Into The Team (3 page)

Todd took in a deep breath and nodded, trying to settle his lungs.

Just play
,
that’s all you’ve got to do, just play. You’ve been playing for years, and just because you’re standing in front of Wayne Maxwell, who earns something like fifty thousand a week, doesn’t mean your legs are gonna forget what they’ve got to do.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and took a deep breath of chilled air.

“I’m ready.”

Wayne started play by ordering them to run up and down the field, passing the ball between each other. Todd passed to Vince, who passed to John, who’d pass back to Vince, who’d pass back to Todd. Easy and clean. Todd warmed up in minutes and was able to forget about Wayne, who watched them closely.

After five minutes, Wayne put Vince in net and ordered Todd and John to compete for the ball and go for goal. Todd found it easy to tackle John. As good as the other youth was, he didn’t have the swift-footed moves Todd had practiced over the years. And after ten minutes, Todd had scored eight goals and had only one saved. John hadn’t kept possession long enough to even attempt a goal.

Another ten minutes with John in net, Todd went against Vince. He was slightly faster than John and managed three goals. Todd put six in the net.

Wayne applauded and gathered them round.

“Ok, I want all three of you to compete now while I’m in net.”

John and Vince glanced at each other. They appeared uncertain, but eyebrows lifted as if to show eagerness.

Todd was fired up now. His heart pumped and his legs and feet felt like air. He loved these moments when he was at his peak on the pitch, when it felt like some hidden channel had opened between his mind and feet. He was ready to knock these two down.

“Just do your best guys,” Wayne said before taking the ball with him to the net.

Todd watched him go, marveling at the fact he was about to score goals against a Manford Reds player. Not that he knew for sure of course. But he had that goal scoring head on him now, and he could feel his legs craving to run and shoot the ball over the line. His mother will eat those words.

After making it to goal, Wayne turned, waited a second or two, then kicked the ball high through the air.

Todd’s eyes homed in on that tiny point as it seemed to hang in the sky above him. Everything else didn’t exist now. It was just him and the ball.

Seeing it grow bigger, slanting down in its arc, he positioned himself. From the corner of his eye he saw John moving closer, and in front, Vince was backing up. They were going to crush in for this one but he didn’t care.

As the ball came in and John tried to shove him aside, Todd leapt up and head butted the ball to his left.

As soon as his feet hit the grass again, he launched himself after it.

He reached it first, John and Vince coming at him from behind, almost getting a touch. But once Todd had possession he never let it go. Tapping and rolling he ran with it towards goal.

The other two speeded up in pursuit, and from his left, John came in low, giving a backwards lurch as if about to skid his foot into the path of the ball. Todd was ready. Giving the slightest of taps, the ball lifted just enough to avoid the incoming foot, and after leaping over his opponent, Todd was away.

Vince came from behind, doing his best to swerve around him, kicking between his feet every time Todd made contact with the ball. But his prized possession wasn’t going anywhere, and Todd gave it more pressure on his next kick and picked up his speed. Soon, those tackling feet were gone and it was just him and the alert face of Wayne waiting with arms outstretched and legs ready to propel in either direction.

He took it head on, made it look as though he was going to play it fast. But just as he was about to slam his left on the ball, he halted and fired it with his right, almost sending it wide. But it went in and Wayne was flat out on the grass.

After lifting himself up and giving Todd a serious but admiring glance, Wayne gathered them around.

“Ok lads,” he said, pointing at Vince and John. “Vince, you defend the first twenty yards around the goal, John, you defend the next twenty yards up to the midway line, and you Todd…” He pointed with a narrow set of eyes. “You go right up to the other end of the field. When I kick the ball all the way down to you, I want you to go for goal.” He pointed at Vince and John. “You two have to stop him.”

With those orders, John and Vince nodded after giving Todd a wary glance.

“Go,” Wayne shouted.

Todd legged it up the field into the opposing half, his heart full of power and his legs flying. When he reached the far side, he turned and waited in a central position, clocking Vince and John as they occupied their territories.

Wayne kicked the ball high and long and Todd’s legs tensed up, ready to launch himself to wherever it came down. It landed to his left and he’d already taken position. Running with it, he darted back towards goal.

