Free T.J. and the Hat-trick by Theo Walcott Page A

Tommy,’ TJ yelled. Danny’s throw found Tommy wide on the wing. He raced down the pitch with the ball at his feet. He was flying towards the dead-ball line, and defenders were sprinting to cut him off.
    ‘Idiot!’ said Tulsi. ‘He’s gone too far.
    But TJ knew exactly what Tommy was going to do, and he was already sprinting, flat-out, towards the penalty spot. At the very last moment, just as the ball was about to run out of play, Tommy wrapped his foot around it and produced a perfect cross. TJ flung himself into the air. He kept his eyes wide open and fixed on the ball as he headed it down . . . and into the net.
    The scores were level, and TJ had scored a perfect hat-trick – one with his right foot, one with his left foot and one, amazingly, with his head!
    ‘You’re a star, TJ!’ yelled his sister from the touchline.
    ‘Jolly well done, TJ,’ called Mr Burrows. He had taken off his tie and was waving it in the air.
    As they jogged back into their own half, Mrs Singh was talking to her team. ‘That boy is their key player,’ she was saying. ‘You have to mark him more tightly. Off you go. I’m expecting you to win, Hillside.’
    TJ watched as Krissy said something to Kelvin. They both looked his way, and Kelvin nodded. They obviously had a plan, and TJ didn’t have to wait long to find out what the plan was.
    The very next time he received the ball, he heard thudding footsteps behind him and suddenly he was flying through the air. He hit the ground with a thump that knocked the wind out of him, and when he stood up his leg didn’t seem to be working properly.

C HAPTER 20
    ‘IT’S A DEAD leg,’ Mr Wood said. ‘And it was a very nasty tackle,’ he added to Mrs Singh.
    ‘It was clumsy,’ Mrs Singh said. ‘But I’m sure Kelvin didn’t mean to commit a foul.’
    ‘I hope not,’ Mr Wood said. ‘This is supposed to be a friendly game. How does it feel now, TJ?’
    TJ took a couple of steps. His thigh hurt, but it wasn’t too bad. ‘I’ll carry on,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think I can run very far. Or very fast.’
    ‘We can beat them anyway,’ Rafi said. ‘Even if they do cheat.’
    ‘Are you sure you’re OK, TJ?’ his mum called anxiously from the touchline. TJ nodded.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ said Marshall, who had come to stand beside TJ’s dad. ‘If Johnny says he’s OK, then he is.’
    Marshall had taken his hat off and some of the Hillside supporters had recognized him and were waving and pointing from the opposite touchline.
    Krissy Barton was staring at Marshall with her mouth open. ‘That’s Marshall Jones,’ she said to Tulsi. ‘Has he been helping you?’
    ‘He’s Mr Wood’s friend, that’s all,’ Tulsi said. ‘And he’s one of our supporters,’ she added proudly.
    ‘Johnny?’ said TJ’s dad. ‘Johnny Wood? It’s been bothering me. I’ve seen him somewhere before, but I just don’t know where.’
    ‘Are you a Wanderers fan?’ Marshall asked him. ‘Well . . .’
    TJ didn’t hear the rest because the whistle blew and the game restarted. Rafi was right. Even without TJ’s runs, Parkview began to overpower the Hillside team. The ball flew from player to player so fast that the Hillside players were left chasing shadows. They couldn’t get near the ball, and now it was the Parkview supporters who began to chant ‘
Olé
’. But all the passing wasn’t getting them any nearer to the Hillside goal because all of the Hillside players had fallen back, blocking the way, determined not to be beaten.
    Then Rodrigo passed the ball out to TJ. He hobbled towards it, and touched it forward with his left foot. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mrs Singh looking at her watch. He had to do something quickly, or it would be all over. And then he saw his chance. Tulsi had pulled away to the right, taking a defender with her, but now she was running in again, towards the goal.
    TJ took one more touch. He had to hit it now, but he was going to have to use his