T.J. and the Penalty (10 page)

‘Awesome,’ said Tulsi. ‘This is even better than my Sunday League team’s kit.’

‘It’s great,’ said Mr Wood, ‘but a nice kit isn’t going to win football matches. Are you all here now? I hope you’ve got the right
shoes
. You’ve remembered we’re playing on Astroturf?’

He called out their names. It was seven-a-side again, so there were ten of them in the squad: Jamie in goal, Tommy, Ariyan and Leila as defenders, Rafi, Rodrigo – who was their captain for today – and Cameron in midfield, and TJ, Tulsi and Jay up front. As they climbed into the minibus, the cheerleaders were singing ‘We Are the Champions.’

‘I don’t like it,’ TJ said to Jamie, who was sitting next to him. ‘They all seem to think we’ve already won. We’ve only played two proper matches ever. We’re just as likely to lose every game.’

The car park at the tournament was full of coaches and cars and teams and supporters. TJ could see that everyone in the Parkview squad was feeling nervous. Then he saw Leroy, the Wasps captain. ‘What’s he doing here?’ he asked.

‘He plays for Meadow Green School,’ Rob said. ‘Almost all the Wasps team go to Meadow Green School. They won their schools league last season, just like Hillside won ours.’

‘There’s Hillside over there,’ Rafi said. ‘They’ll be looking for revenge. They really hated it when we beat them.’

Out on the pitches, corner flags fluttered in the chilly breeze. ‘There’s Marshall,’ said Rob, pointing. ‘He’s come to support us.’

Sure enough, Marshall was walking towards them, with his beanie pulled low over his eyes and an outsize hoodie pulled over the top of that.

‘He’s in disguise again,’ laughed Tommy. ‘I don’t know why he bothers. Someone’s bound to recognize him.’

But, for the moment, no one had. ‘It’s Saturday,’ TJ said to Marshall. ‘Haven’t you got a game today?’

‘Not this week,’ Marshall replied, after saying hello to everyone.

‘But you played for Wanderers last week,’ said TJ. ‘So why . . .?’

‘I’m not fully fit yet,’ Marshall said. ‘I was subbed at half time last week. It takes a long time to get back to full fitness after an injury like mine. But it’s a great chance for me to watch some football today. I love the kit. You look terrific.’

‘We don’t feel that great,’ Tulsi said, speaking for all of them. ‘All these people have come to watch us, and they all think we’re going to win easily.’

‘Hey, how do you think I feel every week?’ Marshall said. ‘Everyone gets nervous. You just have to think how lucky you are to be playing football at all.’

Parkview were playing on Pitch Seven, right at the far end. The Parkview supporters made a big camp by the fence, as Mr Wood,
Marshall
and Miss Berry took the squad away to warm up.

‘We play three matches in this part of the tournament,’ Mr Wood told them, when they were ready. ‘And between the first two games we only have a ten-minute break, so I’ll be using the whole squad. Ariyan, Jay, Cameron – you’re the subs for the first match. The team we’re playing are called Swinburne School. I don’t know anything about them, but we don’t need to worry about who we play. We’re as good as anyone here. Even the mighty Wasps couldn’t beat us. Off you go. The ref’s waiting.’

They ran onto the pitch and Rodrigo won the toss. The Parkview fans were making a huge amount of noise on the touchline, as Tulsi stroked the ball to TJ and he played it back to Rafi. Straight away, a Swinburne player tackled Rafi and the ball squirted into touch. Swinburne attacked from the
throw-in
, but Tommy chased after the striker and poked the ball across to Rodrigo as he was about to shoot.

Rodrigo passed to Rafi again, but once more Rafi was tackled. ‘More quick, Rafi!’ Rodrigo said, but it wasn’t that easy. The Swinburne team were all excellent tacklers, and the Parkview defenders found it almost impossible to get the ball to TJ and Tulsi. The game was no fun to play in, and TJ could see from the faces of the spectators that it was no fun to watch either. ‘They’re very good at defending,’ Mr Wood said at half time.

‘But they haven’t managed a single shot,’ Rob said. ‘Maybe we should push Rafi forward a bit.’

‘Just what I was thinking,’ Mr Wood replied. ‘And I’m going to bring Ariyan on for Tommy and Cameron for Leila. You’ve done well, you two, but you’ve had to do a lot of running.’

The second half continued just like the first. The Swinburne strikers managed a couple of shots, but Jamie saved them easily. ‘Go on, Rafi,’ he said, as he rolled the ball out to Rodrigo. ‘Get forward!’

Rodrigo looked up and saw TJ moving down the wing. For the first time in the game, Rodrigo’s marker had given him some space – enough space for him to push the ball forward a few metres and then hit a high pass across the field to TJ.

Tulsi was yelling for the ball on the edge of the penalty area. TJ hit his cross hard and low, but it never reached Tulsi. Rafi was racing forward and the ball hit him on the knee. The deflection carried it past the stranded goalkeeper and into the net. ‘What happened?’ asked Rafi, as the crowd cheered.

‘You scored,’ said TJ.

‘Did I? Rats! I didn’t even see it.’

Seconds later the ref blew his whistle, and Parkview had won their first match of the tournament.

But they’d only won it by luck.

C
HAPTER
17

PARKVIEW’S SECOND GAME
was against Belford School. They won it easily, with TJ and Jay scoring a goal each. Jamie didn’t have to make a single save. ‘Does that mean we’re through?’ TJ asked when the match was over.

