Without Morgan I realized it never would be.
THE REF HELDup a red card and the stadium booed.
“What the fuck? That was a clear dive!” I shouted in the referee’s face, my blood boiling.
The Leeds Rangers were playing dirty and now Stefan had been sent off for dangerous play during a tackle against one of their defenders. The other player had gone down too soft in my opinion and I thought the ref was being unnecessarily tough on our team.
“You need to calm down or you will be booked as well,” the ref warned.
We were doing poorly. We were losing two-nil. The Rangers were kicking our collective arses and they weren’t even a team we would have considered a viable threat before today.
But giant killers were part of the game. It’s what kept things interesting. I just wished the giants being slayed weren’t us.
I watched as Stefan walked off the pitch. We were now down to ten men and we still had thirty minutes left to play. Things weren’t looking good at all.
I patted Craig on the back as we jogged back into position. I was angry as hell. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. My calves were starting to burn.
The Leeds defense was shutting me down every time I made a run for the ball. Even over the crowd I could hear Jack screaming at us.
Time ticked down and we continued to fight. I collided with the Ranger’s striker and we fell to the ground. The prick had purposefully elbowed me in the gut and tried to sweep my legs out from underneath me. I shoved the guy. I couldn’t help it. It was an instinct. I wanted to take him out.
The ref held up a yellow card and I almost lost it.
“You fucking wanker!” I hollered.
Nolan started screaming in the ref’s face and another yellow card was held up for him.
The Rangers were awarded a free kick.
Things were going from bad to worse.
I hadn’t been able to hit my stride. I was off today. More than off. I was absolute bollocks.
Then I saw the ball soaring through the air and I started running, my head up, watching it the entire time.
I missed. The Leeds’ defender knocked into me and I fell to the ground. It was a dirty, unnecessary play.
The other team kicked the ball clear.
“Not such a bad boy are you now, Bradley?” the Leeds defender sneered.
The whistle blew.
We had lost.
It was humiliating.
“WHAT THE FUCKwas that?” Jack screamed. His face was red. He was spitting everywhere.
“Everyone has an off day,” Alan muttered.
“An off day? That was a bloody massacre!” Jack slammed his hand into the wall. “I expect better from you! You should expect better from yourselves!”
I rolled my eyes. He had a right to be mad, but not to this level.
It was a game. A bad game. This shit happened. The best teams in the world had off days.
“And you, Bradley, what the absolute fuck?” Jack asked, advancing towards me. “You played like you were still in a nappy!”