Entering John’s domain, John came at him hard, almost getting the ball out of his path. Todd knocked it around him and for several seconds John ran with him, his feet darting in for a touch. But Todd was in high gear now, and he soon left John behind.

Entering the last twenty yards to goal, Vince charged from the penalty box with a face on full alert. Todd took the ball on a detour, trying to get around him, but the defending lad cut in and sent the ball wide towards the sideline. Todd flew after it and took possession again within seconds. Turning back to goal, he still had Vince in his way, so he tapped the underside of the ball with his toe, lifting it up over Vince’s head. At the same time he rushed around his opponent to recapture the ball on the other side.

With one powerful slam, he fired the ball at the net.

Wayne saved it.

More of this play followed, and after thirty minutes, where Todd scored twelve after getting around Vince and John, they were all knackered.

Dixon brought cartons of orange over, and while Wayne had a word with the other two players, Todd took a few gulps of cold juice and then performed a series of headers for Dixon.

“You were fluid, son.” Dixon sounded overjoyed, and from the look on his face, Todd could see he felt justified in bringing him here today. “I knew it as soon as I saw you on that pitch up in Blackmoor. You’re a natural, one of those rare players who can just turn it on.”

Todd dropped the ball as Wayne walked away with John and Vince.

“What’s happening with them?”

Dixon gave a brief pull of his face. “They’re out of this trial,” he said. “They may be back again for another, but you’ve outshone them this time.”

“Is Wayne the one who decides?”

Dixon smirked. “Oh no, for the past hour or so you’ve been watched by the boss from that window there.” He pointed to the upper floor of the health club where a long window lined the side.

“Not Aiden Marshall?” Todd lost his breath for a second. “Is he here?”

Dixon nodded.

“I told him all about you,” he said. “He’s the one who set up today. He wanted to see what you were like with a ball at your feet.”

Todd took in a lungful of air. Aiden Marshall was said to be the number one manager in the country, perhaps even Europe. The secret of keeping his team together and having them play consistently during the past eight years was a regular feature of tabloid speculation. Since taking control of Manford Reds, the team had won five premier league titles, four cups, and two European tournaments.

Todd dared not think what could be in store for him. The players of Manford Reds were all multi-millionaires. They had mansions along the green belt to the south of the city, their fortunes knocked up by countless advertising deals. Even if Todd could see only a fraction of their wealth, he’d be the richest kid from Blackmoor. But he tried not to think of it. Today was only a trial, and even if he had impressed Wayne and the boss, he’d have to make it through months of training and hurdle jumping before he’d even get a sniff of a first team place.

But just as he was thinking this, a man with dark cropped hair and shades strolled out of the club building. He headed straight to Wayne and the other two lads on their way in. Meeting up, they stopped and talked.

Fuck! Todd couldn’t believe the man who’d built what was arguably the best football team in Europe was standing just across the field from him. But he did his best to keep his cool and ran around with the ball, all the while telling himself he was good enough to be on the field with Wayne Maxwell and Aiden Marshall.

After an energetic lap of the field, Todd clocked Wayne sprinting towards him. Aiden Marshall didn’t follow. Todd’s heart sank. It seemed the boss didn’t want to meet him.

“What’s the deal?” he asked, kicking the ball to Dixon.

Dixon picked up the ball and threw it back to him.

“I’m off now lad,” he shouted. “Got to talk with the top cheese. I’ll let Wayne fill you in.”

Todd noticed his mild smirk, as if the man was happy to keep his thoughts to himself. With a head buzzing to know what was going on, Todd turned to Wayne. “You’ve got to tell me, am I in or out?”

“Let’s have a tackle.” Wayne grinned, nodding to the ball.

Todd kicked the ball in the air and they both went for it. He could see they were making him wait, teasing perhaps. But it could also be their way of seeing how he dealt with uncertainty, if he had patience, and whether being in limbo affected his playing ability. So he pushed the questions away and focused on what was important. Even after playing for more than an hour, Todd was still primed with energy and felt he could go at it all day.

