Griffiths / Washbourne Away Game

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-9999263-4-2
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

Reihe: Away Game

Football means everything to three friends from a dead end British town who have now hit their mid forties. They have supported their under-performing home town team through the lean years. Now success has come their way - for the first time in a generation their team has qualified to play in a European football competition. But when Dean receives a ban from all football games due to hooliganism, their plans to go to see this away game together seem doomed. Joe was planning to take his troubled son Ben to his first ever football match in an attempt to bond with the troubled teenager obsessed with a death metal music. Craig is struggling with PTSD after a difficult army career, and needs distraction from everyday life. When Craig finds out that Dean is terminally ill, Craig hatches a plan to travel to northern Finland with his friends to watch their final away game together, come what may, avoiding Dean's travel ban. Craig, his two friends and their sons travel to a quiet backwater at the very northern edge of Europe for the match. Soon Craig realises he is in a simmering conflict zone, between Paganism and Christianity. Ben's favourite death metal group are from this remote and isolated town. What Ben took to be the theatrics of their music is actually the reality of this place in the far north. And what these Pagans worship is actually out there in the northern forests. Waiting in the darkness. In this game there is no extra time: just sudden death.

John Washbourne has been involved with film distribution for twenty five years. John is also an international fencer and martial artist. John is an an authority on armed combat. He is a founder of the Academy of Historical Fencing, and is a member of the European Championship Historical Fencing Team. John's lifelong interest in mythology, history and warfare has culminated in also co-writing Black Valley, Blood Eagle, Witch Sight, Enter at Own Risk, Born of Fire, Director's Vision and scripts for the Borderland TV series for Garland Stone. https://swordfight.uk/

Autoren/Hrsg.

Griffiths, Dewi

Washbourne, John

Leseproben

CHAPTER ONE

The Last Game of the Season

Not all towns in England are picture postcard perfect. It takes all sorts. Before the war (the one Craig's grandfather used to talk about, not any of the ones Craig had fought) towns like this were centres of industry. Plenty of work for everyone. The massive mill which used to dominate the town once clothed the world; now it is apartments for people who work in Manchester but can't afford to live there in the big city. There used to be so much work that half of South Asia seemed to have moved in while no one noticed. Then the work moved away leaving no jobs for anyone who was left behind. The only reason this place is on the map today is football.

This old mill town is now overshadowed by a new shiny football stadium. The town only comes alive every other Saturday. Twenty thousand people coming into town to spend hard earned money and be entertained.

Craig and his mates are on a three hundred mile round trip to see something special. Something they have not seen since they were kids. They are sitting in the Away Stand. United supporters may be easily outnumbered by the local fans, but its eleven against eleven on the pitch.

Craig watches the crowd roar and scream like animals all around him. Craig has been away for well over twenty years and he hasn't missed a thing. United have achieved nothing in that quarter century. Now in a couple of minutes, when they beat this bunch of Northern twats they are going to Europe. His mates have never been out of Britain except to pull birds on a beach in Spain. So this is big. He can't miss out on this with his mates. When they were kids United was everything. To Dean and Joe, United has never stopped being everything.

Its been a long road to get here. Rainy nights in crap towns like this one. Failure. Pain and embarrassment. Dean screaming encouragement and abuse with equal force as he always does. Crew cut hair slicked against his head in the pouring rain. Wide eyed, teeth bared. Joe watching, silently, looking at what's happening all over the pitch, not just on the ball. The thinker. Danny, Dean's son disinterested at the moment, checking his phone. Nudging his dad. Showing him the phone screen. Dean looking to see. "Fuck me. They scored another one. All we have to do is win this game Craig".

Craig looks up at the scoreboard, to get his view blocked. Robbie. Half his age. Half his intelligence. Dean probably knew his mum because he looks more like Dean than Danny does. Same haircut. Same bad attitude. Diet Dean; half strength. Twice as annoying.

Two minutes left. United one goal up. Craig feeling the atmosphere. Feeling hundreds of eyes on them. Feeling the anger. Sensing what's to come. Trouble is moments away. And they are far from home. He can't contain it any more. Craig gets to his feet. "Right, get moving".

"Eh? Craig, its almost done mate. Relax will you? Enjoy the moment" Dean pulls Craig back into his seat.

"The game's over. Time to go".

"What's the problem Craig?" Joe is concerned.

"Over there". Craig motions to a group of home supporters scouting the away fans.

Robbie sneers. "Them? Pussies Rambo. What you worried about?"

"Your boy". Craig glances at Danny, still looking at his phone.

Dean puts his arm around his boy. "My problem Craig. Its OK. Right son?"

Danny isn't paying attention.

