Читать книгу Brilliant - Greg Pius - Страница 5

The day of the finals arrived, a wet and windy day. It would be a test of the players stamina and determination. The game was a sellout. Supporters of both teams strove to outdo each other with chants and club songs. The noise was so deafening that players had to rely on hand signals to communicate. Simon started the game on the bench. The first twenty minutes of play was brutal, with strikers from each team hemmed in or hacked. Defenders collected yellow cards at alarming rates. Goalkeepers were run ragged. Line judges struggled to police the offside rule.

At the twenty minute mark, both teams were scoreless. This stalemate continued until eight minutes out from half time with players fatigued by non stop attack and defence. The strikers were so tightly marked they had little chance of scoring, and they didn't. In desperation, Simon's coach threw Simon into the mill, in the hope that he might fluke a change of score.

A fresh pair of legs on the field was welcomed by tiring teammates and feared by equally tiring opponents. Simon took a long overhead pass at midfield. He raced away from midfield defenders, bursting into the penalty area. The defenders were marking other players which left Simon unmarked and in the clear. With breathtaking skill, Simon switched the ball to his left foot as he raced towards the goal. The goal keeper waited for Simon to switch the ball back to his right foot, but was caught out when Simon blasted the ball in to the net with his left. The goal and the speed and force with which it was kicked stunned everyone. A communal gasp was drawn from the crowd, followed by groans of despair by the opposing team's fans drowned out by cries of elation from Simon's team supporters. As Simon's teammates rushed to hug Simon and the opposition team stood looking shell shocked, the referee blew up half time.

After a break marked with talk of "That Goal", the teams took to the team for the second half. Simon was closely marked with seasoned players trying to rattle Simon by close almost contact and constant chatter. Simon remained unfazed, showing a depth of maturity beyond his years.

For about twenty minutes the defenders kept Simon under wraps. But they became careless, overconfident in their ability to keep this young player under control. A pass came Simon's way which he jumped on, racing at the goal with blinding speed. The goal keeper saw Simon approaching at startling quick pace. He yelled at his teammates,

"Shut him down! Pull Back! He has too good an angle."

All this was too little, too late. Showing maturity beyond his years, Simon baited the goal keeper, pretending to shape up for a right footed cross into the left corner of the net. At the last minute, Simon switched the ball to his left foot again and blasted the ball into the right corner of the net with a left footed cross. The goal keeper slumped defeatedly to his knees punching the ground with frustration while the stadium erupted with,

"YES!! YESSS!!"

"OH NO. NOT AGAIN."

"GO YOU GOOD THING."

"WHAT?? WHERE DID THAT COME FROM???"

"WE ARE THE BEST!!!"

Then became the chant of Simon's club's song. The rafters of the stadium rattled, while the opposing fans hung their heads in disbelief.

When the full time whistle blowed, Simon's team were the champions with a score of 2 goals to nil. As the teams left the field Graeme "Chook" Beatson, Simon's captain, pulled Simon to one side. After clapping Simon on the back with an open handed slap that would have felled an ox, Chook said quietly,

"Well done young fella. A most impressive turn of speed and goal kicking ability. I have seen some great starts to a career, but yours must be the best. Now keep a cool head on your shoulders. Lots of people will try to get into your ear trying to win you with compliments and the like. Remember who you are and where you came from. Remember that the best striker in the world can only score when his teammates give him the chance. Your teammates are chuffed that we won. Remember the We. This is not an I game."

Simon looked Chook in the eye and said,

"Thanks Chook. I know who I am and what I can do. I also know that I can't do it alone. WE won that match and WE will win many more."