42 Promotion

The next day, 10th of November.

"We could've done a lot more there in the end." Terry had his head hung low while sitting on the benches of the training ground. "I missed that sitter in the 91st…"

Cameron was doing some air boxing, even swerving left and right as if he's avoiding some invisible punches. "Don't drown yourself in sadness. I missed one too."

"Don't think as if missing was all negative. It should be a great learning experience for us." Blaise put his arms around Terry's shoulders. "Let's improve together, you two bastards!"

After Sheffield grabbed the equalizer, Sheffield's ten men felt like a complete team once again. They played like a well oiled machine for the last few minutes of the game, as if they're still at peak stamina.

They searched and tried to stun the hosts with a go ahead goal… forcing them to play desperate on defense… it's just that they couldn't finish any of the chances that came their way at the end.

Now, with their analysis underway, the team once again know that they will be battered by the fact that they rely too heavily on Blaise Atkinson.

But even before it got to that point, Under 18's manager Ryan Cassidy dropped a bombshell— more like a nuke— at their faces.

Blaise Atkinson is going to be promoted to the first team.

The mouths of the Sheffield youngsters gaped wide open in shock. They were gobsmacked at how fast their talismanic midfielder was going to get promoted to the senior team!

"Why do you all look like that? It's not like he's gonna get promoted today already!" Cassidy teased.

The players felt a rising sense of wanting to punch their manager in the gut.

***

Earlier today.

Ryan Cassidy rushed to work early today after receiving a call from the first team manager Steve Bronson about important matters regarding his plans moving forward.

At first, he was skeptical about whatever was going on inside the manager's head, and why he is even needed in the first place. However since he's just a youth level manager, he had no other choice but to be at the beck and call of Bronson.

Cassidy opened the door to Bronson's huge office and was assaulted by the floral fragrance of fresh chamomile tea, which was without a doubt the best kind of tea according to the owner of this office.

The minimalist office was a tad too barren for Cassidy's taste. It only had a few tables and a few couches, with barely any color on the walls, nor carpets on the floor. If not for the fragrance of tea, he wouldn't put it past himself to think that there's no one occupying this office.

"At least put some other furniture in here, Steve… it's too bare." One of his hands were sliding on the plain white walls as he walked closer.

"It's too much unnecessary work. I'd rather focus on the team, Ryan." Steve sipped on his cup of tea in between. "Anyway, thanks for coming in at my behest this early in the morning."

Steve pointed at the boiling hot kettle of tea just a ways off the desk that bore a plaque bearing his name and asked Ryan if he wanted a cup. Ryan declined and just sat at one of the two couches in the middle of the room that surrounded a small table.

He was a die hard brewed coffee gentleman.

"You should know that the senior team's midfield had been stretched far too thin for my liking." Steve opened after he downed a cup of tea.

"If you want Blaise Atkinson then you can get him." Cassidy had already resigned himself to losing his star man to promotion after the staff meeting a while back, so he went straight to business. "Just give my team a few games to adjust to life without him…"

"Two weeks." The first team manager gestured using two of his fingers. "Then I'm going to give him a shot at my team, for a month at the very least."

"He'll do a wonderful job, I am sure of it." He had the utmost confidence about this kid. During his long tenure in the club, such a precocious talent has never appeared.

Steve Bronson had always kept tabs on his junior teams. It's just that this time, there's a newcomer that's demolishing all expectations and boosting his already high stock in there. Coupled with his team's injury crisis, Steve found the perfect storm to give him a chance.

Though, he also held his breath when he found out that this diamond in the rough went down to injury, and rejoiced that it is not something that would sideline him longer term. His faith was reinforced by the fact that the Under 18 team's performance dropped off a cliff in his absence.

Finally, a youngster that will be part of my golden generation!

***

13th November

The Under 18 Sheffield Blades team that came to their FA Youth Cup Second Round game against Preston was odd.

Preston was expecting this team to play through their captain and midfielder Blaise Atkinson, but for some reason they didn't even play through the middle, and instead played out in the wider areas.

What made them more confused was the fact that even if the offense didn't run through him at all, he still wasn't invisible. He kept on moving into spaces that would draw the defenders because of his latent threat alone. He also kept on moving with the intention of getting a pass or shot in a dangerous area.

But for some reason, even if he's the most hardworking member of the team, he's just not getting the ball.

What are these players doing? Preston's players were somehow more perplexed for them.

Twenty minutes into the game, the Preston youth manager could still count with his one hand the number of times Blaise Atkinson touched the ball from a teammate's pass. It's not like his team's dominating possession, he'd say it's almost a deadlock in total time of possession… so why are they not feeding their best player the ball?

This has to be a trap! I should not get baited!

Preston continued harassing Blaise Atkinson off the ball, until a series of passes found Terry Quinn up front.

He held onto the ball, while Blaise Atkinson moved up the pitch at will. As a defensive midfielder today, he's doing a lot of running off position.

This time, he found himself right at the heart of the defense. He ran diagonally from behind Quinn, to the open space he's facing.

Quinn tried his hardest to not thread a ball through, he faked a pass and then went the other way with it.

To his surprise, it was effective.

That small move of his made two opposing defenders think twice about leaving their markers and going for Atkinson, who's now ran back to onside territory.

The small window of time gave the two wingers a small window to break free of their markers down the flank…

It was where the trouble began for Preston, as Terry saw Cameron running from behind the opposing right back...