The County Cup Final between Westgate and Kingston High School kicked off in front of the biggest crowd that the players had ever experienced. Besides families and friends, some of the other teams had also stayed to see who won the competition.
“Up the Kings!” cried a supporter. “Show this lot how to play football.”
The Kings had every right to feel confident. They had won all their games that morning and scored lots of goals in the process. They passed the ball around so quickly and accurately, hardly allowing Westgate a kick, that Mr Blyton even counted the red shirts to check that both teams were playing seven-a-side.
“C’mon, the Magpies!” Ossie called out. “Get stuck in!”
“Magpies?” queried his brother. “Where’s that name come from?”
“Their black and white kit, man,” Ossie told him. “Good choice. You see – black and white can work real well together.”
His nephew was the first ‘Magpie’ to respond. Josh won the ball with a crunching tackle in midfield and then swept it out to Matthew on the left wing. Sadly, for once, they did not seem to be on the same wavelength. Matthew wasn’t expecting the pass and let the ball run under his boot and out of play.
“Oh, Matthew!” cried his mother. “Why did you go and do a silly thing like that?”
Matthew looked away, pretending that he hadn’t heard.
“Are you Matthew’s ma?” asked a woman standing next to her.
“What if I am?” she retorted. “Who are you?”
“Josh’s ma. He’s always talkin’ ’bout your Matt. They’re such good pals. Might be nice if we got to know each other too. We seem to have one thing in common at least.”
“What’s that?”
“An ex-hubbie poppin’ up again out the blue,” said Mrs Williams and then smiled. “Sure we could both do without that.”
Ms Jones smiled back at her. “I didn’t mean to make a scene in front of people. I was just so mad.”
“Don’t worry ’bout it. I know how you feel.”
They were so busy talking, neither of them saw the first goal. It was even doubtful whether Joe saw much of it. He hardly made a move as the ball sped by him and buried itself in the bottom corner of the net.
Brad was furious. The captain blamed himself for allowing the Kings’ striker such a clear sight of goal.
“Should’ve got across to block the shot,” he moaned. “I gave him far too much room.”
“Not your fault,” Anil admitted. “I’m the one supposed to be marking him.”
“Never mind,” shouted Mr Blyton. “It can’t be helped. Let’s go and look for that equalizer.”
Josh almost found one too. Receiving the ball on the halfway line, he beat two opponents on a weaving, solo run towards goal before firing in a shot that grazed the top of the crossbar.
“That’s the way, Joshie-Boy,” cried Ossie. “You show’em.”
It was a rare moment of danger for the Kings. Leela found herself up against the best defender she had ever faced and was barely able to get a touch of the ball. As for Matthew, his mind was in so much of a mess, still brooding over his father’s sudden appearance, that the match seemed to be passing him by.
“Wake up, Matt!” bellowed his dad when Matthew was easily robbed of the ball again. “Fight for it!”
Matthew shook his head, trying to clear it, but it was no use. He just wasn’t in the mood for playing football.
Right on half-time, Joe had to repeat the job that all goalkeepers hate – fishing the ball out of his own net. He had made a valiant effort to save this shot, diving full-length to get his fingertips to the low,skidding ball, but he only managed to deflect it against the inside of the post on its way into the goal.
“Two-nil,” Brad muttered as he trudged towards Mr Blyton for the brief break. “Don’t look like I’m gonna get my hands on that cup now.”
“Well at least we got to the Final,” said Panna.
“Not enough,” grunted the captain. “I wanted to win.”
“There’s still time to get back into this match,” Mr Blyton told them, trying to sound more optimistic than he felt. “If we can score an early goal second half, you never know what might happen.”
The teacher just had to hope for the best. There was little he could do to change things now. He already had his best players on the pitch, even if some of them were under-performing.
“C’mon, team, we can still do it,” Josh urged as they took up their positions for the second half. “Goals win games!”
“That’s m’boy!” Da laughed, grinning at his younger brother. “That’s what I’ve kept tellin’ both of you.”
