Harbinger Of Glory

After looking at his players for a while, Dawson began to address the squad.

”Okay, guys, so the same way we’ve been doing it,” he said.

”Same mentality, same standards. This game is no different because it’s at home. If anything, it matters more because of what today means to the people in that stadium.”

”I want us to treat it like a World Cup final. That’s the level of seriousness I want.”

Before Dawson could continue, Jake raised his hand, causing several of the players to glance at him.

”We’ve never played a World Cup final though,” Jake said. ”So we wouldn’t really know how to—”

Jake hadn’t even finished when the room went in several different directions simultaneously.

Dawson looked at him, surprised by what Jake was saying and deciding whether to be annoyed or not.

Ezra pressed his lips together very hard while Whatmough stared at the floor, knowing a single look at Jake might cause him to break down.

Beside him, Reyes just shook his head slowly, though he didn’t really find anything bad with Jake’s reasoning.

”It’s an expression,” Dawson said after calming down a bit.

”Right,” Jake said. ”Yeah. No, I knew that.”

Dawson turned away and said quietly, but loud enough for the nearest four people to hear, ”Did I make the right choice to start him over Keane?”

After that, he turned back to continue his address to his men.

”There’s only so much I can tell you in here,” he said.

”The rest of it happens out there, and it depends on you. Every one of you.”

After that, he looked around the room once and beckoned them.

”Let’s go.”

When he finished, the players got to their feet, and all filed out into the corridor where the West Ham players were already waiting in their line.

The two sets of players stood side by side in the tunnel, which was quickly enough invaded by the muffled roars which turned muffled no more when the match official waved them out into the open.

The DW received them, all thirty thousand of them, the stadium having been bumped up from its previous capacity to 30,567 during the refurbishment.

The noise that came down when the players emerged was something that could only be produced by a crowd that had been lusting after such scenes for nearly 11 years.

And while this went on, the announcer’s voice cut through it with clarity, hyping the crowd further as the players settled on the pitch.

Soon enough, the names of the players came one by one, and the crowd responded to each of them.

When Leo’s name arrived, the response felt much louder and personal than the others and soon the broadcast cameras found him as he pulled his pre-game jacket off.

”Leo Calderon,” the commentator said on the broadcast.

”And listen to that reception. A teenager who has become the heartbeat of this club and this crowd in the space of a single season.”

”I’ve watched a lot of his games now,” the co-commentator said.

”And I’m trying to remember a bad performance from this kid, but I genuinely can’t find one. He is that good!”

On the touchline, Dawson shook hands with David Moyes, the two managers showing the brief professional exchange before they both turned back towards their respective managerial boxes.

After this, the commentary moved through the formations, showing West Ham in a 4-2-3-1 and Wigan matching that same formation.

”Dawson has gone with Wigan academy product Jake from the start after losing his starting striker in Ashley Fletcher,” the commentator said.

”And you understand the decision. The goal against Chelsea on his debut, the physical presence, the aerial ability. This kid has what he needs to succeed in the league.

And since Will Keane, coming back from injury, is still finding his rhythm, I think it’s the right call.

Jake gives you something different, and at six foot four he gives West Ham a threat they haven’t had to deal with yet this season.”

Back on the pitch, Jake stood behind the ball in the centre circle as Wigan had opted to kick off after winning the toss.

From behind, the match official walked up to his side, as he fixed his earpiece, checked both ends, and brought his whistle up.

After a second glance at his watch, the shrill sound of the whistle invaded the pitch, helping the noise from the crowd to reach a crescendo as Jake played it to Reyes, who dragged it back before finding Bennet on the left.

Finally, the game started, and Jarrod Bowen moved immediately.

The West Ham winger read the pass and began to press before it had landed, and Bennet played it quickly to Carlo, who turned it inside to Leo, but after he finished passing, he turned and continued his run, taking two West Ham shirts with him into the space he was vacating, and Leo had room.

He found Tiehi and kept moving, occupying spaces and providing options at all times.

Following that, Wigan passed it around, staying patient and keeping possession and for some time, all West Ham did was chase.’

They worked hard, trying to get the ball off the Wigan players, but when they got to the ball, it was quickly sent away without giving them a chance to win it back.

Just like that, seven minutes passed, and throughout this time, Wigan hadn’t even attacked once.

All they really did was keep the ball.

West Ham read the lack of attacking intent and pushed higher and higher, their defensive line creeping forward until Wigan’s possession was happening in their own half with bodies all around it.

The pressure began to swell not for fear of losing the ball but because they couldn’t go anywhere with it.

After watching his mates aimlessly run the ball around, Amos found himself receiving the ball and, like always, he looked to get it away before anything bad could happen.

The Wigan goalkeeper lifted his head and immediately saw bodies everywhere.

West Ham had pushed up aggressively, squeezing the pitch and leaving very little room to play through, so he went over it instead.

His kick travelled high and long toward the right flank, climbing above the midfield traffic before beginning its descent and underneath it was Ezra.