Read Online T.J. and the Winning Goal by Theo Walcott - Free Book Online
Authors: Theo Walcott
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Dad,’ said Lou. ‘He’s big-headed enough already.’
‘I’m not,’ said TJ. ‘Just because
you’ve
never been on TV.’
‘Be quiet, all of you,’ said TJ’s mum. ‘It’s starting.’
Maggie Burnside’s orange face filled the screen. She was standing outside Parkview School and Mr Burrows was beside her with a huge smile on his face. ‘Inspectors say that this is an outstanding school,’ Maggie Burnside said. ‘And the most outstanding thing about it is its under-eleven football team. Tell us about the team, Mr Burrows.’
‘Er, well . . . It all began with Mr Wood,’ Mr Burrows said. ‘He came to our school as a temporary teacher at the start of the year, and it turns out he’s a bit of a whiz at football coaching.’
‘Which isn’t surprising when you realize that he was a promising young footballer at Wanderers,’ Maggie Burnside said. ‘We have some footage of Johnny Wood in action playing for England’s under-eighteen side. If you look closely you might also spot current Wanderers star, Marshall Jones.’
‘There!’ exclaimed TJ. ‘That’s Mr Wood!’
A tall, skinny boy controlled the ball on the screen and played a pass elegantly out to the right wing. ‘And that’s Marshall,’ said Lou. ‘He looks great!’
‘They’re just kids,’ said TJ’s mum. ‘Look at them, TJ. They’re not much older than you.’
‘I know,’ said TJ, who had been thinking the same thing. But now the screen changed. Maggie Burnside was talking to the camera, and in the background the Parkview dinner ladies were chanting and dancing. ‘Parkview have already won their District Championship this year,’ the presenter said. ‘And they’ve won the Inter-Schools Cup too. This weekend they’ll be off to the Regional Championship. We’ve come to their final warm-up match to see for ourselves just how good they are.’
There was a long shot of the match in progress. ‘There you are, TJ,’ said his brother Joey. ‘Over there on the wing. And there’s Jamie.’
Then Ebony filled the screen, scoring her first goal, followed by a shot of the keeper dropping the ball and Ebony sliding home her second. Finally they saw Ebony complete her hat-trick, before the camera cut back to Maggie Burnside interviewing her.
‘That’s not right,’ said Joey. ‘Anyone would think Ebony was the only person in the team.’
‘You’re the one who scored the goals,’ Maggie Burnside was saying. ‘And you’re playing in a big tournament soon, I hear. I expect you’ll score lots of goals there too.’
‘I hope so,’ replied Ebony.
‘That was Ebony Green,’ Maggie Burnside said. ‘Hat-trick heroine of Parkview School. And this is Maggie Burnside, handing you back to the studio.’
There was silence in the Wilsons’ living room. ‘It’s not Ebony’s fault,’ TJ said. ‘I mean, it is amazing that she scored a hat -trick in her first match.’
‘Just like you, you mean?’ smiled his mum. ‘I suppose you’re right. But I still think it’s a shame there was nothing about all the work everyone did, mending the football pitch and painting and decorating and the World Food day, and the school dinners . . .’
‘It’s OK, Mum,’ TJ said. But he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. And he knew that Tulsi was going to be more annoyed than anyone.
He was right. When he got to school the next day Tulsi was hopping mad. ‘How could she?’ she was saying to Jamie in the playground. ‘It was just her first full game, and she wouldn’t have scored any of those goals if it hadn’t been for the rest of you.’
‘It wasn’t really like that . . .’ Jamie began.
But Tulsi interrupted. ‘I’m going to tell her what I think,’ she said angrily. ‘There she is now.’
‘Don’t,’ said Jamie. ‘She didn’t do anything wrong.’
But it was too late to stop Tulsi. She was already standing in front of Ebony. ‘You shouldn’t have talked to them,’ she said. ‘You could have let
‘I’m not,’ said TJ. ‘Just because
you’ve
never been on TV.’
‘Be quiet, all of you,’ said TJ’s mum. ‘It’s starting.’
Maggie Burnside’s orange face filled the screen. She was standing outside Parkview School and Mr Burrows was beside her with a huge smile on his face. ‘Inspectors say that this is an outstanding school,’ Maggie Burnside said. ‘And the most outstanding thing about it is its under-eleven football team. Tell us about the team, Mr Burrows.’
‘Er, well . . . It all began with Mr Wood,’ Mr Burrows said. ‘He came to our school as a temporary teacher at the start of the year, and it turns out he’s a bit of a whiz at football coaching.’
‘Which isn’t surprising when you realize that he was a promising young footballer at Wanderers,’ Maggie Burnside said. ‘We have some footage of Johnny Wood in action playing for England’s under-eighteen side. If you look closely you might also spot current Wanderers star, Marshall Jones.’
‘There!’ exclaimed TJ. ‘That’s Mr Wood!’
A tall, skinny boy controlled the ball on the screen and played a pass elegantly out to the right wing. ‘And that’s Marshall,’ said Lou. ‘He looks great!’
‘They’re just kids,’ said TJ’s mum. ‘Look at them, TJ. They’re not much older than you.’
‘I know,’ said TJ, who had been thinking the same thing. But now the screen changed. Maggie Burnside was talking to the camera, and in the background the Parkview dinner ladies were chanting and dancing. ‘Parkview have already won their District Championship this year,’ the presenter said. ‘And they’ve won the Inter-Schools Cup too. This weekend they’ll be off to the Regional Championship. We’ve come to their final warm-up match to see for ourselves just how good they are.’
There was a long shot of the match in progress. ‘There you are, TJ,’ said his brother Joey. ‘Over there on the wing. And there’s Jamie.’
Then Ebony filled the screen, scoring her first goal, followed by a shot of the keeper dropping the ball and Ebony sliding home her second. Finally they saw Ebony complete her hat-trick, before the camera cut back to Maggie Burnside interviewing her.
‘That’s not right,’ said Joey. ‘Anyone would think Ebony was the only person in the team.’
‘You’re the one who scored the goals,’ Maggie Burnside was saying. ‘And you’re playing in a big tournament soon, I hear. I expect you’ll score lots of goals there too.’
‘I hope so,’ replied Ebony.
‘That was Ebony Green,’ Maggie Burnside said. ‘Hat-trick heroine of Parkview School. And this is Maggie Burnside, handing you back to the studio.’
There was silence in the Wilsons’ living room. ‘It’s not Ebony’s fault,’ TJ said. ‘I mean, it is amazing that she scored a hat -trick in her first match.’
‘Just like you, you mean?’ smiled his mum. ‘I suppose you’re right. But I still think it’s a shame there was nothing about all the work everyone did, mending the football pitch and painting and decorating and the World Food day, and the school dinners . . .’
‘It’s OK, Mum,’ TJ said. But he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. And he knew that Tulsi was going to be more annoyed than anyone.
He was right. When he got to school the next day Tulsi was hopping mad. ‘How could she?’ she was saying to Jamie in the playground. ‘It was just her first full game, and she wouldn’t have scored any of those goals if it hadn’t been for the rest of you.’
‘It wasn’t really like that . . .’ Jamie began.
But Tulsi interrupted. ‘I’m going to tell her what I think,’ she said angrily. ‘There she is now.’
‘Don’t,’ said Jamie. ‘She didn’t do anything wrong.’
But it was too late to stop Tulsi. She was already standing in front of Ebony. ‘You shouldn’t have talked to them,’ she said. ‘You could have let
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