Long Shot Read Online Free PDF Page B

beat.”
    â€œAnd if we’re to have a real chance of beating them overall, we desperately need the juniors to come good. We don’t want any idiots picking up yellow cards,” another boy added.
    Roddy bit his lip. He had been thrilled at the win, but his high spirits soon evaporated as he remembered that at the moment he was more of a hindrance to his house than a help.

5. First Match Fever
    Roddy kept his head down as far as lessons went for the next few weeks. He was determined not to be given any more yellow cards. He got on fine with most of the teachers, and they could see he was doing his best, but Mr Mustard was another matter. It seemed that whatever Roddy did, he was in the wrong. Worse still, Mr Mustard liked Jack, who was really good at science. And Jack lost no time in goading Roddy about it. He even started making unkind remarks about Roddy’s work during lessons, and Mr Mustard never told him off.
    Several times, it was on the tip of Roddy’s tongue to defend himself, but he resisted.He was afraid that if he responded he’d end up with another yellow card, while Jack would get off scot free.
    Several of Roddy’s friends suggested that he should complain to Mr Clutterbuck, but Roddy refused.
    â€œIt wouldn’t do any good,” he told Geno. “Teachers stick together, don’t they? No, I’ll just weather it. I’m not going to give anybody an excuse to give me another yellow card.”
    Meanwhile, the older years had been racking up points in the House Cup. Charlton had been performing well. They were firmly in second place as things stood; a good few points ahead of Stiles and Banks, but still lagging behind Moore, who had made an excellent start to the season. The senior teams had already played two games, as had the juniors, and now it was the turn of the first years.
    Roddy didn’t need to check his fixtures calendar to know that Charlton were up against Banks – he’d been looking forward to the match since the first day of term and especially enjoyed the past week of intensive training. He was a little apprehensive about playing in his first match for his house, but with Keira, Geno, Jimmy and Marek by his side, they were pretty confident of a win.
    The only real downer for Roddy was that Sam had chosen Keira to be captain, and not him. He realised that the yellow card he’d got from Mr Mustard had not helped his chances, and he tried his best not to feel jealous. Keira deserved her position – she was a good motivator, her enthusiasm was infectious, and she worked really hard. But not being captain was a new experience for Roddy, and he knew he’d find it hard to be told what to do by his midfield partner.
    Sam had chosen the attacking formation that they’d worked on in training the day before, allowing both Roddy and Keira to make their incisive runs. Jimmy was playing in central defence as part of a back three, and the twins Eboni and Ashanti were in their natural positions on either wing.
    Because of the way the houses were divided, Charlton didn’t have a strong defensive team, but David and Sam had explained that the Charlton ethos was to play quick, attacking football, aiming to put as many goals past the opposition as possible. And with Marcel Temperley in goal, it was unlikely their team would let many in, either.
    Roddy felt the familiar buzz as he jogged onto the pitch. He was wearing the ankle support his friend Bryn had given him, although fortunately his ankle was fine now and he was really just wearing it for insurance.
    The students had turned out in good numbers to support their teams, but in Roddy’s mind there were several thousand fans packed into the grounds to cheer them on. As he waited, his mind started to drift.
    It’s almost time for kickoff, and the surprise is that Jones has lost his captain’s armband to newcomer Sanders. The captains shake hands in the centre circle and toss the