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The words were whispered but Charlie heard them clearly enough.
He gritted his teeth and prepared for more rough treatment ... but it did not happen.
Charlie’s leg shot out the moment the ball left the ref’s hand.
The ball flew into The Page Boys’ half but, as Charlie began to move after it, Crowny blocked him and sent him back to the floor.
“Foul!”
Charlie shouted to the ref, who simply told him to get up.
As he did so, Ryan Cage, one of The Page Boys’ best players, slipped past Harry’s attempt at a tackle and burst forward.
Suddenly green shirts were flooding forward from all areas leaving Peter and Annie completely outnumbered.
They didn’t waste it.
Cage drew Annie towards him before firing the ball against the wall.
The rebound flew across the pitch and into the area.
It was too fast for Bradders, who desperately dived forward to intercept the cross but could not gather it cleanly.
And there was an unmarked Crowny waiting on the other side of the semi-circle to tap the spilled ball into the empty net.
2–0.
This time the celebration was even louder.
“Easy! Easy! Easy!”
Everyone on The Page Boys’ bench was dancing and singing as the teams lined up again.
Peter replaced Charlie for the kick-off this time.
The switch made no difference.
With a flick of his long legs, Crowny won the ball with ease and passed back to his team – who played keep-ball as Harry and Charlie attempted to close them down.
Finally, the ref blew for half-time.
Two minutes completed and two more still to go.
Charlie’s team did not utter a word as the teams switched round.
The Page Boy supporters were now right next to Bradders’ goal – and made a racket with plenty of whoops and shrieks.
All their subs were ready to come on – fresh legs for the second half with the game already virtually sewn up.
After all, You Know The Score had barely touched the ball during the first half, let alone manage to threaten The Page Boys’ goal.
The ref blew again and the new players raced on to the pitch.
The departing players exchanged high-fives and pats on the back from the gaggle of girls standing behind the bench.
Annie took a turn at kick-off – but, yet again, it was Crowny who came away with the ball.
A fancy turn took the older boy away from Annie, who was now hopelessly out of position, and allowed him the time to look for a target.
One of the new players was haring down the right-hand side with Peter tracking his run.
But Crowny didn’t pass.
He shot instead.
It flew straight – but missed the post by a whisker.
Bradders, who had dived in a hopeless attempt to reach the shot, watched in horror as the ball smashed into the sport centre’s wall and flew straight back at him.
The keeper couldn’t move out of the way quickly enough.
It struck him and bounced towards the empty net ... until Harry raced in and hacked the ball off the goal line.
The ref blew immediately.
Penalty.
Charlie groaned. He knew it wasn’t Harry’s fault – these things can happen in a match.
But he was worried about what the others would say. After all, it was his decision to call his brother to help them out.
Only goalkeepers are allowed inside the semi-circles surrounding five-a-side goals – and Harry had broken that rule.
Harry looked like he might cry.
Annie placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled the boy to her.
Cage patted the ref on the back as he took the ball and placed it on the spot.
Charlie could see Bradders’ face scrunched up with concentration.
Unfortunately one of the girls on the sidelines had seen the unusual expression too.
She squealed: “Look at him! Look! Look!”
“Look at the goalkeeper!
“The keeper’s crying!”
She pointed in Bradders’ direction before the rest of The Page Boys burst into hysterical laugher.
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!”
The chant rang around the old hall.
Bradders’ eyes flicked away from the ball towards the rowdy crowd next to him.
He doubled his concentration.
It only made them worse.
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!”
The chants soon turned to cheers as Cage coolly slotted home the penalty.
Bradders didn’t even move.
Charlie resumed kick-off duties and won the ball, mainly because Crowny didn’t even attempt to win it this time.
Charlie knocked the ball backwards to Peter as both he and Harry began to move up the pitch.
It was a mistake.
After pretending to be not interested, Crowny suddenly stormed forward covering the ground between him and Peter in a couple of bounds.
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!”
Peter, caught out by the sudden pressure, was caught in two minds.
A split second too late, he decided to hoof the ball clear.
Crowny made a tiny tug on his shirt and put Peter off balance.
So, instead of whacking the ball clear, he did an air shot and left the ball behind.
There was no time for mickey-taking or mockery.
Annie slid desperately to try to stop the inevitable but it was too late.
Crowny simply stepped over Peter and blasted past the ball around the stunned Bradders into the top corner.
Both arms in the air, The Page Boys’ star man jumped over the bench into the celebrating masses behind their bench.
He was soon joined by the rest of the team.
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!
“Keeper’s crying!”
4–0.
The final whistle blew but barely anyone could hear it.
The You Know The Score team trooped out of the hall with the catcalls and gloating ringing in their ears.