Harbinger Of Glory

[Wigan Training Complex]

The session had been running for close to ninety minutes when the sequence finally clicked for the players, the way Dawson had been asking for.

Leo received the ball in the pocket just inside the halfway line, and before his mates turned, opponents could catch up to him, he feinted like he was going backwards before pushing the ball the other way and then quickly following suit.

The move took a couple of players out of the equation, and as Leo bore down on the opponent’s half, Tiehi stepped across to cut the lane.

It looked like he’d won the ball after he waited and lunged at the last second, but Leo still went past him on the outside, not with pace but with the slight shift of weight that made Tiehi, despite bidding his time to commit a fraction early, and by the time he’d corrected, Leo was already gone.

When he saw Leo get away from Tiehi, James McClean started to make his run clear, and for Leo, glancing once was enough.

He lifted the ball the next second without looking up, and it dropped exactly into McClean’s stride on the left as Curtis Tilt tried to run across.

The winger drove toward the byline, drew a lot more defenders across and just as it seemed like he would run it out, he sent the ball into the box, past bodies and into the 6-yard distance, where Fletcher arrived and tapped it in to the back of the net.

”Brilliantly done,” Dawson clapped once from the touchline.

”That was good”, he said, and then he was already onto the pitch before the celebration had finished.

The players gathered around him, bibs damp, breathing still settling.

”That’s what I want,” Dawson said.

”We are getting closer and closer to the level that we want, but to do so, what we just did needs to be faster. And I want you thinking about what you’re going to do before the ball gets to you. Not when it arrives but before.”

”The teams we’re going to face this season, they don’t give you time to think once you have it, and it might seem like I am repeating this a lot, but that’s true. This is what the standard is going to be, and like you or maybe unlike you, I am not trying to go back to the Championship, at least, not in my time here.”

He looked along the group once more before waving them off.

”That’s all for today. I know you need the rest, so use it well.”

Afterwards, he turned and walked back to the touchline while behind him, the players began pulling bibs over their heads and making small talk.

Half an hour later, the parking lot was beginning to fill with players who could barely walk but needed to if they wanted to get to their cars and go home.

Up near the top of the lot, Jake, Ezra and Carlo had fallen into a conversation that had started somewhere inside and followed them out.

”Will it be your first time in Germany?” Ezra asked Carlo, who shook his head.

”This year we played Dortmund in the group stages last season of the UCL, and we knocked Bayern out in the quarters.”

”Aside from that, I’ve also been there a few times with the Italy U18S for tournaments.”

At that, Jake stopped walking.

”Hang on,” he said. ”So you have a Champions League winners’ medal?”

”Yes,” Carlo said.

”Wow,” Jake muttered before lifting his head to look at Carlo again.

”Did you bring it?”

”Why would he...” Ezra tried to say before stopping halfway with a slight shake of his head.

”No, it’s at home,” Carlo mentioned after seeing Ezra’s exasperated expression.

”Bring it on the trip.”

Carlo looked at him. ”Why?”

”I just want to see it.”

After a thought, Carlo shrugged.

”Sure, why not!”

They reached the cars, and Jake looked at the Aston Martin sitting beside his GLE with the expression of a man conducting an assessment.

”Good taste,” he said, nodding at the Vantage.

Carlo glanced at the GLE.

”You’re not doing badly either.”

Before Jake could say another word, Ezra reached over and smacked the back of his head, before walking towards the passenger door.

”Stop fishing for compliments,” he said.

”I wasn’t fishing,” Jake said, rubbing his head. ”That was a genuine observation.”

After this, they noticed that instead of the 4 that had come out being, they were now 3 and with that, their attention drifted collectively back down the lot where Leo was still standing some thirty metres away with his phone up and his head down, fully absorbed in whatever was on the screen.

Jake watched him for a moment.

”He’s become a sort of phone addict recently,” he said, mostly to himself, and then raised his voice. ”LEO.”

At the call, Leo’s head came up from his phone.

”What is so interesting on your phone?”

Leo looked at them for a second, then slid his phone into his pocket and jogged up to join them without answering the question.

As Jake opened his mouth to repeat it, Leo cut him off, not in the mood to entertain his skirmishes.

”Who’s dropping me off?”

Jake closed his mouth before turning away.

Leo looked at the GLE.

Then, at the car opposite Jake’s, where his gaze settled on the Vantage and stayed there, all while Jake slowly watched from the corner of his eyes.

”Guess this is my ride,” Leo said as he began switching the duffle handle from his shoulder to his palm.

”You,” Jake said slowly, ”are no better than a gold digger.”

Leo smiled, put his headphones over his ears, and walked around to the passenger side of the Aston Martin without another word.

Jake looked at Carlo, who was already getting into his car, before he turned to look at Ezra, who didn’t acknowledge him.

”Get in your car, Jake,” Ezra said, looking down at his phone, before Jake finally turned and walked towards the driver’s side of his car!