Craig gets up again. Dean pulls him back into his seat. "Its Ok Craig. We're all together mate. Don't worry. You're with us mate. We got to see this. That's why we're here".

Another attack on United's goal. Craig closes his eyes. The player shoots, the ball going far into the crowd. The roars deafening. The whole place shaking.

A whistle. A roar from everywhere around Craig. He opens his eyes. Dean and Joe jumping up and down, hugging each other. Danny watching everything going on. Robbie shouting abuse at the home fans.

A boo. A wave of negative energy. Pure hatred thrown at them by twenty thousand home fans.

"Fucking northern cunts!" Dean celebrating in Craig's ear.

Craig looking around at the angry faces. "We should have left".

The home fans leaving the stadium. Craig can already read the club's name written out in the plastic seating.

"What's your fucking problem Rambo?". Robbie again. Craig has only just met him and is contemplating the most painful way to hurt him right now.

"They're outside. In our way".

The celebrations continue. Craig sitting looking straight ahead. Stressed does not start to describe it. Not fear. Stress.

The United fans explode out of the stadium. "United! United! United! United!".

Craig watching from the middle of this crowd. Police and home supporters watching them go.

Dean hugging him. "We’re in Europe! I never thought I’d see it. This is the best thing that's happened to me Craig".

"What about your boy?"

"Eh?" It goes over Dean's head. Dean ruffles Danny's hair. "You’re a lucky little bastard, son. Seeing this. This is where all my money's going for the next year. Bit of travel. Maybe go to some places you've been Craig".

"I hope not".

"Oh come on, what's wrong with you?"

Joe momentarily concerned. "Galatasaray. Spartak Moscow".

"All them firms. Yeah..." Dean overjoyed, thinking of the fighting, not the football.

To Dean every game is a battle, on and off the pitch. Dean revels in the violence and is good at it. Unlike Joe, the quiet kid. Craig couldn't wait to get out of their dead end town. He joined the army and left. Today he probably should feel like he missed out. But he's too stressed to think of anything right now. But maybe Dean is right, Craig has turned into his dad.

Craig reading signposts, following the crowd. Visibly bristling as they enter an underpass. "Hurry up lads, the train leaves in ten minutes".

Dean shakes his head. "Bollocks. Come on, let’s find a pub. Assuming there’s something drinkable in this piss-hole town".

A group of Home Fans idling in the gloom. One guy. Three hundred pounds of articulate kebab eater turns on Dean. "Fuck off home, you southern cunt!"

Craig restrains Dean, dragging him forwards, but can't stop Dean's mouth working.

"I'm sorry mate. Didn't mean that at all. I mean, this is lovely this. You're the first white fucker I've seen here. Even your stadium looks like a fucking mosque".

Craig seeing the police video unit up ahead. "Dean, come on will you? No trouble. We got to get to the train".

Danny sees the group of Police videoing the crowd too. "Dad, cops".

Both sets of fans aware of the cameras. Dean smiling broadly for the cameras, "Hello Mum!"

The United fans filing past the video camera, and the twenty offices with meat wagons parked up nearby. The Home supporters following. Closing. Dean pulling free from Craig. "OK, OK. Lighten up". The whole party move forward. But Dean stops.

The Home Supporters closing fast. The big guy bearing down on Dean, aware of the police still nearby.

Dean smiles, hand outstretched. "Sorry mate, I was only having a laugh". The distance between them closes in a second. Dean grabs his hand. And head-butts him. The man's hands pull back to his face. Dean smiles, takes aim and kicks him in the nuts. The man goes down. Dean runs, but is not as quick as he was, and is caught by a handful of Home Supporters.

The Police rush forward as the away supporters turn to help Dean. Robbie grabs Craig and Joe. "It’s Dean! Come on!!!!" Robbie and a few other United supporters rush to help Dean.

Craig, Joe and Danny stand watching in disbelief.

"Dean! Fucking hell!!!!" Craig moving to help Dean, but looking straight into a Police Video Camera. He can't get involved. "Oh fuck! Dean! Get out of there!"

The Police move in to break up the fight. Dean in the midst of the fighting, stamping on a home fan. A policemen grabs him. Dean punches him full in the face. Instantly more police swarm him. Dean is dragged away. The other United supporters including Robbie turn and run. Danny panicking. "Dad! Dad!"

Joe watches in disbelief seeing Dean being dragged away. "Stupid bastard. Looks like we’re not all going to Europe then".

Danny grabs Craig. "Craig, do something!"

"I can’t Dan. They’ve got him. Come on I’ll get you home!" Craig leads Danny off down the road, with Joe by his side. Robbie stands shouting abuse at the Police then turns and runs after his mates.

Dean is loaded...