“Dead right too,” Ossie grinned back. “Trouble is, man, sometimes the other lot go and score more goals than us!”
Josh also went up to Matthew to have a quiet word with him. “You OK?”
“Not really.”
“Thought not. What’s wrong?”
“Everything. M..my dad’s here for a start.”
“Sorry, Matt,” Josh said, realising now why he was upset. “Must’ve been a bit of a shock, like.”
Matthew nodded. “Sure was. I thought he was dead.”
There was no chance to say anything else. The whistle blew, the Kings went straight on to the attack again and Josh chased after the ball to help out in defence. He was too late to do anything, but fortunately Joe had not been caught cold. The goalkeeper was alert to the danger and had the shot well covered, getting his body right behind the ball to gather it safely up into his arms.
Joe’s long clearance was well controlled by Leela, who had the luxury of more space than she’d been allowed all match. She knew why that was, too. Her previous marker had been replaced by a substitute.
Must think they’ve got the match won already, she realised, moving forward with the ball at her feet.Well, they can think again.
Leela made the most of her newfound freedom. She took on and beat the substitute, pushing the ball through his legs, then her shot forced the Kings’ goalie into making his first save of the game to concede a corner.
“Mark up!” cried the goalie, as Leela went over to take the kick.
The defenders failed to do their jobs properly. Leela’s low cross somehow squeezed through a tangle of legs to reach Josh, standing unmarked on the far side of the area. He needed only two touches. One to control the ball and the second to steer it wide of the goalie into the net.
“Goal!” whooped Uncle Ossie. “Magic, Joshie-Boy!”
Westgate were now only 2-1 behind. But the Kings were good enough to weather the storm of the next few attacks – albeit with the help of a large slice of luck when a long-range effort from Brad thumped against the crossbar – and then claim their crown with a third strike of their own.
It was a cruel blow. Joe seemed to have the shot covered until the ball took a late deflection to veer away into the opposite side of the goal.
That was it. Try as they might, Westgate could not score again and the Kings were soon celebrating their deserved victory.
The Kings’ captain led his team-mates forward to claim the cup and their medals from Ossie Williams, who would much rather have handed them over to Westgate School.
Uncle Ossie enjoyed his next duty far more.
He also presented an individual award, a silver statuette of a footballer, to his own nephew, who had been judged the Player of the Tournament. “Well done, Joshie-Boy! Hold it up high and smile for the cameras.”
“Well done, everybody!” called out Mr Blyton over the applause as each member of the squad went up in turn to receive their runners-up medal.
As a disappointed Matthew stuffed his medal into a coat pocket without even looking at it, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Hard luck, son,” said his dad. “Not your day in the end, I’m afraid.”
Matthew shook his head. “No, it wasn’t,” he agreed.
“But at least one good thing’s come out of it,” Dad said. “We’ve found each other again. Let’s make sure we keep in touch in future.”
Matthew made no reply. He was still too confused to know what to say.
He was rescued by Josh. “C’mon, Matt!” he cried, dragging him away by the arm. “Uncle Ossie’s gonna treat us both to monster burgers.”
Matthew hesitated. “Er..I’ll have to check with M..mam first.”
“Da’s already done that,” Josh told him. “It’s OK so long as they bring us straight home after.”
The two mothers had their own plans for lunch. “Why don’t you come back to my place?” suggested Josh’s mother. “We can have a bite to eat and a coffee.”
“Thanks – I’d like that,” Matthew’s mother said with a smile. “Let’s slip away while nobody’s looking.”
They went off together arm in arm, giggling, while the boys jumped into the back of Ossie’s car.
“Can’t be bad, this, eh?” Josh grinned. “Even if we did lose the final.”
“Yeah, you can’t win ’em all, as they say,” Matthew replied with a shrug.
“Guess so,” Josh said, gazing at the statuette. “As long as we win some.”
“Dead right, Joshie-Boy,” Ossie chuckled. “There’s always another game.”