He and Wayne tackled each other, had a few laughs, and cooled off with a few slow passes. This winding down brought the questions back and Todd itched for the player to fill him in. After several minutes of kicking the ball, he spoke. “What did the boss say?”

Wayne kicked the ball up, headed it a few times, and then walked over to him with it under his arm. “Let’s go and shower and I’ll give you the news.”

Taking a deep breath, Todd nodded, and together they walked back inside.

Wayne had a tough, lean body, one that showed years of hard training. His thighs and ass were solid muscle, no doubt through constant running and maneuvering on the pitch. Todd admired his sculptured legs and compared them to his own. And after doing so, he figured he should do more running and made a note to start jogging every evening and morning from now on, and to take more uphill routes.

Under the hot jets they soaped themselves up. Not knowing the score with the trial yet, Todd was dying for Wayne to give him a hint. But he waited for the player to talk, figuring it best not to pressure him for an answer.

He quietly rubbed his chest muscles and then soaped his legs, still trying to get over the fact he’d been playing with a Reds team member.

“You come from Blackmoor?” Wayne asked.

“Yeah, it’s a dump.” Todd carried on lathering the soap over himself and turned to look at the man.

He gave Wayne’s tough body a once over as he stood back from the jet and soaped his torso. His limp cock was about five inches, more or less the same as Todd’s.

“I’m from Cheatham,” Wayne said, while his eyes drifted down to Todd’s crotch. “It’s not exactly the best place on Earth either.”

“Yeah, I know.” Todd turned his body to face him, allowing the guy a full look. It was a necessary step in the showers for men to check each other’s cocks. “But you live around here now, yeah?”

Wayne nodded as he took more soap and lathered his hair.

“How would you like to live round here?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

The question, and the look on Wayne’s face, lifted Todd. The glint in his eye and slight grin teased him. Todd tried to appear indifferent and shrugged as he soaped his cock and balls.

Wayne’s eyes brightened and he leaned forward. Reaching his arms out, he slapped soapy hands on Todd’s head and gave his hair a rough rub.

“You’re in lad,” he said. “The boss wants you training with the reserve team as of now.”

As he looked into the beaming eyes of Wayne, Todd felt the air inflate his lungs. A huge smile gripped his face.

“So I’ve got a proper trial?” he asked. Wayne’s hands continued to massage soap over his head.

“That’s right, lad.” He gave a gentle shove, knocking Todd’s head sideways. “I’ve been told to drive you back to Blackmoor, get you packed, and bring you back tonight. We’ve got accommodation set up, rent paid, and you’ll get a weekly allowance.”

The words rang in Todd’s head like a thousand Christmas bells. He’d done it. The stuff of dreams. How had it been this easy?

Today was that fucking day Todd!

Overwhelmed by joy, he grabbed Wayne’s head and locked him in a hug, his eyes full of tears.

“I can’t believe it,” he said, suddenly wanting to kiss the guy. “My family won’t believe it.”

“You better believe it,” Wayne said. “I’m your coach from now on, and I work my team hard. And I hope you will take whatever I throw at you.”

“You bet I fucking will.”

He let go of Wayne but was unable to stop his grin. He rinsed the soap off his body, trying to make sense of what was happening. Everything he wanted was on its way, and as he washed the soap off his firm stomach, he let out a howling cry.

Wayne laughed and grabbed his shoulders from behind, giving them a firm rub.

“You’ve got training tomorrow at seven AM,” he said. “So you need a good meal tonight, bed early, and I’ll have you working hard at The Valley all morning.”

“The Valley?” Todd turned to him, still not quite believing it.

The Valley was the Reds training ground, located on the western outskirts of Manford. A million things went through his head as he searched Wayne’s confirming eyes. Would he get to meet the first team? Sean Thompson, Jason Collier? They were the country’s top strikers and had played for the Reds for almost ten years. Shit! He lost control of his arms and before he knew it, he was giving Wayne another rough hug. His new coach gripped him, his eyes wide and mouth grinning.

“I think you’ll sail through the training.” Wayne nodded with a bright set of eyes. “You’ve got the stamina, the strength, and the motivation. I could see that as soon as you started playing today.”