‘I’m afraid not,’ said Marshall. ‘I’ve just been watching the other match in your group. Saint Joseph’s beat Swinburne two nil. They’re a good team.’

‘And they beat Belford two nil as well,’ Rob put in. ‘So that means you have to beat them to get into the quarterfinals. A draw
isn’t
good enough because they have a superior goal difference.’

‘You’re going to have to move the ball quicker,’ Mr Wood told them. ‘I know you’ve all been feeling nervous, but you’ve had two games to warm up now, so let’s think about the things we’ve been practising. If you can see a first-time pass, then go for it. And, Jamie, try and catch them out when you have the ball. See if you can roll it out fast, before they’re ready. OK, everyone, let’s go.’

TJ could feel the urgency in the air. If they lost this game then they would be out of the tournament, and TJ still felt as if the tournament hadn’t really started. He knew they’d all be disappointed if they didn’t get at least to the quarterfinals.

Saint Joseph’s kicked off and TJ knew at once that they were going to have to play far, far better than they had until now if they were going to beat them.

Their captain was a small midfielder called Mac, with hair that was even redder
than
Tommy’s. He dribbled past Rafi and rode a tackle from Rodrigo, then played the ball out to the left wing, where the winger had a clear run down the touchline. He crossed the ball and one of the Saint Joseph’s strikers volleyed it fiercely at Jamie’s goal. He dived to his right and the ball stuck to his hands as if he’d covered them with glue. He leaped to his feet and rolled the ball to Tommy, who flicked it instantly on to TJ. The Saint Joseph’s players were racing back, but TJ hit a low first-time pass right across the field to Rafi. TJ felt a surge of energy running through him. This was real football.

Tulsi was standing in her usual position near the opposition penalty spot. She still didn’t move as much as she should, TJ thought, but sometimes that didn’t matter – like now. Because Rafi hit a pass into Tulsi’s feet, and she did what she did best. She
killed
the ball with her right foot, shielding it from the defender who was breathing down her neck, then she pushed it a metre to the side, turned, and hit a low shot that sizzled past the goalkeeper.

She threw her arms in the air in her trademark celebration, standing still and grinning while the Parkview cheerleaders hurled a storm of blue-and-black pom-poms into the air.

‘Hey!’ yelled Rodrigo. ‘Concentrate. We not won match. Only begin.’

‘That’s the most you’ve ever said,’ TJ laughed, as they jogged back into their own half.

But Rodrigo’s face was grim. He was their captain again for this match, and he had
his
job to do. ‘They good team,’ he said, clapping his hands. ‘We work hard.’

Rodrigo was right. Saint Joseph’s were a very good team. They seemed to be able to find each other with their passes without even looking. It was as if they could read each other’s minds, and for long periods after they had taken the lead, Parkview didn’t even touch the ball. It was Jamie who saved them. He worked as hard as anyone on the team, diving to the left and the right, throwing himself at the feet of attackers. St Joseph’s won a whole string of corners, but every time Jamie leaped into the air and grabbed the ball above the heads of the attackers.

‘I can’t believe it’s only half time,’ TJ said at the interval. ‘I feel as if I’ve run miles.’

‘Well done, Jamie,’ said Mr Wood, patting him on the back.

‘Stunning!’ said Marshall.

‘They had eleven shots,’ Rob said. ‘All of them on target, and all of them saved.’

‘Well, we’re going to have to make some changes for the second half,’ Mr Wood told them. ‘TJ and Tommy, I’m taking you off.’ He held up a hand to stop their protests.

‘You’ve both done a lot of running, and remember, if we’re going to win this tournament we’ll have to play three more matches after this one. Besides, we can always bring you back on if we need to. Tulsi, you stay upfield. If they manage to clear the ball to you, your job is to hold it up until the midfield can join you. Understood?’

‘It’s a risky strategy,’ Rob said to TJ, as the teams took the field again. ‘We’re going to defend most of the time, and Jamie’s sure to let one in eventually.’

‘We were defending most of the time in the first half,’ Tommy pointed out. ‘It’ll be easier with more defenders.’

TJ said nothing. He was fed up that Mr Wood had taken him off. He was sure he could have scored another goal and made the game safe. And now he could only watch, as Saint Joseph’s continued to press forward and pepper Jamie’s goal with shots.

The end of the match drew near. Parkview only had to hold out for a few seconds more. Mr Wood and Marshall were both looking at their watches. Some of the Parkview supporters were covering their eyes and screaming every time another shot came in. Rodrigo managed to tackle the red-haired Mac, but instantly another Saint Joseph’s player was on to him. He could only pass sideways to Leila, and the only thing she could do was play the ball back to Jamie.

‘Don’t pick it up!’ yelled Rob. ‘It’s a back pass,’ he said, turning to TJ. ‘He has to kick it.’

‘Oh, no,’ groaned TJ, as Jamie took two
steps
forward. ‘This might go anywhere.’ He sighed with relief as the clearance flew over the heads of all the attackers. On the halfway line Tulsi was waiting, marked by the defender who hadn’t left her side for the whole game. He had made one mistake to let her score, and now he made another. He should have stepped forward and headed the ball away, but instead he decided to let it bounce. He stepped back, getting ready to clear it, and Tulsi saw her chance. As the ball hit the ground she controlled it with one touch and then flicked it between the legs of the stranded defender. A perfect nutmeg!