Read Online T.J. and the Winning Goal by Theo Walcott - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Theo Walcott
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Jamie do it, or TJ, or . . . or anybody.’
‘I know,’ said Ebony tearfully. ‘I’m really sorry. I’m going to tell Mr Wood I don’t want to be in the team any more.’
Tulsi had her mouth open to say more things to Ebony, but now she stopped. ‘You can’t,’ Jamie told Ebony. ‘You played great. We need you in the tournament, just like we need Tulsi.’
‘He’s right,’ said TJ. ‘We’re going to need all our best players. We’ll be playing against some of the best teams in the country.’
‘I can’t do it,’ said Ebony. ‘Not after that. Everyone thinks I wanted to be the one they took pictures of, but I didn’t.’
Ebony walked miserably into school.
‘You’ll have to talk to her,’ Jamie said to Tulsi. ‘She’ll listen to you. She was so good on Sunday. We need her in the squad.’
‘What, instead of me?’ asked Tulsi.
‘No way,’ said TJ. ‘You know none of us will play every game in the tournament. Except Jamie in goal, unless he gets injured. We need Ebony to play.’
But when school ended and everyone went to fetch their football kit Tulsi still hadn’t said anything to Ebony. Ebony collected her bag and headed for the exit.
‘Tulsi,’ said TJ. ‘You have to. Go and talk to her. It’s not fair, you know it isn’t.’
Tulsi hesitated, then she sighed and dropped her bag on the floor. She ran out of the door and TJ saw her catch up with Ebony by the school gate. They talked for a few moments , then they both turned and walked back into school.
‘At last,’ said TJ. ‘Now maybe we can get on with training.’
‘And after all that,’ said Rob, ‘we’d better hope that Tulsi can still remember how to play the way she did in the park.’
‘I think she might,’ said TJ with a grin. ‘It looks like her personal coach has come along to give her some help. Hi, Mrs Patel.’
Tulsi’s gran gave them a big wave, as they ran onto the field. ‘Knock ’em dead, Tulsi,’ she yelled, with a wave of her umbrella.
C HAPTER 16
‘FIRST OF ALL,’ Mr Wood said when they’d finished their warm-ups, ‘I hope none of you paid any attention to that TV report. Ebony played very well, but it was a team performance, and that’s what we’ll need to win the tournament. I’ve arranged some fixtures for our B team and I’ll be choosing that team today as well. So you’ve all got plenty to work for. Now, take a ball with your partner and work in a ten-metre square. One of you dribbles and shields the ball, the other one tries to win it. Dead simple. Off you go.’
TJ was working with Rob. ‘We do this sort of thing on the playground all the time,’ said TJ. ‘Why’s he making us do it now?’
‘Maybe because you’re rubbish at it,’ said Rob, sneaking a foot around TJ’s defences and tapping the ball away from him. ‘Go on, then, get it off me.’
Rob hunched himself over the ball like a crab. Then, when TJ committed himself and tried to tackle him, Rob flicked the ball up onto his foot and over TJ’s head. ‘I’ve been wanting to try that for ages,’ Rob said, laughing. ‘I saw Paco Sanchez doing it on the Internet. What do you think?’
‘I think you should let me have a turn at dribbling,’ TJ said, as Rob fended him off expertly once again.
‘You give up then?’ said Rob. ‘You’re admitting I’m better than you?’
Rob took his eye off the ball for a second and TJ darted in and stole it away. ‘Ha!’ he said. ‘I fooled you.’
They were still laughing when Mr Wood called them together. ‘It’s an important skill,’ he said. ‘I know I’ve coached you to move the ball quickly, but there are lots of times when you just need to hold onto it. We’ll be playing against top teams and in a close game it’s crucial that you can keep the ball and give other players a chance to find space for you to make a pass. Now, before we play five-a-side we’ll have a little game of pig-in-the-middle. Three circles, two players in the middle of each,
‘I know,’ said Ebony tearfully. ‘I’m really sorry. I’m going to tell Mr Wood I don’t want to be in the team any more.’
Tulsi had her mouth open to say more things to Ebony, but now she stopped. ‘You can’t,’ Jamie told Ebony. ‘You played great. We need you in the tournament, just like we need Tulsi.’
‘He’s right,’ said TJ. ‘We’re going to need all our best players. We’ll be playing against some of the best teams in the country.’
‘I can’t do it,’ said Ebony. ‘Not after that. Everyone thinks I wanted to be the one they took pictures of, but I didn’t.’
Ebony walked miserably into school.
‘You’ll have to talk to her,’ Jamie said to Tulsi. ‘She’ll listen to you. She was so good on Sunday. We need her in the squad.’
‘What, instead of me?’ asked Tulsi.
‘No way,’ said TJ. ‘You know none of us will play every game in the tournament. Except Jamie in goal, unless he gets injured. We need Ebony to play.’
But when school ended and everyone went to fetch their football kit Tulsi still hadn’t said anything to Ebony. Ebony collected her bag and headed for the exit.
‘Tulsi,’ said TJ. ‘You have to. Go and talk to her. It’s not fair, you know it isn’t.’
Tulsi hesitated, then she sighed and dropped her bag on the floor. She ran out of the door and TJ saw her catch up with Ebony by the school gate. They talked for a few moments , then they both turned and walked back into school.
‘At last,’ said TJ. ‘Now maybe we can get on with training.’
‘And after all that,’ said Rob, ‘we’d better hope that Tulsi can still remember how to play the way she did in the park.’
‘I think she might,’ said TJ with a grin. ‘It looks like her personal coach has come along to give her some help. Hi, Mrs Patel.’
Tulsi’s gran gave them a big wave, as they ran onto the field. ‘Knock ’em dead, Tulsi,’ she yelled, with a wave of her umbrella.
C HAPTER 16
‘FIRST OF ALL,’ Mr Wood said when they’d finished their warm-ups, ‘I hope none of you paid any attention to that TV report. Ebony played very well, but it was a team performance, and that’s what we’ll need to win the tournament. I’ve arranged some fixtures for our B team and I’ll be choosing that team today as well. So you’ve all got plenty to work for. Now, take a ball with your partner and work in a ten-metre square. One of you dribbles and shields the ball, the other one tries to win it. Dead simple. Off you go.’
TJ was working with Rob. ‘We do this sort of thing on the playground all the time,’ said TJ. ‘Why’s he making us do it now?’
‘Maybe because you’re rubbish at it,’ said Rob, sneaking a foot around TJ’s defences and tapping the ball away from him. ‘Go on, then, get it off me.’
Rob hunched himself over the ball like a crab. Then, when TJ committed himself and tried to tackle him, Rob flicked the ball up onto his foot and over TJ’s head. ‘I’ve been wanting to try that for ages,’ Rob said, laughing. ‘I saw Paco Sanchez doing it on the Internet. What do you think?’
‘I think you should let me have a turn at dribbling,’ TJ said, as Rob fended him off expertly once again.
‘You give up then?’ said Rob. ‘You’re admitting I’m better than you?’
Rob took his eye off the ball for a second and TJ darted in and stole it away. ‘Ha!’ he said. ‘I fooled you.’
They were still laughing when Mr Wood called them together. ‘It’s an important skill,’ he said. ‘I know I’ve coached you to move the ball quickly, but there are lots of times when you just need to hold onto it. We’ll be playing against top teams and in a close game it’s crucial that you can keep the ball and give other players a chance to find space for you to make a pass. Now, before we play five-a-side we’ll have a little game of pig-in-the-middle. Three circles, two players in the middle of each,
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