ALL IN THE HEAD 1

A DREAM MOMENT

To say that football was and would always be an obsession for Liam would be something of a definite understatement. It was his life, the one thing that truly made him happy, something that gave him so much joy that words just could not describe.

Liam spent the first ten years of his life growing up in Ballymun, Dublin. He lived with his mother. They didn't have very much but they got by, as so many do when times are hard. Mum worked in a launderette for a few hours each day, five days a week while Liam was in school. He didn't get to see his father very often and Liam preferred it that way as when his father was around, he was usually drunk and would quite regularly be quite aggressive.

From an early age Liam followed Liverpool FC, and he often dreamed of one day getting to be like his hero Ian Rush, but the only time he would really get to see Liverpool play was by watching on a television through a store window. Football was all Liam could think about, it was all he ever talked about.

The eighties were a time where kids would generally be out and about more than they would be in. Not that it was generally a safer time to live through, not at all, though there were more vigilance and people were more aware of the surroundings. Technology has detracted from that with the generations since, and children became more likely to be indoors than out.

Every Saturday afternoon, Liam got to play with the local football team, and it was clear that even at a young age that he had talent; he was good, he was better than good. On one particular Saturday afternoon, a match was organized for Liam's team to play another team from the same club; the other team were two years older. This kind of thing was not uncommon and quite often would be quite interesting.

During this particular game, Liam scored a goal early in the second half to give his side a two goal to one lead; it was a goal so good that anyone one the other team would have been delighted to score one like that. Such was his talent that Liam would probably fit in better playing with the older team though then again, his team were so outstanding as a whole that they more than held their own against the older boys. The game, one which astounded all who took the time to come out and see it, finished two all.

Liam's team would actually draw a fairly large crowd to the side-lines each and every week, the team as a whole indeed were that good, and even with that, Liam always stood out.

During the weekdays, if it was bright enough, Liam's mum would leave him out to play until six o' clock. Liam was a good kid and loved his mother so much, he always, well close to always anyway, done what he was told. His mum would just come down each day at six and Liam would head in. It was a little after six one day and there was no sign of his mum yet, so Liam thought it would be alright if he had a few extra minutes of playing football outside.

Soon, however, it was closing in on seven and there was still no sign of his mum. Liam didn't want to get himself into trouble, so he thought that he'd better head inside.

As Liam entered the building, which the flat he lived in was on the top floor, he heard a scream. He immediately knew it was his mum. He quickly made his way to the top floor, the screams got louder and more frequent as he did so. Nobody, not one person, had come to his mum's aid. It didn't take long for his father to be arrested and Liam was soon placed into foster care.

Liam's nightmares were to be haunted by his mother's screams. Many a time he would struggle to sleep at all. If only he had gone in on time, but who knows, perhaps his life would have been lost too? Over the next few years following mum's death, football remained a constant in Liam's life. In many ways it got him through, preventing him from taking a gutter-like fall. He was good, so good he was to get picked up to play with the youth squad of a major club in England, and there he began to make money, something he never had before.

He had come from such a poor background that the money he was now making began to overpower and corrupt him. Maybe a fall was always destined to come his way, maybe not so much a fall but a wrong turn.

Even though he had loved his mother so much and absolutely despised his father, Liam was in many ways now becoming like his father to the point he even began to beat on girls that he met. His personality changed ever so much; it led him to lose the position he worked so hard to get.

It was only a matter of time before Liam would move back to Dublin, where his haunted dreams worsened. It took some time though he eventually cleaned himself up and got back into football, and eventually began playing league of Ireland football. He would still stand out so much that it led to a call up to play under twenty-one football for his country.

Despite the fact he was now clean and still so young; his wrong turns would be something else to haunt him. The former substance abuse had taken its toll on his heart and had ended his football career before it really could take off, and his dream to one day play for Liverpool FC was shattered. Still, his life remained intact. For many in his position, that would not be so.

Life changed a heck of a lot for Liam, but he decided to devote whatever remained of his life to helping kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to use his experience to teach them not to make the same mistakes he did. Now there had been no limit put on his life nor had there been major restrictions other than the need to step away from physical participation.

Once a week every week, Liam wrote to Liverpool FC hoping to arrange a charity match in Dublin against his former league of Ireland club and just when he was about to give up on this ever happening, he got his reply, and he also got his match.

Liverpool announced Liam as an honorary member of the Liverpool squad, even though he had a heart condition he pleaded to be let play in the game. He was told he'd get a run towards the end of the game in the Liverpool colours though his constant persistence to get out on the field would lead to Liam starting the second half for a team that would include some ex-Liverpool legends including Ian Rush, his idol who still held that position.

In the eighty third minute, Liverpool went on the attack; Liam ran into the box as Ian Rush ran out wide and crossed in the ball. Liam could see the ball coming in towards him and he noticed he had moved slightly ahead of the ball and things all of a sudden seemed to begin to move in slow motion.

Liam turned and with his back to goal he closed his eyes, jumped, and with a bicycle kick motion he connected with the ball. His heart was pounding, he twisted in the air, tuning to land on his front to see where the ball was going. It was in the back of the net.

Almost in shock Liam got up and ran the full length of the pitch and purposely slid onto his back, and after he received his congratulations, things quickly altered. Liam at this point most definitely did not seem right. Still on his back, everything began to spin around him. Dizziness overwhelmed him as his eyes began to roll into his head.

At the same time all this was going on, Liam felt that a great weight had been lifted from him, he knew he would no longer hear any screams, for even if things were not to be as they are, the haunting memories would no longer remain. Money taken in from the game would see a foundation truly begin and go on to succeed in his name.

Laying on his back,on a football field, in a way he could feel he was gaining freedom. As he drew his final breath he smiled and spoke one word, there indeed were no more screams, no more pain, Liam was happy, he had become free, he had his dream moment and with that final breath he simply spoke ... 'Mother'