The weekly soccer practice on Wednesday was cancelled. Mr Smith was ill and no one else on the staff was willing to take the footballers out into the rain after school – not even Mrs Gregson, known as Greg by the pupils, who coached the girls’ netball team.
She held a lunchtime meeting in her classroom instead, and found that several players in the squad were also absent.
“They must’ve gone down with this bug that’s goin’ round, Miss,” Nails said.
The team captain was not feeling too well himself, but he was not prepared to admit it to anybody. Normally, he would not have minded a few days off school in bed, but there was no way that he was going to risk missing the big match on Saturday.
“Perhaps we ought to call the game off,” said Mrs Gregson.
Nails was shocked at such an idea. “We can’t do that, Miss,” he whined.
“Why not, Kevin?”
“Well . . . it’s the semi-final, Miss. It’s not just any old game.”
“I know that, Kevin, so all the more reason to postpone it until Mr Smith returns and the team is at full strength again.”
“But . . . it’s the Cup, Miss,” he repeated.
The teacher sighed. The last thing she planned to do on Saturday morning was to stand on a muddy touchline, watching a game of football.
“Right, then, Mr Smith has already chosen the team,” she said, checking the piece of paper in her hand, “and I’m pleased to see that there are two girls in it. It used to be all boys, of course, at one time.”
“Happy days. . .” Nails murmured under his breath.
The teacher beamed at Katie and Emma, who were also regulars in the school netball team.
“Glad you are both still well,” she said, “but three of the lads seem to be missing – including the goalkeeper, Anil. What shall we do about that?”
“Pick more girls, Miss?” suggested Katie.
“That’d make us a better team,” Emma said, grinning at Nails, who she knew would prefer to have no girls at all playing for the Reds.
Nails didn’t rise to the bait and ignored them.
“Well I ain’t goin’ in goal again,” he stated flatly.
“Please don’t say ‘ain’t’, Kevin. You know I don’t like it,” said his teacher.
Jake spoke up. “Well, there is somebody else who could play in goal, Miss.”
“I’m sure there must be,” said Mrs Gregson. “And who’s that?”
“Our kid brother, Simon.”
Nails pulled a face at Jake, but it was too late.
“I mean, he’s not that bad,” Jake admitted. “Y’know, if we’re really desperate, like. . .”
So it was that Simon’s name was added to the squad for the semi-final. He thought his brothers were teasing him when they broke the news.
“Thanks to me,” said Jake, thinking that Simon would be pleased.
He was wrong.
“You’re only there just in case,” Nails told him. “Anil will be back in time, don’t worry. I’ll see to that.”
He was right. Anil turned up on the Friday, but Simon still kept his place among the substitutes.
“Sure glad to see you today, Anil,” Simon said with relief, when they met in the playground at morning break.
Anil looked blank for a moment, then realised who Simon was.
“Oh, yeah – right,” he said. “Well, I might not have been here, if somebody hadn’t come round to my house yesterday.”
“Who was that?”
“Nails. Threatened what he’d do to me, if I didn’t show up,” he said ruefully. “You know what he’s like, man. He’s not somebody to argue with.”
“I do,” Simon grinned.
“Yeah, well – you might get away with it, but not me. So here I am.”
“Are you fit enough to play?”
“Sort of – but make sure you’ve got your boots and gloves with you tomorrow,” Anil told him. “Y’know, just in case. . .”
“I shall be a proud father if all my three sons are on the pitch at the same time,” Dad said, as they arrived at school next morning.
“Huh! We really will be in trouble if our kid has to come on,” grunted Nails.
Simon didn’t respond to the taunt. He was so nervous, he had not been able to eat any breakfast. He put his hand down onto Tilly’s head and ruffled the fur behind her ears, as much for his own comfort as the dog’s.
“Wish you could come to watch a few more of our games, Dad,” said Jake. “We don’t seem to lose when you’re there.”
“You know how busy I am in the shop, son. ’Fraid I’ve got to get back, too, straight after the match.”
Dad called all of them son. Jake joked that it saved him the bother of having to remember their names.
Simon gave Dad Tilly’s lead as the brothers headed towards the school building.
“Please don’t let her loose, Dad,” he said. “She’ll race onto the pitch after the ball.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, son. You can have her back once the match kicks off – unless you’re playing, of course.”
“No chance!” scoffed Nails.
“If you get bored with the game, Si,” said Jake, “you can always go and watch the birdies and let Tilly have a paddle in the brook.”
They reached the boys’ changing-room to find Anil being sick in the toilet.
“Oh, that’s great,” muttered Nails, when the goalkeeper came out. “Does Greg know you’ve been pukin’ up?”
Anil shook his head. “Just pre-match nerves, man. I’ll be OK.”
“You’d better be,” Nails told him.
“Good job Greg’s still outside,” said Jake, pulling on his red number-ten shirt.
As he spoke, Mr Smith poked his head around the door.
“I couldn’t stay at home, wondering how we were getting on,” he told them. “I hope all of you are fit and raring to go.”
Jake glanced at Nails and a few faces turned towards Anil, but Mr Smith’s gaze had fallen upon Simon instead.
“Well, well, and who’s our new superstar?” he said, grinning.
“Smiffy’s as bad as Dad with names,” Nails hissed.
Jake smirked. “Just so long as he doesn’t start calling us ‘son’ too.”
“I’m Simon.”
“Course you are, I know that,” Mr Smith said. “Mrs Gregson has already explained the situation to me. It’ll be good experience for you. I’m always looking for people keen to play in goal.”
Simon was tempted to say that he wasn’t really all that keen, but the headteacher was already leaving.
“Must go. I don’t want to risk passing on any germs, but I’ll be staying to watch the game from a safe distance,” he said, smiling. “Good luck, Reds!”
“Huh!” muttered Nails under his breath, as he tugged the captain’s black armband up onto the left sleeve of his number-five shirt. “We’ll need it, too, if Zero has to go in goal!