On the Spot (8 page)

Jones sees a space in front of him, and
drives forward into it. He surges almost into the penalty area before he is challenged, forcing him to pass back to Sanders. Sanders lines up a long shot, but is clattered from behind just as she enters the box. There are shouts for a penalty, but the ref waves them away and points to just outside the area. It's a free kick in the dying seconds for Stadium School!

Keira stood up, but grimaced and sat down again heavily. It was no good. She would have to go off, leaving Stadium School with only ten players on the pitch. As she hobbled past Roddy, she threw him her captain's armband.

Roddy was so surprised that he didn't catch it, and the armband fell onto the grass. He picked it up in a daze, and then he realised what was happening. This was it. This was his chance to show that he was
worthy of being captain, even though it was in the dying moments of the match.

And now it was up to him who would take the vital free kick. He looked around at the players he could choose from. Keira had been the best, but she was standing on the touchline, no doubt willing him to make the right decision. Roddy knew that she might have picked him, but he was absolutely knackered after playing his heart out, and didn't trust himself to deliver. No one else was particularly good, except for…

“Marek!” Roddy yelled at the top of his voice, but his goalie didn't seem to have heard. Roddy was almost totally blown, but he jogged a few yards towards his own goal. Jimmy came running up to meet him.

“What do you want?” Jimmy asked Roddy.

“I need Marek,” said Roddy. “I want him to take the free kick.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because,” Roddy panted. “Look, just get him will you. The ref's going to do us for time wasting otherwise.”

Jimmy raced off, and soon Marek was hurtling towards his captain.

“No time to talk,” panted Roddy at Marek's questioning expression. “We're almost on full time. Give it all you've got. Good luck!”

“Thanks.” Marek's face spoke volumes. If he messed up, everyone would blame Roddy for letting him take the free kick. But Roddy was sure he could do it. All Marek needed was someone to have confidence in him. With his cousin watching as well, surely he'd get it right.

“Don't let me down, Marek,” said Roddy under his breath. “I know you can do this. Take your time.”

In a bizarre twist, vice-captain Roddy Jones has called Dvorski, the substitute keeper forward to take this crucial free kick. All the injury time has been played, so this will be the last touch of the game, and the last chance for Stadium School to draw level. Dvorski takes a deep breath and begins his run-up, but is halted by the referee.

Roddy watched in agony as the ref objected to the position of the wall. He waved them back, and paced out a careful ten yards from the ball. Roddy was sure he'd die if the wait had put Marek off his stride. It seemed ages until the ref was satisfied, and by then the atmosphere was electric.

The Leeds goalie is shifting nervously on the goal line, and Dvorski sets himself up again. He trots up to the ball, and hammers it full-pelt towards the goal.

Roddy could hardly bear to watch, but his
eyes were glued to the ball as it left Marek's boot.

John Finnigan moves from his position in the Leeds wall. How has the ball found that gap?

Everyone's heart was in their mouth as the ball smashed in off the post, and spun all the way along the back of the net.

Two goals apiece. Stadium School have equalised with the last kick of the game! What a fantastic recovery.

The cheers were so loud it was almost impossible to hear the final whistle.

Ashanti came up to Roddy and gave him a huge, muddy hug.

“We did it! Honours even!”

But Roddy was looking for Marek. He should be taking the praise. It had been a scorcher of a goal.

“Where's Marek?” he asked Jimmy.

Jimmy pointed behind Roddy, and Roddy turned to see Marek still running back to cover his goal, like a good goalkeeper should do. He couldn't have waited to see if the shot had gone home, and he certainly couldn't have heard the whistle.

“Marek. Marek!” For the second time, Roddy was yelling at his keeper.

At last Marek heard and turned around. He looked at Roddy in surprise. “Is it over?” he asked.

Ashanti and John beat Roddy to it. They were slapping Marek's back and cheering, and Jimmy rushed over to do the same. By the time Roddy reached them, Marek was grinning.

“We did it!” he yelled to Roddy. “We got the equaliser!”

“You
did it,” corrected Roddy. “You scored that vital goal, and kept loads out. You see?
You
can
do both!”

Marek grinned. He pointed to where his cousin was cheering wildly. “If that doesn't please my family, I don't know what will,” he said. “Thanks. You didn't have to choose me.”

Roddy shook his head. “It
had
to be you,” he said. “Keira was injured, John's rather unpredictable at free kicks, and my legs were knackered. I couldn't have steadied myself enough to take it. You were the best person to take the shot. And you did it perfectly!”

Roddy shook hands with the Leeds captain and proudly led his team off the pitch. They might not have won the match, but they hadn't lost it, either. All in all, it was a great result.

At the edge of the pitch, he ran his hand over the old and very charred Stadium seat.

“Lucky,” he muttered to himself as he did so.

“When they showed us round here before I won my place at the school … they said these seats were lucky, especially this one. Now I think it must be true!”

First published 2008 by
A & C Black Publishers Ltd
36 Soho Square, London, W1D 3QY

www.acblack.com

Text copyright © 2008 C. Jefferies and S. Goffe

The rights of C. Jefferies and S. Goffe to be identified as
the authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance
with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Print ISBN: 978-1-40810-084-4
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-40815-350-5

A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library.

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