Romantic on the Field

15.

As it goes without saying, there are candidates for the third division team as well.

There are players who used to be substitutes but became old and couldn’t even make it to the bench.

That was the case with Robin Price, who is leaving the training ground now.

“Robin, where are you going?”

“I have to go home.”

“What, aren’t you doing personal training these days?”

Robin smiled but didn’t answer Harry Harris’ question.

‘It’s a selection tomorrow, but I can’t relax.’

A while ago, coach Nick Powell informed him that he would be starting the game against Queens Park Rangers FC tomorrow.

‘This is the last chance.’

he had a hunch.

If you don’t show a good performance in QPR-Queens Park Rangers tomorrow, you won’t get a chance in the future.

Robin went to Fairbank Avenue in a car he had recently bought second-hand.

‘Jamie Lee.’

As soon as I entered Fairbank Avenue, I saw Jamie’s newlyweds’ house like a palace.

Robin passed his house and pulled up in front of a small house on the corner of Fairbank Avenue.

This house was also purchased together when buying a used car.

It was time to think about retirement, and I thought it would be good to reduce my spending.

widely. Upon entering the house, he turned on the light, changed his clothes, and lay down on the bed. Since the house was so small, I didn’t have to move much to do all these moves.

‘Am I a failed life?’

Suddenly, I had a thought.

Not long ago, Robin celebrated his 32nd birthday.

He was born in a slum and struggled through hardships until he learned that he had a talent for soccer and started his career as a player.

However, even that talent faded when he became a pro. There were plenty of players with more talent than him.

I wandered here and there until I was twenty-two, and after coming here to Stoke City, I was finally able to settle down.

But, that is a thing of the past.

From last year, he started to come out as a sub instead of a main player, but this year he was not even on the list of candidates.

It was a life without football. I wasn’t even in a relationship, let alone married.

But when it was all over, all that was left was a small house on the corner of Fairbank Avenue.

‘Did you say 20 years old?’

Robin remembered Jamie’s newlyweds house he had seen on the way.

In fact, Jamie’s transfer was a big reason why he couldn’t be put in even as a joker.

However, that didn’t make him resentful. As I got older and my skills declined, I thought it was very natural to be pushed aside by younger players.

Moreover, Jamie was showing great performance as soon as he transferred. As Robin, who has a lot of affection for the team, it felt rather admirable rather than resentful of him being helpful to Stoke City.

As Robin remembered, he searched for him on his cell phone.

[ Stoke City ‘2 consecutive wins’ ]

[My team’s top scorer, Jamie Lee, saves Stoke City again]

Indeed, there have been many positive articles as much as the recent good appearance.

[ Who is the main character of Lee’s Heart Celebration from ‘The Romantic’? ]

ㄴ [The meeting has already been completed. Situation just before the wedding]

[ woodpar* – I envy her. I want to marry Lee too. ]

ㄴ [fakepas* – Lee doesn’t like ugly women like you. ]

b [ woodpar* – I’m a man ]

ㄴ [fakepas* – Then it might be possible]

b [ summer* – yes. You might rather like it

ㄴ [ panfri77* – What crazy things are you guys talking about? ]

[The wedding venue is Standen Hall. ]

[‘Hall open’ public wedding, anyone can attend]

Even outside of the game, there were not a few articles about his marriage.

[ Pointing out Stoke City’s excessive dependence on Lee ]

ㄴ [Director Charlie Adam left the seat at the question of ‘One Man Team’]

[moresui* – Stoke won’t get a point without Jamie]

[ uvauvvb* – Lee is too much for Stoke ]

ㄴ [ Crispyen* – That’s right. look at his stats 5 games, 5 goals and 3 assists. ]

ㄴ [ capetdai* – 9 goals and 4 assists in 7 games including cup matches. Almost two offensive points per game. ]

However, it was not all positive articles.

To be precise, there were many posts expressing concerns about Stoke City’s performance when he wasn’t playing.

In fact, Jamie, who played full-time in two consecutive games, took a break before the next game, Milton Keynes Dons FC, and the team lost as if it were natural.

‘What if I had met a little earlier.’

Suddenly, I felt that way.

Robin is a striker.

However, he was a player who did not have most of the abilities that an attacker should or would like to have. I wasn’t quick on my feet, and I wasn’t good at competing in the air.

‘Then how did you survive the pro? Or do I have to change positions?’

Some might ask this.

However, Robin had only one, but one definite advantage.

Off The Ball.

The movement was good without the ball.

It was not an ability acquired overnight.

He knew his limitations well and worked tirelessly to find ways to overcome them.

I did personal training every day without missing a beat.

When I wasn’t training, I watched soccer videos. It wasn’t just me staring at it. The movements of strikers who dominated an era, such as Van Nistelrooy, Van Persie, and Jamie Vardy, were analyzed in seconds. As a result of such constant effort, he obtained his own weapon called ‘Off the Ball’.

However, as Bailey, a teammate who had played together for a long time and the only one who stabbed the kill pass, retired, the weapon he had at best was overshadowed.

‘What happened, is there no one who can stab a proper pass?’

The thought reached there. However, Robin immediately shook his head.

After all, he and Bailey may not have been right for Stoke City.

No, it actually was. Stoke City’s team color was originally to play bold football based on good physical conditions.

At one time, they tried cute pass soccer and had an affair that was not an affair, but with the appointment of coach Charlie Adam, the existing ‘man’s team’ tendency became stronger.

‘Who am I to blame? It’s all because of my lack.’

Robin didn’t want to make excuses. I didn’t want to blame anyone.

Furthermore, he did not even think of leaving Stoke.

