CHAPTER 10

‘DON’T TELL THEM all I’ve been looking after the babies,’ Danny said to TJ the next morning before school.

‘Why not?’

‘Just don’t, that’s all. Please.’

‘Well, OK,’ said TJ. ‘But everyone would love those twins. They’re well funny.’

‘Not when they’re both screaming at the same time, they’re not,’ said Danny. ‘I bet your mum won’t want to help out more than once.’

Everyone was surprised to see Danny at training that night. ‘You can’t just walk straight back into the team for the tournament,’ Tulsi said to him.

‘I know,’ said Danny. ‘I want to play football, that’s all.’

‘So where have you been?’ asked Jamie.

‘Busy,’ replied Danny.

‘Leave him alone,’ said TJ. ‘We should be warming up.’

They set off to jog around the edge of the field. Rob came up alongside TJ. ‘Why do you want to be friends with Danny?’ he said. ‘You know he used to give me a hard time.’

‘He doesn’t any more, does he?’ said TJ. Rob shook his head.

‘I mean, maybe there was a reason he had a bad temper,’ TJ continued. ‘Perhaps it’s not all his fault.’

Rob didn’t reply.

TJ was certain that if he could just tell everyone all about Danny they’d like him a lot more. It was stupid. ‘Well, anyway,’ he said. ‘Danny’s a very good defender and we need him in the squad for the tournament, don’t we?’

‘Sure,’ said Rob, and he put on a burst of speed that left TJ struggling to keep up.

Fifteen minutes into the training session Mr Wood called them all together. ‘This next drill is all about penetrating defences,’ he said. ‘We’re going to practise the wall pass, and we’re going to practise at top speed. I want all of you to move as fast as you know how. TJ, Danny – come over here and we’ll demonstrate.’

Mr Wood set up three cones close to the edge of the penalty area. ‘These are defenders,’ he told them. ‘We’ll have three groups working at this end of the pitch and three at the other end with Miss Berry. TJ, you run at the space to the left of the defender and you keep control of the ball with the outside of your front foot. You’re trying to commit that defender. This one’s only a cone, so it won’t move.’

Everyone laughed. ‘Then you fire the ball at Danny, who’s waiting, half turned towards the goal. He’ll be the wall and the ball will bounce off him. You run on and score. Ideally you shoot first time, but the most important thing is to get your shot on target. Show us how it’s done.’

TJ put the ball down and Danny took up his position. TJ sprinted forward, trying to keep the ball as close to his feet as he could. As he approached the cone he touched the ball with his left foot, as if he was going to take it past the defender on that side, and then used his right foot to fire the ball at Danny. He raced into the penalty area and Danny’s return pass fell perfectly for him to lash it into the net. There was a ripple of applause.

‘That’s good,’ said Mr Wood. ‘Now, TJ, you become the wall and Danny, you go to the back of the line. Tulsi, Rob and Jamie – you join them here. When everyone’s had two goes on one cone, we’ll swap round. Each cone gives you a different angle of attack on the goal. Remember, do it all as fast as you can.’

‘I’ll be rubbish at this,’ laughed Jamie. ‘Going fast isn’t my thing.’

Tulsi didn’t say anything at all. She was at the head of the line and TJ was the wall. She took the ball forward towards the cone and hit it to TJ, who bounced it back into her path. Tulsi raced after the ball, but somehow it got stuck under her foot, as she went to shoot. She stumbled, took a second touch and hit her shot just wide of the post.

‘Bad luck,’ said TJ, as he jogged past her to join the back of the line.

‘It was a rubbish pass,’ said Tulsi, as she got ready to be a wall for Rob, but TJ knew there had been nothing wrong with his pass.

Rob took off with the ball at his feet, dummied the defender and snapped his pass out to Tulsi. TJ knew at once that Tulsi’s return pass was all wrong. It bounced up from her foot and flew towards Rob at waist height. Somehow, Rob twisted in the air, brought his knee up over the ball and volleyed it into the net. Then he jogged over to take his place as a wall.

It was Jamie’s turn next. ‘Watch me mess this up,’ he said with a grin. His pass flew at Rob like a bullet, but Rob calmly took the pace off the ball and returned it expertly into Jamie’s path. Jamie couldn’t miss. ‘I don’t know which was better,’ TJ said to Rob, as he rejoined the line, ‘the volley or that pass. You’ve been practising again, haven’t you?’

Rob grinned sheepishly. ‘Every night,’ he said. ‘Against the wall in the back garden.’

‘Great,’ said TJ. ‘Hey, Tulsi, did you see it?’

‘Sure,’ said Tulsi. ‘Go on. It’s you again.’

TJ hit another perfect one-two with Danny, then he was the wall again and Tulsi was rushing forward. She’s trying too hard, thought TJ, as Tulsi hit her pass towards him. It was wild, and TJ had to move fast to his right and stretch out a leg just to reach the ball. Somehow he managed to play it back to Tulsi. She took a touch and planted the ball in the net.

As she turned to run back TJ saw an anxious look cross her face. She was looking towards the centre of the pitch where Mr Wood was making a note on his clipboard.

‘Don’t worry,’ TJ said. ‘That was better.’

But TJ only had to look across at the other groups to know that there were at least ten other players who were making a better job of the drill than Tulsi was, and he could see that Tulsi knew that too.

At the end of the session Mr Wood announced the squad for their final warm-up match before the tournament. ‘Jamie in goal. Defenders – Tommy, Rodrigo and Danny. Well done, Danny. Nice to have you back. Midfield – Rafi, Rob and Leila. Up front – TJ, Ebony and Ariyan. Tulsi, I know you’ve been in every squad so far, but I’m worried you look a bit tired. I think it might be best if you take a break for this one. We need you to be fresh for the tournament.’

‘Fine,’ muttered Tulsi under her breath. ‘See if I care.’