and the goalpost. Pretend they’re a bin and a tree and you’ll be fine.’
‘Trees don’t move,’ said Rob.
‘But if you put it right inside the post he’ll never get there.’
‘That’s what Tulsi tried to do, and look what happened.’
The last Swinburne player was ready. As he ran up, Jamie made his decision. He dived to his left, and the Parkview team gasped as they saw that the Swinburne player had struck his penalty at the middle of the goal. Somehow Jamie managed to flick out a leg as he dived. The ball ricocheted onto the bar and flew up into the air.
‘Yes!’ yelled TJ. ‘Brilliant, Jamie.’ The rest of the squad were leaping around, yelling and cheering. It was a crucial save. If Rob scored, then Parkview would be in the final.
Jamie ran over to Rob. ‘You can do it,’ he said. ‘I know you can.’
Rob didn’t reply. Looking very serious, he placed the ball on the spot. He looked up at the goalie, who was spreading his arms, trying to look big. Rob stepped back, took a deep breath, then ran up and hit his penalty.
The keeper dived the right way . . . but Rob’s shot was inch-perfect, right inside the post.
The rest of the Parkside team ran over to him. Jamie reached him first and hurled him to the ground as the rest of the squad piled on top, laughing and shouting. When they finally rolled away, Rob got shakily to his feet. ‘I think I need to sit down,’ he said. ‘And I’ve got the match stats to do.’
‘You can leave it for a minute,’ TJ told him. ‘We’re in the Cup Final. And anyway, you have to shake hands with this lot.’
‘Well done,’ said Leroy ruefully, as he shook Rob’s hand. ‘Looks like TJ was right about you after all.’
‘I was,’ said TJ. ‘It’s lucky for us that Mr Potter put Rob in the team.’
‘He didn’t expect it to turn out like that though,’ said Jamie. ‘If he’d seen Rob take that penalty, he probably wouldn’t have believed it!’
‘I’m not sure I do,’ said Rob with a grin.
C HAPTER 15
THE FOLLOWING MONDAY morning Year Six were faced with their deputy head teacher again.
‘Mr Potter is off sick,’ Mrs Logan told them. ‘Your supply teacher should be here any minute. ‘Ah, here she is. Mrs Cleary.’
A very big woman with a huge shock of curly black hair and a long, flowery dress wafted into the classroom. ‘Good morning, children,’ she cooed. ‘I’m sure we’re all going to have a simply lovely time together.’
Mrs Logan gave her a piercing look as she left the room, but Mrs Cleary didn’t notice.
‘I’d like you all to write me a story,’ she said. ‘The title is “The Most Beautiful Thing.” Make your stories full of love and laughter.’
She sat down with a sigh, took out a book with a picture of two people kissing on the cover, and began to read.
There were two fights in the classroom during the morning and at lunch time Mrs Cleary locked herself in the toilet and refused to come out.
Each day that week a different supply teacher took charge: Mr Cooper went on and on about his holiday in America; Mrs Ravenstone showed them photos of her seven cats and three dogs; and Mr Jennings told them football was a waste of time and they should all be playing rugby.
And then, on Friday morning, Mrs Logan was waiting for them again. ‘I’m sorry, children,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid you have a supply teacher again today.’
TJ heard something odd in her voice and he looked up to see that she was smiling. Mrs Logan almost never smiled. She was looking towards the doorway. Everyone turned, and there was a huge cheer as Mr Wood came into the classroom.
‘What did Mrs Logan mean, “supply teacher”?’ asked Tulsi, when the deputy head had departed. ‘It means I’m here today, but I might not be here tomorrow,’ Mr Wood told them, and everyone groaned.
‘We don’t want any of those others back,’ said Jamie. ‘And we especially don’t want Mr—’ He stopped as he saw the look on Mr
‘Trees don’t move,’ said Rob.
‘But if you put it right inside the post he’ll never get there.’
‘That’s what Tulsi tried to do, and look what happened.’
The last Swinburne player was ready. As he ran up, Jamie made his decision. He dived to his left, and the Parkview team gasped as they saw that the Swinburne player had struck his penalty at the middle of the goal. Somehow Jamie managed to flick out a leg as he dived. The ball ricocheted onto the bar and flew up into the air.
‘Yes!’ yelled TJ. ‘Brilliant, Jamie.’ The rest of the squad were leaping around, yelling and cheering. It was a crucial save. If Rob scored, then Parkview would be in the final.
Jamie ran over to Rob. ‘You can do it,’ he said. ‘I know you can.’
Rob didn’t reply. Looking very serious, he placed the ball on the spot. He looked up at the goalie, who was spreading his arms, trying to look big. Rob stepped back, took a deep breath, then ran up and hit his penalty.
The keeper dived the right way . . . but Rob’s shot was inch-perfect, right inside the post.
The rest of the Parkside team ran over to him. Jamie reached him first and hurled him to the ground as the rest of the squad piled on top, laughing and shouting. When they finally rolled away, Rob got shakily to his feet. ‘I think I need to sit down,’ he said. ‘And I’ve got the match stats to do.’
‘You can leave it for a minute,’ TJ told him. ‘We’re in the Cup Final. And anyway, you have to shake hands with this lot.’
‘Well done,’ said Leroy ruefully, as he shook Rob’s hand. ‘Looks like TJ was right about you after all.’
‘I was,’ said TJ. ‘It’s lucky for us that Mr Potter put Rob in the team.’
‘He didn’t expect it to turn out like that though,’ said Jamie. ‘If he’d seen Rob take that penalty, he probably wouldn’t have believed it!’
‘I’m not sure I do,’ said Rob with a grin.
C HAPTER 15
THE FOLLOWING MONDAY morning Year Six were faced with their deputy head teacher again.
‘Mr Potter is off sick,’ Mrs Logan told them. ‘Your supply teacher should be here any minute. ‘Ah, here she is. Mrs Cleary.’
A very big woman with a huge shock of curly black hair and a long, flowery dress wafted into the classroom. ‘Good morning, children,’ she cooed. ‘I’m sure we’re all going to have a simply lovely time together.’
Mrs Logan gave her a piercing look as she left the room, but Mrs Cleary didn’t notice.
‘I’d like you all to write me a story,’ she said. ‘The title is “The Most Beautiful Thing.” Make your stories full of love and laughter.’
She sat down with a sigh, took out a book with a picture of two people kissing on the cover, and began to read.
There were two fights in the classroom during the morning and at lunch time Mrs Cleary locked herself in the toilet and refused to come out.
Each day that week a different supply teacher took charge: Mr Cooper went on and on about his holiday in America; Mrs Ravenstone showed them photos of her seven cats and three dogs; and Mr Jennings told them football was a waste of time and they should all be playing rugby.
And then, on Friday morning, Mrs Logan was waiting for them again. ‘I’m sorry, children,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid you have a supply teacher again today.’
TJ heard something odd in her voice and he looked up to see that she was smiling. Mrs Logan almost never smiled. She was looking towards the doorway. Everyone turned, and there was a huge cheer as Mr Wood came into the classroom.
‘What did Mrs Logan mean, “supply teacher”?’ asked Tulsi, when the deputy head had departed. ‘It means I’m here today, but I might not be here tomorrow,’ Mr Wood told them, and everyone groaned.
‘We don’t want any of those others back,’ said Jamie. ‘And we especially don’t want Mr—’ He stopped as he saw the look on Mr
Similar Books
