63 Thinking Outside the Box
James Patton's career can only be considered a wild ride.
Ten years ago, aged seventeen, he was a highly touted prospect coming up the ranks at Liverpool. The hype surrounding him was great enough that several top flight clubs out of the country scrambled for his services on loan.
From debuting with a headed goal in Liverpool, he went on to several successive loan deals starting from the German top flight, up until he ended up in the hinterlands of Non League Football.
He's one of the many English teenage sensations who never lived up to their incredible hype.
The fact that he's plying his trade two divisions lower aged twenty seven speaks volumes on how bumpy his professional career had been since those magazine headlining days of his youth.
For the man himself James Patton though, he's never been happier at his new status quo.
He joined Sheffield on a free transfer from League Two last year, with the leadership of the club fully behind him and supporting him. He meshed well with the promising group filled with veterans with higher tier experience and up and coming youngsters. He felt truly at home at the center of the defense for Sheffield.
As a towering center back, he always had his head at the near post on set pieces. Even today, when he's deployed as a goddamn center attacking midfielder…
James felt like the manager poured him a bucket of ice cold water when he realized he wasn't supposed to be here this time.
The boss instructed him specifically to stay outside the box!
How could you do this to me, boss!
He ran back and hovered right outside the box, catching the defenders off-guard.
'What's this guy doing?'
'Why is he outside the box?'
Trent Hastings swung the ball in from the right corner, leaving the two defenders that were supposed to guard Patton with tingling scalps.
'Shit! He's unmarked!'
Blaise Atkinson got his head first to the ball, after seamlessly replacing James in the near post on the fly. He wasn't a tall center back by any means, but he knows how much positioning and awareness matter more in set pieces like this one.
He hit the ball with his forehead at a downward angle, beating the keeper as it slammed straight into the right post.
"Second ball!" He shouted as he landed on the pitch with a defender.
Patton was outside the box, thinking about how he could help, when the ball came at him like a bolt in the blue. The instincts of an ex wonderkid kicked in, as he lashed the incoming ball with the touch of someone once destined to be a world beater.
The ball rocketed straight into the players in the box, whose only choice were either to body block, or evade.
Meanwhile, the keeper was left in the dark. He only saw Patton's striking motion, but had absolutely no idea where the ball went because of the obstructions. He's still reeling from missing the save earlier after all, and had been forced to reorganize quickly.
Patton looked on, as his instinctive half volley found its way to the top left corner of the crossbar and into the goal. As a footballer in his prime, in the place he finally considered home, every goal he scored here felt even sweeter than the ones he made when he was a youngster making a name for himself at the top leagues.
Goals that are unexpected were even better in his opinion.
"Yeah! That's the stuff man!" Blaise gave the man a fistbump. "I know you could cut it at CAM."
"Maybe you're Premier League caliber again, James!" Trent teased their trusty center back turned attacking mid. "Those bigwigs will be calling for sure."
"Don't believe this guy's nonsense. We'll be together here until we return to the promised land!" Damian gave him a pat on the back for a job well done.
Sheffield draws level!
Steve Bronson pumped his fists, while feeling like he was a tactical genius by the sideline. He'd already completely forgotten about how much of a disaster their first half went because of his instructions.
Well, in fairness to his team, he kind of expected this sort of response from them after the break. His trust has been repaid beautifully by the players.
***
Blaise Atkinson's center back tour of duty took another interesting turn a few minutes later.
Off of a goal kick, the Shrewsbury goalkeeper aimed for the gap in their high line between him, and George at the right. George was pushed a little higher up the pitch, making coverage a little harder.
He tried to stop the quick break, although the opposing forward did not make it easy for him by fighting for position. He instantly noticed the gaping hole made by his incursion to the right through his peripheral vision, but can only shout for cover.
"Center!"
To his surprise, someone heeded his distress signal.
Ahmad Traore burst through from his advanced position of deep lying playmaker. His speed, that had always been a problem down the wings, was put to great effect in this chase down. His legs zoomed even faster down a straight line, as the forward guarded by Atkinson laid the ball off in the open patch between their line and the goalkeeper.
It became a foot race. The speed demon Traore versus a traditional Shrewsbury winger cutting inside.
Traore got the upper hand for a moment, as his straight line speed edged out the opponent. But, sometimes, speed alone wasn't enough in football.
He may have beaten the Shrewsbury winger to the ball, but instead of clearing the ball he gave it a touch first, something he usually does as a winger.
"Shit!" Atkinson yelled from the right hand side, helpless that his teammate was about to screw up while he's still tangling with the striker.
The Shrewsbury winger kept his calm, focused on one thing only: recovering the ball, and sending it goalwards. He also saw that the referee was fully behind him, so a barely noticeable pull on the shirt floored the off-balanced Traore, granting him easy access to the ball.
Traore was furious at the non call.
Who wouldn't be? He was about to clear the ball and he was pulled down!
Well, the Shrewsbury winger created his chance and took advantage of it. He ran goalwards with a burst of acceleration, to a point that when Ahmad stood up, he's several yards ahead and is almost at the penalty area.
He only had one thing on his mind right now, and that is where to put the ball. A quick, almost imperceptible look at the area he wanted to put it gave him even more confidence.
'Oh, you're gonna reach for me, eh?' He saw the keeper slide in feet first. 'Take this!'
