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Authors: Joe O'Brien
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up!’ shouted Splinter. Splinter felt sorry for his dad. He was mortified as he knew Jimmy would have just stood there and let the two boys rip into each other if he hadn’t spoken up.
For the first time ever, Splinter realised just how important Mick Wilde really was to the team, and also to his dad. Jimmy just wasn’t cut out for management without Mick.
As the referee blew his whistle, it was up to Danny to get the team’s spirits up again, but he knew that even if they managed to scrape a win out of this game, the hard fact was that the dismissal of Sean Dempsey had fractured the strength of the team and that fracture had to be repaired or the last match against Barnfield wouldn’t even count.
The solution to the problem was simple in Danny’s mind. Jonathon – J – was the man for the job!
* * *
On the sidelines Jonathon was mesmerised by his cousin’s talent. Danny’s just dynamite, thought Jonathon as he watched him play the second half out of his skin.
Danny Wilde wasn’t just playing out of his skin, he was playing out of his age too. He just controlled the whole second half of the game – he looked like an under-16s player among a younger and less experienced group of players.
‘Raw talent!’ Jimmy kept turning to Jonathon and saying.
Jonathon was itching to jump up and announce to everyone that Danny was his cousin and he was proud of that. But he couldn’t or that would be the end for him before he even had his chance to try to be as good as his cousin.
Following Danny’s lead, his team-mates lifted their game. Although they only scored two more points in the second half, crucially to their title hopes they battled and scrapped to prevent the home team from scoring at all, and the game ended nine points to four points in favour of the Crokes.
Chapter 15
A Close Shave
T hat night, Danny and Jonathon went into the hospital to see Mick, and fill him in on the match that day.
Danny did all the filling in as Jonathon wasn’t even supposed to have been there; Jonathon just sat on the edge of Mick’s bed pretending to be as gobsmacked as his uncle as Danny re-enacted the whole game for his dad.
Mick was thrilled to bits.
‘Only two games to go, son!’ said Mick and he clenched his right fist in the air.
At that moment Danny was the happiest he had been since Mick was taken ill.
There was his dad, smiling and punchingthe air. A simple task, but one that Mick couldn’t have managed straight after his stroke.
The nurse with the medicine trolley came into Mick’s room and so Danny and Jonathon did a disappearing act to the vending machine to get some drinks.
On their way back to the room, the cousins chuckled about how Jonathon had to put on an act in front of Mick while Danny described the match.
‘I nearly butted in a few times!’ laughed Jonathon as they got to Mick’s door.
‘Shush!’ hushed Danny and he stopped in his tracks and stooped down below the door and peeped in through the glass.
‘I don’t believe it!’
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Jonathon, afraid that something was wrong with Mick.
‘It’s Jimmy!’ said Danny. ‘Come on back around the corner.’
Jonathon hid well out of sight while Danny went back in to his dad’s room.
‘All right, Jimmy!’ said Danny, acting cool.
‘Howya, Danny!’ replied Jimmy. ‘I just popped in to tell your daddy about the stormer you played today, but it seems that you beat me to it.’
‘Where’s Jonathon?’ interrupted Mick.
‘Emmmm … Uncle Larry’s picking us up and he’s, eh, he’s … he’s after ringing him on his phone to say he’s down in the car park already, so he’s just gone down to tell him to hang on for me.’
‘You better not keep him waiting, son. There’s a good lad,’ yawned Mick. The medicine was starting to take effect.
Danny thought that all was left was a simple goodbye to his dad, and that would be that, but Jimmy said, ‘Did you tell your daddy about the new player,
For the first time ever, Splinter realised just how important Mick Wilde really was to the team, and also to his dad. Jimmy just wasn’t cut out for management without Mick.
As the referee blew his whistle, it was up to Danny to get the team’s spirits up again, but he knew that even if they managed to scrape a win out of this game, the hard fact was that the dismissal of Sean Dempsey had fractured the strength of the team and that fracture had to be repaired or the last match against Barnfield wouldn’t even count.
The solution to the problem was simple in Danny’s mind. Jonathon – J – was the man for the job!
* * *
On the sidelines Jonathon was mesmerised by his cousin’s talent. Danny’s just dynamite, thought Jonathon as he watched him play the second half out of his skin.
Danny Wilde wasn’t just playing out of his skin, he was playing out of his age too. He just controlled the whole second half of the game – he looked like an under-16s player among a younger and less experienced group of players.
‘Raw talent!’ Jimmy kept turning to Jonathon and saying.
Jonathon was itching to jump up and announce to everyone that Danny was his cousin and he was proud of that. But he couldn’t or that would be the end for him before he even had his chance to try to be as good as his cousin.
Following Danny’s lead, his team-mates lifted their game. Although they only scored two more points in the second half, crucially to their title hopes they battled and scrapped to prevent the home team from scoring at all, and the game ended nine points to four points in favour of the Crokes.
Chapter 15
A Close Shave
T hat night, Danny and Jonathon went into the hospital to see Mick, and fill him in on the match that day.
Danny did all the filling in as Jonathon wasn’t even supposed to have been there; Jonathon just sat on the edge of Mick’s bed pretending to be as gobsmacked as his uncle as Danny re-enacted the whole game for his dad.
Mick was thrilled to bits.
‘Only two games to go, son!’ said Mick and he clenched his right fist in the air.
At that moment Danny was the happiest he had been since Mick was taken ill.
There was his dad, smiling and punchingthe air. A simple task, but one that Mick couldn’t have managed straight after his stroke.
The nurse with the medicine trolley came into Mick’s room and so Danny and Jonathon did a disappearing act to the vending machine to get some drinks.
On their way back to the room, the cousins chuckled about how Jonathon had to put on an act in front of Mick while Danny described the match.
‘I nearly butted in a few times!’ laughed Jonathon as they got to Mick’s door.
‘Shush!’ hushed Danny and he stopped in his tracks and stooped down below the door and peeped in through the glass.
‘I don’t believe it!’
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Jonathon, afraid that something was wrong with Mick.
‘It’s Jimmy!’ said Danny. ‘Come on back around the corner.’
Jonathon hid well out of sight while Danny went back in to his dad’s room.
‘All right, Jimmy!’ said Danny, acting cool.
‘Howya, Danny!’ replied Jimmy. ‘I just popped in to tell your daddy about the stormer you played today, but it seems that you beat me to it.’
‘Where’s Jonathon?’ interrupted Mick.
‘Emmmm … Uncle Larry’s picking us up and he’s, eh, he’s … he’s after ringing him on his phone to say he’s down in the car park already, so he’s just gone down to tell him to hang on for me.’
‘You better not keep him waiting, son. There’s a good lad,’ yawned Mick. The medicine was starting to take effect.
Danny thought that all was left was a simple goodbye to his dad, and that would be that, but Jimmy said, ‘Did you tell your daddy about the new player,
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