Flick - flick - flick, pass, pass pass. Miss ball sprint with sobbing breath, slide into the tackle, crunch.
'Mickey, you stupid bastard!'
Help Des to his feet, wince at Burnside's blast on the whistle, stand back to allow the free kick. Shit. The ball's gone back to Smithy in goal, his long throw taking it halfway.
Vicky's got it now. Don's trying, God, he's trying and he knows what he has to do but his
body won't do it. He turns too slowly, she's through, alone and shoots at Duncan. He's
down, but to the wrong side. A foot gets to it but it goes through the posts and it's one -
nil to uniform. Smithy's making an obscene show of celebrating in goal.
Play for a few more minutes, then Don twists to block Des and falls.
'Don, you alright?'
The old sergeant has got to his feet, staggering and then his leg crumples under him as he tries to put weight on it. 'No.'
Sling Don's arm over his shoulder, take his weight. Help him to hop over to Kerry and let Meadows on. Run back into the restarted game, recieve Rod's pass amd flick it on to Danny, who doesn't look and cannons sraight into Boyden.
The uniform man hoofs the ball across the width of the pitch, so that it lands sweet for Reg,
who ballses it up. Nip in and get it, switch it to left foot, run with it. Collide shoulder to
shoulder with the human rock that's Boyden and fall with the whole world spinning, then
bounce up. Only his team matter now.
Mickey lost track of the game after fifteen minutes; the only clear point being their goal just before halftime. Meadows knocking it over to Rod, who dummeyed to his right, sent Smithy sprawling to the mat and then shot left. 'YES!' Hug everyone, screaming, then black out until the whistle.
He was tireder than he'd admit; he hadn't exercised anywhere near normal while he'd been
injured and the uniform lads were fit and fast. Breath rasping, he walked over to the bench.
Don was in agony, his ankle swollen and hot. Kerry was standing there, holding a half-empty
can of freze spray and Boultan was pacing restlessly.
'You want to go have that seen to?'
'Mickey - you're manager. Go sort the team out. I'll sort my leg out. John, listen to him.'
Mickey nodded, gathered his team around him. 'Doing fine, lads. Jack, Rod, that was a good goal. We've lost Don - no way can he come back on, so Jack, you stay around. John, you come on for Danny in defence. Don't kick anyone too hard.'
Smithy, still smarting over the goal, tried not to show it as he spoke to his team. 'Reg, I want you off for Tony. Vicky, passing was invented for a reason. You do not have to beat everyone, okay? Let Matt have it occasionally.'
The rest of them descended into sniggering; it took Smithy a moment to work out what he'd just said. 'Grow up. Des, would you...?'
'Nope. Not in goal. I'm quite happy to mark Boultan, but I draw the line at playing in goal.'
Smithy growled at him and stalked down to stand between the posts of the other goal. His mob took their postions quickly, while Mickey's lot suantered over, drinking and pouring water over their faces. Boultan, a foot shorter than the others, swaggered.
Burnside blew again; Boultan miskicked the ball, slipped and cannoned into Rod who had been trying to share the kick-off. Mickey got the ball and lost track again.
Vicky almost scored, Dunc booting it away. Boultan began to kick the ball rather than the
other players. Meadows and Boyden run for the same ball; Meadows getting outpaced, pretending
to overstep and flinging himself to the floor in front of Boyden, who had to jump over him.
Rod stole in and nicked the ball.
His arm hurt. Burnside rollocked someone for swearing. Des was blowing. Mickey was through on goal, racing, face to face with Smithy and he hit it low and hard across the keeper and CID were 2-1 up.
Des and uniform couldn't give up, with Smithy yelling and screaming at them. CID were played out, Meadows was too old for this. Des scored just before full time, sending Boultan crashing through the posts with the ball.
And it was a draw, 2-2, not really enough for Mickey but he was loving it. Burnside blew for full time.