9

"What? Are you sick in the head?" Terry can't help but exclaim about his new teammate's plan.

"Can't a young man dream? If we manage to pull it off, maybe we might be promoted to the first team!" A silly grin could be seen on Blaise's face. "You're the striker, so you have no choice but to help me. I'm an attacking midfielder today, remember?"

"Shit… what did I put myself into…" The striker-attacking midfielder duo went straight to the center circle for the second half kick off.

"Nine goals, my friend. Nine."

The second half of this training match started just like that.

Both teams have a new 11 on the field. The senior team has its regular starters in, while the youth team had their best 11, at least according to their coach.

Blaise's crazy plan for their front four goes like this. All of them will drop deeper and will either hound anyone that has the ball, or pressure their opposition into making mistakes, or just straight up jump the passing lanes looking for slower, or bad passes. Once they steal the ball, it'd be a frenzy. Blaise knew that his teammates can't beat the seniors in technique, but knew that in physicality, they might have a slight chance.

The manager didn't give them instructions or anything, so Blaise took it that the manager allowed them creative and tactical freedom.

'If we can steal a goal or two, then we're talking. I can't do it on my own. Football isn't a game played alone!'

The game immediately became sloppy. The first team kept on making mistakes they shouldn't be making even in a training match, with their midfield, and defense being huge culprits.

'My strategy seems to be working.'

Just five minutes in, another lazy pass was intercepted by Blaise, sparking another counterattack. He ran the show as the pivot of the front four, pushing the pace straight to the opposing final third.

The huge swath of green in front of him allowed him to scan his left, right, and front for options. He saw the slow response by the opposing fullbacks, and pounced.

He switched the ball to the right wing, where the winger had left his marker in the dust. The winger's first touch wasn't the very best though, so the ball that was crossed to the middle was wayward, and was corralled easily by the keeper.

"Let's do better next time!" Blaise gave a thumbs up to the right winger for encouragement after the play.

***

"Shit!" Terry's frustration reached new heights after another shot was saved by Sheffield's #1. In the last 5 minutes, he had 6 shots saved by the keeper.

The first team still is playing with disinterest, so they kept on ceding possession in careless ways, but Blaise and co are starting to also frustrate themselves by failing to break through.

His reincarnated self also started to notice his current lack of skill on the ball making it hard for him to make things happen. Sure, he's been spraying passes everywhere, but the thing that kept on frustrating him was that he can't breeze past League One defenders on a regular basis with his technique on the ball. That's just appalling for an ex Premier League player.

Plus, it's the 70th minute and they haven't pulled a single goal back yet! Earlier, he's very confident that he can help claw their way back into this game!

What a shame!

'Damn… with the amount of time remaining, coming back from 9 goals down seems a little too much…'

The first team's left winger cut inside, and evaded a diving tackle with silky smooth dribbling. And as he reached the penalty area from the left side, Blaise knew that everything is all but confirmed now.

A small sigh escaped his mouth in resignation.

10-0! A powerful left-footed strike from outside the box was unleashed to the top right corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to stop it.

They were on the offensive for the entirety of the second half, and yet they couldn't score even a single one! Meanwhile, their opponents scored against the run of play on their very first attack!

He sighed inwardly. 'I guess it's time to just have fun with it.'

Blaise had been trying to manufacture opportunities the most efficient way the entire time, and that has taken a toll on his football. Sure, that made a lot of opportunities for him and his team, but he wasn't having fun.

At the restart, the aura around Blaise lightened up a bit.

The effect was tremendous.

He finally understood that their first team's lazy and casual attitude in the game was their way of having fun. The smiles on their seniors' faces even if they are losing the ball a ton and their sarcastic banter was also them having fun.

It wasn't advisable to make mistakes like these in league matches, but in the very first training match of the season where everyone's still in the mood for casual football?

Well… at the very least, they can get a pass!

The 83rd minute saw Blaise's team once again having a crack at a counterattack. Blaise pounced on a loose ball near the halfway line.

By this time, the tense youngsters have already loosened up a lot, and they're now capable of showing their full match potential. So all they needed to do was, be patient, and strike at the most opportune moment.

The ball was passed around the middle of the field with gusto and precision.

'The bastards are relaxed, and having fun now, eh? Who's the reason for this change of atmosphere?' The youth manager contemplated a little bit as he watched his team's newfound passing fluidity move them ever closer to the opposing box, and his gaze settled at the brown haired Blaise.

Blaise had his back turned against the goal when he received the ball just outside the penalty area. He wanted to turn his marker, and get a crack at the goal, but his marker was the current club captain.

A muscular man 195 centimeters tall.

The fluidity of the team's movements made an escape route for Blaise possible though. Their forward who was coming to Blaise's weak right side, broke through the defensive line.

The smile on Atkinson's face widened, as he backheeled the ball through the defender's legs and into the onrushing Terry Quinn's path.

The first choice goalkeeper was also rushing to Quinn's path, though.

But the one that got there first was Quinn.

His first touch was a thing of beauty, as he changed the ball's course with one touch, avoiding the diving keeper's extended arms and seeing him clear through the goal.

A simple tap in marked their first, and well deserved breakthrough.

Golazo!