Free T.J. and the Cup Run by Theo Walcott Page A

be able to stand on the edge of the area and wait for the ball. He’ll be ready for that, and he’s good in the air. And then there’s Deng.’
    ‘He’s really improved,’ said TJ, as Jamie nodded agreement. ‘He wins everything in midfield and you have to be really quick on the ball if you want to get a good pass away.’
    ‘That’ll be your job,’ Mr Wood told Rob. ‘Rafi loves running around, so he’s going to get stuck in and make those tackles. It’s your responsibility to find those little bits of space that will let Rafi pass to you and give you the chance to find TJ and Tulsi. Rodrigo and Tommy, it’s up to you to stop Kelvin and Krissy. You can do that, can’t you?’
    The two boys nodded. The barrel-shaped Kelvin and tall, slim Krissy were old enemies and they had dealt with them before.
    ‘Just remember to stay back to begin with,’ Mr Wood added. ‘Don’t go racing forward. Hillside can turn attack into defence in seconds. Subs,’ he finished, turning to Ariyan, Leila and Danny. ‘Make sure you concentrate on the game. You have to be ready to come on at a moment’s notice . Jamie, the ref’s waiting. You’ll be our captain for the day.’
    Jamie ran to the middle of the pitch where the ref was standing with Deng beside him. Deng was grinning even more widely than usual as he shook hands with Jamie. He won the toss and Hillside prepared to kick off.
    There was no room for the spectators by the side of the pitch so they were crowded together on the other side of the high wire fence that divided the Astroturf from a wide concrete path. Cheers for Hillside and Parkview rang out in the cold winter air as Kelvin tapped the ball to Krissy and she turned to play it back to Deng.
    Rafi sprinted forward to challenge Deng, but before he reached him Deng had already released the ball to the tall blond defender who had stepped forward away from Tulsi. The defender chipped it into the Parkview half and Krissy chested it down for Kelvin, who back-heeled it cheekily to Deng.

    Deng controlled the ball quickly, but Rafi was even faster. He stuck out his foot and just managed to deflect the ball into Rob’s path. TJ accelerated like a sprinter coming out of the blocks, taking the defender who was marking him by surprise. All that was needed now was a pass from Rob – but the pass never arrived.
    TJ skidded to a halt, turned, and saw that Rob had played the ball straight back to Rafi, who was trapped in a sandwich between Deng and Krissy. Krissy put her foot behind the ball as Rafi tried to beat her and he went crashing to the ground. Then she gave the ball to Deng who curved an elegant pass out to Kelvin on the wing.
    Kelvin took a touch, looking up to judge his cross perfectly, but that touch gave Rodrigo the chance he needed. He slid in and put the ball out for a throw to Hillside. His perfect tackle was greeted by loud applause from the Parkview fans.
    ‘That’s great, Parkview!’ called Jamie. ‘Keep at them!’
    Kelvin took the throw-in. Deng controlled it, but once again Rafi was too quick for him, and once again he slid the ball to Rob.
    ‘Yes!’ called Tulsi, waving her arms in the air. ‘To me!’
    ‘Go on, Rob,’ called Jamie. ‘You can do it!’
    But Rob hesitated, and Deng struck like lightning , sprinting five metres and whipping the ball away from Rob’s feet. He touched it forward and looked up. Players were running to right and left, but Deng hit a left-footed shot. TJ was right behind it, and at first he was sure that Deng had missed by miles, but then the ball started to curl. Deng had judged his shot perfectly. Jamie took off, but even he couldn’t reach it as it floated into the top corner of the goal and Hillside took the lead.
    As Jamie took the ball from the net the referee blew his whistle again and pointed to the touchline. Leila had taken off her top and was standing beside Mr Wood. He was beckoning to Rob. ‘Sorry, Rob,’ he said. ‘I can see that the nerves have