Tenacious Tackles

Chapter 5: First Team Football?

Halfway into the season and I have been playing well for the academy when we are told that the first team have a lot of injuries and the transfer window is closed. One of these injuries being Milan Van Ewijk who plays my position. They have informed us that they will need to take 2 players for the last game until international break.

My manager reads who will be going to play at the first division, "The players will be, Jay and... Karl" My eyes beam with joy at the age of 16 I have a chance for first team football already. The reason for me and Jay to go was because Ellis Simms is injured and 2 of their strikers are on loan and Van Ewijk also received a knock and they don't have a back up.Our game is against Oxford Utd as it is only a cup game.

I artive home and tell my parents the news, it is still weird having 3 in the household due to my sister being at university in Lancaster. They get really happy and we decide to go out to eat due to the special occasion.

Time Skip to match-day:
I'm in the car travelling to where the team bus will pick us up. My dad mentions we should move closer to Coventry so i can focus more on my football if all goes well.

I start scrolling on my phone and see a tiktok about the line up for Coventry and people talking about me and Jay. One comment says, 'Apparently that Karl guy is only 16!'
Another says, 'that Jay is a beast 18 and he is 6'3 that is crazy.' Jay has always been massive compared to my 5"10 at the moment. He had crazy genetics to get that but again he is 2 years older than me.

I hop onto the bus and sit two rows from the back. I feel nerves as this is a massive part of my life. I am fiddling and clicking with my fingers, until I look up to Ben Sheaf the Coventry captain sitting next to me. "You alright little man?", he says. "Just nervous, crazy how i have gotten to being here", I respond
"Yeah the gaffer said because it was a small game he'll let some young lads play instead of trying to play players out of position."

The conversation ends and he starts talking to players on the seats to our right. I reach into my bag to have a drink to clear my dry throat. I look out of the window, 'This is big' i think to myself. I'm the same age as Yamal when he was said to be like a kid. If i play I apparently will be the youngest player to play in the caraboa cup for Coventry which is pretty cool.

The bus comes to a halt and we arrive at the hotel we will be staying at. I message my parents saying we have arrived and they told me to stay safe. I realised we have not been informed about rooms yet. Mark Robins, the Coventry manager walks to the front of the crowd with a bowl of pieces of paper. He randomly arranges bed arrangements. I am assigned to room with...

Ben Sheaf, Oliver Dovin and Haji Wright. We walk to our room and I freeze. "This is bigger than my garden" The players now behind me chuckle a little at my fascination. The room is massive with two bedrooms. Wait... Two? That means they will have 2 beds in each. My assumption was correct. I will have to share a room with a football player. This... Is... Crazy. If i told my past self 4 months ago this would all happen he would attempt to pinch himself and say that its all fake. But, it is not.

I pinch myself just to check if I, myself, was in a deep slumber. But I felt every bit of it. It was currently 1 pm so we went to the food place in the restaurant. I was queued in between Wright and Jay. I talk to Jay and he tells me our temporary kit numbers for the one timer match. I get 25 and he gets 18.

I sit down and surprisingly am joined by Van Ewijk. Who came to watch the game. He instantly asks, "Is that enough beans?" "Nah, I think I should get some more", I respond making both of us chuckle a little. "How come you are sittimg with me?" "well you play my position so, why not meet the guy replacing me for the day?"

We continue a bit of small talk every now and then. Until he ask me something, "how old actually are you? because you have a young looking face" "I just turned 16 a week ago" He looked at me surprised. "16!"
"Yeah", I chuckle at his shock, "a month ago I was playing for a nearby team in div 3 of a saturday league" "well you have made it far to be sitting here right now" "I know right?"

We return to our rooms and I enter mine and Wright's room. As im about to enter I hear someone exclaim, "C'mon ref!" I turn around and see them playing FC 25. Wright was playing against Ben Sheaf and Dovin was just watching. At my little time here I would like to think I have made somewhat a slight friendship with some of the players.

I ask to join in with them and they agree.

Van Ewijk's POV:

I am walking past a room going to mine when I hear celebrations. I knock on the door and open it to see. Karl, Sheaf, Dovin and Wright playing FC 25. I join in with them but shortly have to leave as we have a game tomorrow and it is now time for us all to sleep. I think to myself: that Karl kid, I must watch him in the game.

Karl's POV:

I walk to my room and enter my bed. Wright then says to me, "you are probably used to bed times aren't you?" he laughs at his comment. "Don't tease me ill tell Mark you are bullying me" He laughs back at my sentence. "Goodnight then kiddo"

A while later, I'm the only one awake my stomach feels as its in a twist due to the nerves. I take some deep breaths and eventually fall to sleep.

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Big, big chapter sorryyyyy