Missing! by Bali Rai

ready to come on?’ Wendy asked me and Penny.
    As we’d both been warming up during half-time anyway, both of us nodded. I didn’t need to be any warmer. I was just itching to get onto the pitch.
    â€˜Right then,’ said Ian. ‘You’re on!’
    Ian shouted to Steven and called him over.
    â€˜We’re going four-three-three,’ he told him once he’d jogged across. ‘And I want Leon and Parvy to push on too. Squeeze the middle of the park and get in their faces!’
    â€˜Yes, coach,’ Steven nodded.
    I waited for Wendy to tell the ref about the substitutions as Steve and Ian spoke to each other. They were pointing at the pitch and gesturing with their hands. Steve looked like he was conducting an orchestra. Then he came up to me and Penny.
    â€˜Bill Shankly . . .’he began.
    â€˜Who?’ both of us asked in confusion.
    â€˜Famous old manager . . . never mind who he is – just listen. He used to tell his players to take the ball into the opposition’s half and dare them to take it away. That’s what I want. Take the game to Rangers. Don’t give them time to think. Pass, move, pass, move!!’
    â€˜OK,’ I replied.
    The players being replaced were Ant and Emma. Penny went on and joined Chris and Abs up front and I went on into midfield. It was a risk because we only had three players in midfield now – me, Lily and Byron – tRangers’ four. But with our full backs, Leon and Parvy, pushing up, it started to work in our favour.

    As soon as the game restarted we were better as a team. Byron was playing in front of Dal and Steven – our central defenders – and Leon and Parvy were like extra midfielders. Lily was doing her thing out on the wing and I played on the other side. Rangers didn’t know what had hit them.
    The ball was at Byron’s feet and he squared it to Lily, who went on one of her jinking runs towards the Rangers defence. Just as she was about to get tackled she did her little
ninja
trick, as she called it. In one movement, she lifted the ball and knocked it on, leaving the defender stranded and looking sheepish. I have no idea how she did the move – I couldn’t do it – but it didn’t matter. Lily was bearing down on the Rangers goal with Chris and Penny in great positions. She waited though, and instead of passing to Chris or Penny, she played the ball behind them to Abs.
    The Rangers defence were wrong-footed and Abs slotted the ball home calmly.
    Goal! Abs was on target today – making up for missing that penalty in the last match.
    2-1.
    No one in our team celebrated. Instead we all ran back to our positions, ready to get onwith our comeback. We’d caught up one goal, but we needed one more at least . . .
    â€˜COME ON, YOU REDS!!!!!’ came the cry from the supporters.
    Rangers had a couple of minutes of possession before we got the ball back. For the next fifteen minutes, we began wave after wave of attacks on their goal, but we didn’t score.
    Then Rangers had a great chance, one on one with our keeper Gem, but Byron got back in time and robbed the ball from one of their strikers, just as he was about to shoot. Within three passes we were back on the attack!
    Parvy ran down the left wing and then turned, passing across to me. I looked up and saw two Rangers players coming for me. I sidestepped one and passed to Abs. Then I sprinted into the space that had been left by the defender. Abs chipped the ball to Chris,who ran at his defender. The lad he was running towards looked scared and Chris soon had the better of him.
    He played the ball right to Lily, who was totally outplaying her defender. She skipped past him for the tenth time and crossed towards Penny, who was facing the goal.
    But there were two players in front of her and she didn’t have a clean shot. I was running up behind her, screaming for a pass. I expected her to turn but