Chapter 4
FOUR
UDO
Saturday came around more quickly than Udo liked.
His daily sessions with Steven had been useful.
Although concentrating had been a challenge.
Being in a small room with Steven sent his mind swirling in all sorts of directions.
Thoughts that were unwelcome. He had to listen to Rob and push those feelings down.
He’d very nearly been exposed at Chelsea.
He had no intention of risking it all again.
They were playing at home this week. He walked down the increasingly familiar corridor from the players’ car park.
Some of the staff greeted him. A couple clapped him on the back.
In the past he would have seen that as pressure.
Yet talking to Steven about the club and why he loved being there, Udo had begun to view things differently.
They genuinely wanted him to do well. Not just for Brockton FC, for him also.
He walked into the locker room to find most of his teammates were already there. Adam nodded at him across the room. It meant the world to have the captain on his side as well as giving him a level of protection.
For the first time since he’d moved, his body hummed with anticipation. That had to be a good sign.
“Hey, Holtmann,” Shaun shouted.
Udo’s blood ran cold. Ever since he’d arrived in January, Shaun had taken a dislike to him. It happened sometimes. Usually after an altercation on or off the pitch. Shaun seemed to have hated Udo on sight.
“Shaun?”
“What’s this I hear about you getting special treatment from Cox?”
How the fuck did he find out?
Once again, all eyes were on him.
“He’s been giving me some tips on adapting to your playing style,” he replied.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Colin said.
Colin was a young player. He didn’t usually stick his head above the parapet. It annoyed Udo when he looked to Shaun for approval.
“Do you really find that hard to understand?”
Steven stood in the doorway. To Udo’s astonishment, he looked furious.
“Is he saying we’re crap?” Colin asked, his voice faltering.
The poor lad went crimson when Steven walked up to him.
“The idea never crossed my mind. Should it have?”
Steven didn’t wait for an answer. He addressed all the players.
“If I choose to take any of you for individual coaching, that’s my prerogative. Is that clear?”
“Yeah but you don’t need to, do you?” Shaun piped up.
Udo watched. His mouth dry.
“Shaun, why are you being like this? It’s not like you.”
“I don’t think it’s fair.”
Steven nodded. “Duly noted, Shaun.”
He began to walk away.
“Is that it?”
“What do you want? For me to say that I’ll not help a player? Your opinion isn’t needed. You kick the ball and let us worry about the rest of it.”
He turned to the room.
“We shouldn’t be talking like this, guys,” he said, opening his arms. “This is a game that we can win. It won’t happen if you go out there divided.”
Edi stood up from the bench. He’d come to Brockton from Nairobi three years ago and was still finding his feet.
“Steven helped me when I first came to the club,” he said. “I asked him to keep it to himself. It’s not right the way you’re going after Udo.”
Udo’s heart almost burst. Edi caught his eye and nodded.
“There we go,” Steven said. “Now can we put this behind us and go and smash the fuck out of Winterbourne?”
The lads cheered. All except Shaun.
As they filed out, Adam swooped on Shaun. Udo couldn’t help but overhear.
“How did you find out, Shaun?” Adam asked.
“Chill out, Skipper. You know Amy. She can’t keep anything to herself.”
Amy was one of the physios. She’d always been kind to Udo. Then again, she probably didn’t realise what an arsehole Shaun Riggs was. He couldn’t blame her.
The crowd roared as they strode through the tunnel and onto the pitch.
There were bigger things to worry about than where Shaun got his information from. Thousands of people depending on him. For the first time in ages, the rush came over him. It wasn’t as strong as before but it was there.
The first half was drawing to a close and both teams were yet to score. Udo had tried every which way but Winterbourne’s defender, Noah Farman, was every bit as good as Steven had warned.
Everywhere Udo turned, there he was. How did he do that?
Brockton tried on both wings to force their way into the enemy’s half. They’d had far more possession of the ball than Winterbourne.
It’s only a matter of time.
With laser focus, Udo tracked the ball.
From Shaun. To Colin. Now to Adam, who made a run up the left wing.
Udo needed to do something unexpected to throw Noah off his tail. A large gap had opened up before Adam. Udo glanced behind him. Only one lone defender waited in the penalty area.
In a split second, he feinted toward the open space then launched toward Winterbourne’s goal. Noah took the bait and ran in the first direction. Adam instantly saw what Udo intended and passed the ball beautifully.
Don’t think.
Udo looked down at the ball.
Don’t think.
Thundering steps behind him meant Noah was on his tail.
Don’t think.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Steven in the dugout. He tapped his chin furiously.
Udo raised his head and focused on the top left corner of the net. Just as Harman was on him, Udo kicked the ball with all his might. The spin he put on it sent it sailing over the goalie’s hands and into the back of the net.
All Udo heard was his heart hammering in his ears. Then the stadium erupted. Adam slammed into him. His strong arms wrapped around Udo’s body. Then Colin joined them.
Under this ever-increasing mob of men, Udo wept. He’d scored plenty of times in his career. Firsts for new clubs were always special. Never more so than today.
They broke apart.
“You did it,” Adam said, ruffling his hair. “You fucking did it.”
Udo jogged to his position. Once again he glanced over at Steven, who simply stuck his thumb up. Pride swelled in Udo’s chest.
As soon as the ball came into play once more, the referee blew his whistle for halftime.
With a spring in his step, Udo retreated to the tunnel.
He glanced up at the crowd. One man waved his Brockton FC scarf at him, his eyes shining with joy.
A kid next to him was jumping up and down. Then another was smiling. And another.
He waved. To his joy, they returned the gesture. When it all came down to it, goals were the only important thing on this grass.
Once inside the locker room, Colin hugged him.
“That was a bloody brilliant goal,” he exclaimed.
Ewen, the other star striker at Brockton, ruffled Udo’s hair. “Nice work, Holtmann.”
One of the most handsome players in the league, he had graced many a magazine cover. Shorter than the others, he moved like lightning across the pitch. Udo had been especially looking forward to playing with him when moving to Brockton.
Once Colin released Udo, Adam stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.
“That’s more like it,” he said with a warm smile.
Udo sat on his part of the bench. His body felt like it had gone through fifty rounds with a prizefighter. And they still had the second half to go.
He scrubbed his face with a towel. When he lowered it, Shaun stood in front of him.
“Shaun?”
To his astonishment, Shaun held out his hand.
“Quality goal, man.”
Udo shook Shaun’s hand.
“Thank you.”
Shaun let it drop and swaggered over to his section of the locker room, seemingly oblivious to the shock on his teammates’ faces.
Udo caught Adam’s eye, who shrugged.
Something had shifted that day. And he had one person to thank for it. Udo allowed his shoulders to drop and he leant his head against the locker. Maybe life at Brockton wasn’t going to be all that bad.
This week he’d felt totally seen. He’d never truly had that during his playing career. Could he tell Steven everything? His kind eyes, flawless dark skin and demeanour all served to convince Udo to trust him.
All he knew was he couldn’t wait until the next week for another one-on-one session.