T.J. and the Cup Run Read Free

like them. Then, with only ten minutes left, Baz put them in teams to play five-a-side games, and TJ found himself on the same side as Deng for the first time.

    Deng and TJ had already had several battles. Deng was a terrific tackler, and once he had the ball at his feet he could hit killer passes. And even when TJ had finally got the better of him in the District Tournament, Deng had kept on smiling. Deng was smiling now, as he passed to TJ. The ball came hard, fast, and accurate. TJ took the pace off it, already moving away from the defender who was marking him, and laid it off to the team-mate behind him. Then the ball was back with Deng again and he slid another deadly pass to the player on the opposite wing.
    ‘Move, TJ,’ called Baz. ‘Look for the pass. Find some space!’
    TJ realized he’d been standing still, admiring Deng’s work. He made a darting run towards the centre circle and saw Deng move forward to receive the ball yet again. TJ turned and sprinted away down the wing, and suddenly, like a miracle, the ball was at his feet. He didn’t have to think. He knew exactly where the goal was and he struck it left-footed towards the far corner. He struck it perfectly, but as he lifted his head he saw Jamie diving to tip the ball round the post.

    ‘That was just fantastic!’ Jamie said, when training was over. ‘I mean, I thought there’d be things I couldn’t do, but we’d done lots of it before with Mr Wood.’
    ‘That’s not surprising,’ said Phil, who had stayed to help with the training. ‘Your Mr Wood has done the same coaching badges as me. There’s no reason he couldn’t coach at Wanderers.’
    ‘He’d do a good job,’ said Marshall Jones, coming through the wire gate onto the Astroturf.
    ‘Hey, Marshall,’ said TJ and Jamie. ‘What are you doing here?’
    ‘I figured I’d come down with Phil and see how you got on,’ Marshall grinned, as all the other young players gathered round, talking excitedly. ‘I’ve been sitting in the car, watching. Nice work, everyone.’
    ‘Have you seen Mr Wood?’ asked Jamie.
    ‘Sure,’ said Marshall. ‘He said to tell you “hi”.’
    ‘I hope he comes back soon. We really need him.’
    ‘I’m sorry, kids,’ Marshall said. ‘He’s working in another school.’
    Their faces fell. ‘Hey,’ said Marshall. ‘Life can be tough sometimes, but you’ll be OK. I’m not having much fun myself, as it happens. It’s taking longer than I thought to get my fitness back. We’ve got to beat Inter Milan next week or we’ll be out of the Champions League and right now I don’t reckon I’ll ever get past their full back.’
    ‘Rob’s got a theory—’ began TJ, but Marshall cut him off.
    ‘I’m sorry, lads,’ he said, looking at his watch. ‘I have to go. I’m late already. See you soon.’
    As Marshall’s car pulled away, TJ’s dad jogged up with Rob beside him. ‘Wasn’t that Marshall ?’ Rob said. ‘You should have made him wait. I could have told him . . .’
    ‘He had to go,’ TJ said. ‘Sorry, Rob.’
    ‘But Marshall was right about one thing,’ Jamie said. ‘We will see him again soon. It’s my birthday next week and my dad’s managed to get tickets for the Milan game!’

C HAPTER 4
    ‘SO, WHAT DID you think?’ asked TJ’s dad when they were back home at last and eating pasta at the kitchen table.
    ‘It was great,’ TJ replied. ‘But you and Rob must have run miles while you were waiting for us.’
    His dad laughed. ‘I can hardly keep up with Rob these days,’ he said. ‘And he talks all the time too. He never gets out of breath. He says we ran ten kilometres.’
    ‘That’s good,’ said TJ. ‘You know, I reckon Rob could get in the school team if he tried. He does some really neat things when he thinks nobody’s watching him, but he never tries them when we’re playing five-a-sides. He just controls the ball and then passes it. I mean, he never gives it away, but that’s not enough, is