Chapter 17

The ball fell at the feet of Jobe, and he took a touch as the opposing player positioned himself to stop any forward movement. Jobe took the chance to look around himself and record the situation on the pitch inside his head and decided on his next course of action. He quickly pushed the ball infield and leaving his opponent a step behind began to dribble towards the centre of the pitch. Another player who was free in the midfield ran towards him to tackle the ball away and instead the talented player sent the ball far on the wing he vacated. A sense of confusion spread across the opponent as the ball had been put into a place where no player was present. This confusion was blown away and replaced by fear when Matheus collected the ball and kept driving forward. Jobe had seen from the stance of the full back on his side that he wanted an opportunity to run forward and by vacating the wing and bringing the defender with him, that's what he provided.

The opposing defence scrambled to deal with the situation attempting to mark up all the players in the middle and to send the full back out to deal with Matheus. Matheus was renown for his crossing ability and there was only one option he was looking for. In an attempt to find space Eman had vacated the middle of the field and begun to pound the ground towards the left side of the field. The defender had attempted to slow him down, but he shrugged off any contact. The time was just perfect, so Matheus winded up and swung a peach of a cross right into his stride. The striker took the ball without stopping for a second and pushed into the eighteen-yard box. He immediately took advantage of the space afforded to him with his running and the quality of the cross and opened his body up to shoot. He aimed to curl a delicate shot with his right foot into the opposite side of the goal. The form was picturesque which only made the fact that the ball harmlessly flew past the outside of the post even more painful. Eman had put everything into his shot so fell right after and only put his head up to see the valuable chance disappear. His head fell down, but he didn't have long to regret as Facu was already pulling him up. It was difficult to communicate on account of the fact that they spoke different languages, but it was clear that he was encouraging his strike partner. The play had already begun so the two didn't have long and went straight back to pressing.

Yusuf was regretful on the bench as the score line was currently 1-0 in favour of The Dons. He also didn't feel that score line was entirely fair as his team had had the lion share of chances. Eman had hit the post on two separate occasions and with the recent miss that made three opportunities that were squandered by the rangy forward. The formation was different than usual today with him opting for a 4-2-2-2, the defence was similar to usual with the exception of Nico Gordon in for Bafode Diakite. Ravil had been slightly weak in the previous outing, so he had increased the pressure on him by adding a very inexperienced centre back next to him. He had also instructed him to be more vocal in organising his defence instead of relying on Neil to deal with that part of the game. The double pivot was made up of Andre and Marcelino, this was done on account of Steve seeming lost in the previous match. Lino had the ambition of being a box-to-box midfielder and was very versatile positionally hence he was allowed to play deeper to facilitate the connection between the defence and midfield. The question of who would partner Andre was one that had really confused him, and he had a few ideas on who to put there but it would require testing them out one by one.

The formation had two attacking midfielders which played on the left and right respectively and he had allowed the academy duo of Jordan James and Jobe Bellingham to feature today. The strike partnership was Emanuel Emegha and Facundo Farias. The combination resembled the classic Little N' Large partnerships of days gone. One striker was big and strong while the other was small and quick. That was also how he hoped that the partnership could function with Eman drawing a lot of the attention and Facu finding the pockets of space that were available. It was interesting to him how the history of the sport was often cyclical and what was once mainstream can now be an unconventional idea.

Possession of the ball switched multiple times with each team pressing and then being counter pressed. The clock slowly winded down without The Blues being able to get any more meaningful chances on goal. The big chance landed to The Dons when Scott Twine, who was a real danger man for that team, managed to find Mo Eisa pealing of the centre back. Gordon who had played well the whole game had momentarily lost sight of the striker which was all it took for Twine to send a through ball to his feet. The striker winded up to take a shot on the edge of the eighteen-yard line, when a body slid right in front and the ball ricocheted out across the touchline. Ravil who had taken his role very seriously wasn't positioned in line with Gordon and had been slightly behind and as soon as he sniffed the danger reacted quickly to run across and stop what could have been a good opportunity.

