Charlie Fry and the Grudge Match by Martin Smith

Author:Martin Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: the charlie fry series, football boy wonder, best football books, football books for kids, soccer books for kids, soccer stories for boys, best books for boys, bullying fiction, bullying stories, cystic fibrosis story, cystic fibrosis, inspirational kids books, football books, best books for kids
Publisher: Martin Smith Books
Published: 2017-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine: Man Down

The Moss Green players were bigger and stronger than most of Emma’s team.

Apart from Bishop and Wrecka, they could not compete in the air.

Kev had seen this weakness because his team’s tactics were simple: either pump the ball long and put Mudder under pressure; or get down the wings and whip the ball in at pace.

With there being no throw-ins in park football, the Moss Green wingers could wait out wide without worrying about off-sides or marking.

Once they had the ball wide, the rest of the team made a beeline for Mudder’s goal.

Wrecka, as usual, bravely headed away his share of crosses but Billy had struggled badly because he was so much smaller.

Toby, Charlie and Emma had spent most of the match watching the ball sail over their heads as the midfield missed out.

And whenever Moss Green put a long ball forward, there was Adam Knight to pick up the little knock-downs and flicks.

It was not pretty, but it was effective.

Five times they had beaten Mudder already and it was only 20 minutes into the match.

Adam Knight had bagged a hat-trick, which he gleefully reminded Charlie about as he clobbered him with a late tackle.

But, despite their roughhouse tactics, they did not lead.

It was mainly due to one reason: Leeshinski.

The striker was unplayable.

Moss Green could not get him off the ball.

They tried to kick him; knee him; drag him to the ground.

Adam Knight had even tried to blatantly elbow him in the ribs.

It did not work.

The striker seemed to be two steps ahead of the opposition at all times.

He was like a magician at work.

If his own teammates didn’t know what to expect from him, how could the opposition?

To be fair, the Boy Wonder had not played badly either.

A free-kick (which caused about five minutes of fierce arguing between the two teams) had been smashed low past Waynn’s right hand and Charlie had doubled his tally with a close-range tap-in after Bishop had beaten three opposition players.

The score was 8-5 to Emma’s team.

Leeshinski had scored five.

Charlie had two.

Bishop had grabbed the other one.

They had started well.

Battery had taken Toby’s place a couple of minutes ago.

The switch was well-timed.

It allowed Battery – who was easily as tall as Wrecka and Bishop – to fit into the defence and allow Billy to move into the midfield.

But the substitutions were more helpful to Moss Park.

They used three of their subs – giving them fresh legs across the park.

Charlie looked at the fresh players, who were full of energy and running, with envy.

The awful gunge gurgling in his lungs remained.

And it was making it hard to breathe properly.

He looked over at Toby, sitting behind one of the goals and felt a pang of jealously.

Usually he hated being a sub but today was different.

He would need a rest soon.

Caught up in his own worries, Charlie did not see the tackle.

“OOOWWWWW!”

The Boy Wonder span around as he heard Leeshinski’s cry of pain.

He was lying in a heap on the floor near the Moss Park goal – with Adam Knight looking innocently down at him.

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