got to her feet.
‘You bet,’ she said. ‘And I’m going to take this free kick too.’
‘No, wait,’ said TJ as she placed the ball. ‘Me and Rob worked something out. Let Rob take it.’
Tulsi looked from TJ to Rob. ‘OK, then,’ she said. ‘But this had better work.’
CHAPTER 20
TJ TOOK UP a position on the edge of the penalty area. Rodrigo had joined Tulsi and Rafi in the box, and two of the Hillside defenders had made a mini-wall in front of the goal. The penalty area was crowded with players, and TJ knew that he had to time his run perfectly. He pulled back a little way as Rob picked up the ball fussily and turned it around in his hands as if he was looking for the perfect way to place it on the ground. TJ knew that Rob was just giving him time to prepare. Rob placed the ball and took three steps back. As he brought his feet together, TJ set off. He ran straight as an arrow, aiming himself for the empty space beyond the far post.
The free kick from Rob came fast, skimming over the surface. The goalkeeper who had been crouching, ready to leap, stood up, smiling. He thought that it was a weak shot and it was going to miss by a mile. As TJ raced past the last defender he heard the keeper laugh. But Rob’s free kick had never been meant as a shot. It was an unbelievably accurate pass. Just as the ball was crossing the dead-ball line, TJ hooked it back across goal with his right foot and there was Rob, who had never stopped running after he had taken the free kick. He side-footed the ball into the net – and the scores were level.
Tulsi was the first to reach the goal-scorer. She ruffled his curly hair. ‘You did it, Rob!’ she said. ‘Mind you, I would probably have scored if I’d taken it. And you should have a proper celebration, you know, if you’re planning to keep scoring goals.’
‘Nice one, Rob,’ said Rafi. ‘Now we only need one more to win the Cup! I don’t fancy penalties again, do you?’
Back in the Parkview penalty area Jamie was leaping and jumping and yelling, and on the other side of the fence the Parkview supporters were crowded around Rob’s dad, slapping him on the back. The Hillside players looked stunned. A few minutes before, they had been 2–0 up and coasting towards victory, and now their rivals were level.
From the kickoff Hillside attacked in force, determined to take back their lead. The whippy little defender who had come on to mark TJ sprinted down the wing and TJ tracked back with him. Even the blond defender pushed forward to the halfway line. But Tulsi stayed where she was.
TJ couldn’t believe it.
‘Get back and mark him,’ he yelled, pointing at the defender.
Tulsi jogged back slowly. Deng played the ball back to the blond defender, who glanced around and saw that Tulsi was nowhere near him. The defender picked out Kelvin on the wing with an accurate pass but Danny tackled Kelvin and came away with the ball. He passed to Rafi, who laid it back to Rob.
Rob was hovering on the edge of the Parkview penalty area. He had been expecting a cross from Kelvin and he was ready to cut off the runs of the Hillside midfielders, and of Deng especially. He knew exactly what was happening all over the pitch. Right now he knew that Tulsi was still running half-heartedly in his direction, and that the blond defender was way out of position.
It was an impossible pass, a risky pass, a crazy pass, because if Rob made the tiniest mistake the Hillside attackers would pounce on the ball. But he knew he could do it. He could see the space and he knew just how he needed to strike the ball. In the fraction of a second before Rafi’s pass reached him, Rob made up his mind. He shaped his foot around the ball and his pass flew between Deng and Krissy. It curved behind Leila and brushed the shorts of a Hillside defender.
‘Go, Tulsi!’ Rob yelled, and Tulsi saw the ball flying towards her through the crowd of players. The blond defender saw it too, and his mouth fell open in astonishment, as Rob’s incredible pass skimmed over the surface, just out of his reach and then seemed to slow just enough for Tulsi to catch it. She moved towards the goal with the ball at her feet and all of the players on the pitch, and all of the supporters and the coaches and the substitutes held their breath as she closed in on the Hillside goal. The keeper came out. He dived, but Tulsi stayed cool. She slotted the ball under the keeper’s body and into the net. Then she turned and stood very still, with her arms in the air, in her trademark celebration.
The supporters erupted into joyful cheering behind the fence, and every Parkview player ran to Rob.
‘You’re a genius!’ said Jamie.
‘No one else could have done that,’ said TJ.
‘Tulsi still had to score it,’ Rob said, running to meet her and exchanging high-fives. ‘Great finish, Tulsi. I knew you’d do it.’
Hillside kicked off again, but they had no time to come back. Sixty seconds later the ref blew his whistle and Parkview had won the Cup.
Every player on the Parkview team ran to Rob. Jamie grabbed him and lifted him high in the air, as everyone laughed and shouted.
The subs raced onto the pitch to join them and the crowd on the touchline went wild.
‘Well done, all of you,’ said Mr Wood when he reached the celebrating players. ‘But don’t forget the other team. They made it into a great match, you know.’
They all went to shake hands with the Hillside players. TJ went up to Deng. Unbelievably, he was still smiling. ‘I was worried about your secret weapon,’ he said. ‘And I was right!’
The Hillside players went forward to receive their medals, and then it was Parkview’s turn. ‘You’re
captain, Jamie,’ said Mr Wood. ‘You go last and collect the cup.’
‘Not me,’ said Jamie. ‘Rob was the real captain today. He’s the one who made it happen.’
‘He’s right,’ said Tulsi. ‘It has to be you, Rob.’
There was no time for Rob to argue. Jamie led the others forward, and the crowd cheered every player. Then Rob stepped up and lifted the trophy into the air. ‘Thanks, everyone,’ he said, as the applause rang out again. ‘I never thought I’d do something like this. I can’t believe it’s happening.’
And then, just as TJ thought it was all over, he saw his dad step out of the crowd, and hold his hand up for silence. ‘Well done, Rob,’ he said. ‘Well done, Hillside, well done all of you. But there’s one person we want to thank specially, and that’s Mr Wood. Come on, Mr Wood, come out here.’
There was huge applause as Mr Wood stepped forward, looking embarrassed and holding his old blue baseball cap in his hands. ‘We’ve got a surprise for you,’ said TJ’s dad. ‘And it’s a message for Mr Burrows too,’ he added. ‘Go ahead, everyone.’
Every single Parkview supporter held up a banner or a poster, even the smallest kids.
DON’T GO, MR WOOD, said one. WE NEED YOU, MR WOOD, said another. The dinner ladies held up a long banner that said MR WOOD IS THE GREATEST, and Jamie’s little brother Cody had drawn a big picture of Mr Wood with an extra big baseball cap.
‘Well?’ asked TJ’s dad.
Mr Wood just stared at all the posters. He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. ‘This is amazing,’ he said, and his voice sounded a little shaky. ‘I suppose you’ve all heard that Wanderers have asked me to go and coach at their Academy.’ He paused. The crowd nodded and murmured agreement. ‘But yesterday,’ Mr Wood continued, ‘Mr Burrows came to see me. He offered me a job at Parkview School.’