The game was quickly restarted and Lino who had picked it up from deep traded a quick set of passes with Jobe to find himself some space behind the midfield. Matheus who had been given more of a license to run sprinted into the space behind the full back which Lino picked out with an expert ball that was threaded through the eye of a needle. He then sent in another wicked delivery which this time was a bit further than where Eman was currently. Eman had struggled for goals the whole day but that wasn't his only role and when he saw his strike partner separate from the defender and move into space, he found the right opportunity to show his other skill. Jumping high to match the timing of the cross, he headered the ball back down into the path of Facu who was open in the box. The diminutive forward then managed to poke the equaliser in through line of bodies such that the keeper didn't even react. The score was tied, and the team was feeling eager for the winning goal.

The Blues pressed the opponent from the moment they received the ball and forced them back. They for the first time then began working the opposing team into defensive traps where they could steal the ball. The Dons were more than aware of that though and passed through the lines due to the space left in the midfield with the absence of the central attacking midfielder. The spare man forced Yusuf's team to chase shadows in the opponent's half. Lino recognised this and moved up to occupy that space which left a gap where he had vacated, a gap that Andre hadn't moved over to cover. A quick set of passes from the centre to the wings and back again found Scott Twine in a very dangerous area behind the double pivot. The centre backs decided to be cautious by holding their position and prevent him getting behind them. Yusuf sensed the danger and knowing the history of the player screamed at them from dugout to push up. It was already too late as Twine, who was the top scorer for his team the previous season and a player who was well known for his long shots, put a beautiful shot deftly into the top corner and far from the keeper's grasp. The Dons were ecstatic, celebrating as a team by the corner flag while the opposite was true for his team.

It was during this celebration where a player in the Birmingham City kit, collected the ball from the goals and carried it to the halfway line eager to start again. The team who had been feeling disappointed understood the message being conveyed that the game wasn't over, and they still had a chance. The player had been Eman who had been picked up by a teammate earlier and now was doing the same for the entire team. The opponent returned to their side with The Blues waiting impatiently and when the whistle was blown, they came out of the blocks with rabid ferocity. The ball was being moved around quicker than had been the case at any point so far and players were changing positions so often it was confusing the opponent. It appeared that the formation had also changed quite organically with Lino moving up to stand with Facu just behind the striker and the two academy products making the pitch as big as possible. This meant that the centre backs were focused on the sole striker creating an overload behind them.

Andre was well aware that he had been partially at fault for the previous goal and was now occupying a more central position ready to jump on a loose ball if his team failed. The team didn't completely forget discipline and passed around utilising all four attacking midfielders they had and looking for an opportunity. The opponents who were previously just celebrating a goal were now held back in their own half and desperately following the ball. The breakthrough came when Facu sent a quick pass to Jobe on the wing while running behind the player marking him. Jobe didn't hold the ball for even a second and through balled it to where he would be in a second. This put Facu in a bit of space which he used to drill a pass towards Eman. Eman who had been making many runs to occupy the centre backs had run back to the midfield to eke himself a little space. His back was to the goals when the ball landed at his feet, and he didn't hold it for long with the centre backs baring down on him. He very slightly passed the to the right where Lino was attempting to run past him. Lino's first touch was phenomenal and allowed him to get past the lunge from the centre back and he put his foot through the ball aiming for the corner. The ball cannoned off the post and went into euphoric celebrations from the players. The embrace at the corner showed a team who were increasingly believing in each other and who wanted to achieve more.

The game restarted with not much time left and both teams fought hard for supremacy. The whistle was blown a few minutes later with neither team able to finish the game off. The players were frustrated as they felt they deserved the win, but Yusuf was proud of the progress they had shown and confident about the future.

Trivia:

The history of MK Dons is best explained in two distinct parts with one being the settlement itself and the other being the club. Milton Keynes was formed in the 1960s as part of an initiative to relocate populations in poor and bombed out housing following WW2. The town was intended to relieve housing congestion in London and was the biggest of the settlements planned. It was eventually decided that a football club was needed in the area and suggested that a current club move to the area. Wimbledon FC was an old club in the region of Merton, SW London and for multiple reasons had fallen on hard times and struggled to find a stadium. A consortium suggested a move to the MK region and the powers that be felt it might be necessary for the club to remain in operation. The move was highly controversial with the fans furious and the league and FA also stating oppositions. The club was eventually purchased by Paul Winkelman and the move was forced through with the approval of a three-man independent commission. The club was renamed but retained the Dons nickname that Wimbledon FC had used. The Don referred to the end of Wimbledon. A group of disaffected Wimbledon Fans then formed AFC Wimbledon and the clubs have been rivals since.