Starting Eleven Read Online Free PDF Page A

time,’ he said.
    ‘That wouldn’t be hard,’ Chris said from the bench opposite.
    ‘We’ll see,’ Adam warned.
    In my head I was worried about what Adam had said. He was so much bigger than the rest of us. And if he had a problem with me, what could I do about it? I didn’t want him to know I was worried though. So I tried to see if I could wind him up. He’d started on me so it was fair game.
    ‘There’s girls I know that play better than you,’ I said.
    Adam spun round and faced up to me.
    ‘You what?’ he said, screwing up his face.
    ‘
Girls
,’ Chris told him. ‘You know, them people that don’t have anything to do with ugly freaks like you?’
    I could see that Adam was getting angrier and I wondered whether we should stop pushing him but Chris didn’t care.
    ‘And how big
are
your feet anyway?’ he asked Adam. ‘Munster or Shrek size?’
    Adam clenched his fists by his side. They were huge. ‘You’re gonna regret saying that!’ he told Chris. ‘Even if I don’t get into
this
team. It ain’t the
only
team in the league . . .’
    ‘Yeah, but it’s gonna be the
best
,’ I told him. ‘With me and my mates playing . . .’
    ‘You lot couldn’t hit a cow’s bum with a banjo,’ he said, smirking again.
    ‘We’re gonna make you lot look like girls!’ Jason said from behind us.
    Adam started to go for Jason just as the two coaches walked in.
    ‘Something wrong?’ Mr Turner asked sternly.
    ‘No – nothing,’ said Adam.
    ‘Just messing about,’ Chris told the coach.
    ‘Well, stop it and get outside. This trial should have started ten minutes ago.’
    ‘What were those posters about?’ I asked Mr James.
    ‘Just a misunderstanding,’ he replied. ‘Probably some kids messing about. Our rivals, Evington Eagles, up to no good, I suspect . . .’
    I nodded, pleased that we’d got away with our rubbish plan. And I also started wondering about the Evington Eagles. Neither coach had mentioned them before. Why were they our deadliest rivals? Was it like Liverpool versus Everton – a local derby? Evington was the area next to ours so I guessed it was. Suddenly I got really excited and couldn’t wait to get out onto the pitch.
    ‘Only fifteen minutes’ warm-up today and then straight into eleven versus eleven,’ Mr James told us. ‘And we’ve kept the teams similar to the other day. Adam will captain one and Jason the other. As before – if you don’t start the game, keep warm and be ready to come on at any time.’
    We all nodded.
    ‘And today
is
selection day,’ added Mr Turner. ‘Today is when we pick the squad for the Rushton Reds.’
    I gulped. Was I going to be good enough to make it?
    The pitch was heavy as it had been raining during the afternoon. I could smell the grass and the mud. I jogged over to the centre circle, quickly joined by the others.
    ‘Single file!’ shouted Mr James. ‘A slow jog along the marked lines. Stay behind the man in front of you.’
    He set off with the rest of us behind him, running the lines in a random pattern. After five minutes we lined up along the touchline and raced each other in sprints to the halfway line. All the while I was watching Adam to see how he was doing. And from what I could tell, he was keeping an eye on me and Chris, who was running beside me. Once when I looked across at him, he smirked and made a fist. I nodded at him, not wanting to let him see that I was bothered.
    After the warm-up, we split into two teams with substitutes. Me, Chris, Jason and Abs were on the same side again, along with Gurinder and Steven. There were some other lads as well and two of them had been on the opposite side last time around. One of them came up and offered me his hand to shake. He was short and skinny with spiky brown hair that had been gelled stiff.
    ‘I’m Corky,’ he told me. ‘You were really good last time.’
    ‘Thanks,’ I said, smiling. ‘I’m Dal – and these lads are . . .’
    I introduced him to the