The whole of the Bracket Wood end erupted. Fred could see them jumping up and down like they were all on individual trampolines. It was the last thing he saw for a little while, however, because all his team-mates had rushed over as soon as the ball had gone in and bombed on top of him in a happy pile.

Fred! Fred! Fred! went the chant.

Fred! Fred! Fred!

Once they’d finished piling on top of him, they lifted Fred on to their shoulders and carried him towards the trophy table. The crowd came out of the little stand and formed two walls of people round the path to the table, chanting and clapping as he went past. Then he noticed – it was easier being at shoulder height to see faces – that one of the people clapping and chanting was …

“Mr Matthias!” he said.

“Hello, Fred. Great game. I’m going to be in touch.”

Fred thought his soul was going to burst with joy. “But … I thought you left at half-time.”

Sven smiled. “I was going to, but I didn’t. Thank your sister—”

“Fred!!!” shouted Prajit from underneath him. “Please can I put you down now?!”

“Oh, sorry, Prajit, yes,” said Fred.

Prajit bent – well, sort of fell – down, and Fred dropped off his shoulders and carried on towards the trophy table. Standing behind it was Mr Bodzharov.^fn1 Of Fringe Benefits.

“Well done, Fred. That is your name, isn’t it?” said Mr Bodzharov, shaking his hand.

Fred nodded.

“I thought so. You played very well. Some of your moves reminded me of the great Hristo Stoichkov. Of course you won’t have heard of him.”

“Played for Bulgaria between 1986 and 1999.”

Mr Bodzharov looked amazed.

“He’s in my FIFA all-time XI,” said Fred.

Mr Bodzharov smiled, looking very pleased. Then he suddenly produced a microphone and turned to the crowd.

“Fringe Benefits are very proud to have sponsored the Fringe Benefits Bracket Wood and Surrounding Area Inter-school Winter Trophy. And, just as both teams gave 110 per cent today, we at Fringe Benefits give 20 per cent off all haircuts – not including blow-dry – before 5pm, Monday to Friday. Cash payments only.”

This was greeted by silence, apart from a couple of people whispering, Does that make sense?

“Anyway,” he continued, picking up the trophy, “well done, Bracket Wood! This year’s winners of the—”

“Don’t say Fringe Benefits again!” shouted a distant voice from the crowd.

“—Fringe Benefits Bracket Wood and Surrounding Area Inter-school Winter Trophy!!”

Everyone clapped and cheered as Mr Bodzharov held up the trophy. They were expecting him to hand it to Fred, so that he could turn round and hold it up to the crowd, like footballers do when they win big cups. But instead – perhaps wanting to draw out the moment for a bit longer (after all, the sponsorship, it was rumoured, had cost Fringe Benefits nearly £100) – he held the microphone out to Fred and said: “Would you like to say a few words …?”

Fred was surprised. But then looking round at the crowd – at all the Bracket Wood pupils, and Mr Barrington, and Mr Fawcett, and his mum and dad, and Sven Matthias, and Rashid Khan, Stirling and Scarlet and even Isla and Morris, all clapping and smiling – and at Ellie, in the middle of this crowd, Fred decided he should indeed say a few words.