Todd had to take a minute to breathe. His mind raced. He stood back and shook his head, thinking about all those times he’d trained alone in the rain or snow. Those winter nights he’d battled through the cold on the pitch, with just one or two spectators, seemed to have been for nothing at the time.

“Between you and me.” Wayne spoke a little quietly and leaned forward to say the words at Todd’s ear. “Aiden hasn’t accepted anyone onto the reserve team for over two years.”

“No way?” Todd leaned back and gazed at him, trying to assess if the man was lying. He knew the first team hadn’t changed much over the years, but he’d not expected the reserve team to have been stagnant.

“It’s true.” Wayne nodded and began soaping his body again. “He is very particular. We’ve trialed over fifteen lads during the past three years, and he’s only taken three, including you. The reserve team is four short at the moment, but he’s in no hurry to make up the numbers.”

It was true the Manford Reds had a dubious reserve team. Those charity matches were often a talking point in the press. Aiden Marshall kept a tight mouth about why he always had players from the first team amongst the secondary one.

“Josh McKenzie, Leo Cox, and Craig Manning…” Wayne went on, giving Todd a questioning look. “You’ve heard of them I take it?”

“Yeah, course I’ve heard of them.” Todd rolled his eyes - they were big names from the first team who often played reserve matches.

“They make up the numbers usually, along with me,” Wayne said. “The boss doesn’t like reserve matches. He prefers to keep his eye on the money matches, but he has us playing them for practice. Training sessions really.”

Todd thought about it and found it hard to remember a time when the Reds had played a reserve match.

“So, you’ll be sharing a house with six reserve players.” Wayne finished rinsing and stepped out of the shower to towel off. “You probably know a few of them. There’s Gavin Dickson, Trent Powers, Luke Hardman…”

He went through the names while he dried his hair. Todd felt more geared up by the second, his new footballing life was upon him and he couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

“The house is a good one too,” Wayne went on. “It’s got an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor pitch, which although not full size, is enough for a kick around. You all have to make your own meals out of the delivery you get each week. We’ll provide you with a mobile but you can’t bring it to training, and there’s no girls allowed in the house. The boss is real strict about it.”

Todd didn’t care; he’d do anything they said. He finished rinsing and went to grab his towel, taking a sharp slap on his ass from Wayne’s hand.

“You’re in my grip now lad,” he said. “I hope you prove to be as good as you were today, because the boss is eager to get someone up to scratch for the first team this season.”

Another lungful of air fired out of Todd’s throat. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see Wayne with a promising look on his face.

“You mean I could be playing on the first team this year?”

Wayne nodded.

“The boss will talk to you about it sometime. But for now just concentrate on the training, and if you impress me, you’ll impress him and he’ll have you training with the first team.”

Todd swallowed. Just this morning he had no idea who he was trialing for; now he’d been told he could be playing a first team match at the Reds this season. He walked to the bench and sat down.

With his head in his hands he rubbed his eyes.
What if I can’t handle it? What if this is too much too fast?
For a single second he had the scary thought this was all a dream and he’d be waking up any moment in his cold bed in Blackmoor.

A hand gently ruffled his damp hair. He looked up to see Wayne straddling above him.

“You ok?”

Todd nodded and leaned back on the bench, took another deep breath. He imagined himself fucking up in his first week, or even worse, his first day. Then it would be on the bus back to Blackmoor, to a ‘told you so’ mother and unimpressed girlfriend.

“I just think it’s amazing,” he said, trying to block out those thoughts. “Where I am, what I’m going to be doing; I can’t believe it’s happened.”

Wayne sat down next to him and moved close so their naked thighs touched.

“You’ll believe it,” he said. “Tomorrow morning you’ll fucking believe it when you arrive at The Valley and start training before most people are even out of bed. But don’t sweat it. Dixon’s got the best eye for talent in the country, and Aiden is no chancer. He only takes what he knows has potential. So be confident and just focus on the game. That’s what’s important; the game and nothing else.”

He placed an arm around Todd’s shoulders and gave a supportive grip.

“You’re going to fit right in with the team. I know it.”