If he had transferred to another team when his best friend Bailey retired, he might have had more opportunities.

But he was reluctant to leave Stoke City, which accepted him and allowed him to continue his professional career.

It was in Robin’s mind that he would rather remain at Stoke City as a coach after retiring.

Whoops, whoops.

Just then, the cell phone I had thrown on the bed rang. He stretched out his arm to check his phone.

[Robin! We decided to go to the stadium together tomorrow after a long time. Ron and Wayne are going too. If you don’t come out this time, I’ll kill you. ]

hahahaha. After checking the contents of the message, Robin burst into laughter. Ron and Wayne were people he met at Work Ministries, a charity he had volunteered and donated to over the years.

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Let’s stop thinking about it. Let’s focus on tomorrow’s game. Robin made up his mind and started looking for footage from the last Stoke City game.

**

The next day, the visitors’ locker room at Lopros Road Stadium.

“The opponent is a strong team.”

Director Charlie said with a spleen look.

Opponent: Queens Park Rangers FC

The team, commonly referred to as ‘QPR’ for short, has been the backbone of a championship that has never fallen to League One in the past 10 years.

“We play tight defense and aim for the space behind QPR. Brian and Troy are ready to cross the half line at any time. And… Robin.”

As it was a cup competition, there were small changes to the lineup, and the most representative change was in the front line.

“It’s been a while since I started. Show your worth.”

At Director Charlie’s words, Robin nodded sadly.

‘This is the last time.’

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Leaving the arena, Robin made up his mind.

‘If I don’t play well in this game, I won’t be able to come out in the future.’

I had no intention of moving to another team, so that was my retirement.

In other words, it was not an exaggeration to say that his retirement was decided by today’s game.

“Robin!”

“···uh?”

Right before kick-off, I saw familiar faces in the away table.

Ron and Wayne, and even Pastor Kane from ‘Walk Ministries’.

“If I don’t score, I will kill you!”

“ha ha ha.”

At the words of Kane, who is quite rough-mouthed for a pastor, Robin burst into laughter.

Beep. After a while, the referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the match.

“Keep your seat! Don’t go out!”

Not long after the game started, Stoke City started to get beaten one-sidedly.

The opponent is a strong team in the upper middle of the championship.

Stoke City, which is also in the middle of League One, was in many ways difficult to deal with as a member of the rotation, not a full-time match.

C-ang.

“Hey, it’s a goal post. Take it off!”

Eventually, in the 10th minute of the first half, they suffered a crisis that was almost conceded.

“Protect. Keep it!”

The crisis continued.

‘Dangerous.’

‘Isn’t this how we get two or three goals before the first half ends?’

‘No, what is the director doing? Just blindly keep the seat?’

The players who played the game, as well as the coaches watching them, were engulfed in anxiety.

‘They said they would kill me if I couldn’t score a goal…’

Same goes for Robin. With an uneasy feeling, he looked at the away table and his fellow players alternately.

‘Well?’

Then, I found a player with a calm expression on his face.

‘Jamie Lee?’

Jamie Lee. Only that player who is currently the most attention in Stoke City was keeping calm.

Beep-.

Moments later, QPR’s corner attack.

QPR was aiming for the far post and placed a high corner kick.

Fortunately, goalkeeper Oliver, who was positioned in advance, caught the ball without difficulty.

phew. Robin let out a sigh of relief and turned his head.

‘uh?’

At that moment, I found Jamie running at breakneck speed.

‘It’s a counterattack.’

Seeing this, Robin thought instinctively.

‘I have to run too.’

Robin started running after him.

After 2-3 seconds passed, Robin crossed the half line and received a pass from a teammate.

“Hey.”

Seeing this, Jamie raised her hand to Robin.

Robin hit the ball took and took and passed it to Jamie when he was sure it wasn’t offside.

Then the QPR players immediately surrounded Jamie and began to press.

‘Is it pierced?’

Robin watched the scene as he advanced.

Jamie wanted to wait for the timing while casting a step-over, but at some point he hit it and went out.

‘Is it that easy?’

Robin, who had had a hard time getting past defenders all his life, watched the scene with a sense of bewilderment. Isn’t it too easy to break through? He couldn’t help but feel that way.

However, there were defenders in front of and inside the penalty box, so Jamie couldn’t advance any further.

‘What do we do?’

Even if he received a pass, there was nothing he could do.

However, he couldn’t just watch Jamie surrounded by defenders.

‘Let’s lure.’

Robin decided to drag the defenders in. Then there will be space in front of Jamie, and whether he dribbles or shoots, he will do it himself, I thought.

‘Now.’

Robin moved around behind the defense as if to infiltrate, and on the contrary, passed in front of the defenders as if showing off and penetrated behind them.

It was a different move than usual, because the purpose was to entice Jamie to shoot.

‘Well?’

But what

Despite infiltrating it openly and proudly, the QPR players did not follow Robin, but only looked at Jamie.

I almost burst out laughing in an instant.

‘I can’t even be a bait.’

‘You’ve already become that kind of player.’

Even in a short moment, such remorse, a sense of shame, came very quickly and strongly.

But······.

‘uh?’

At that moment, Jamie’s eyes met.

0.5 seconds.

Maybe even shorter than that.

Just by their eyes meeting in that spur of the moment, Jamie seemed to realize that now was the time to pass rather than shoot. Without hesitation, he passed directly to Robin.

Took.

The pass passed between the defenders’ legs and was delivered precisely in front of Robin’s feet.

Robin didn’t have time to think further.

Habitually, perhaps instinctively, I shot as if it were natural.

squash.

The ball left Robin’s feet, narrowly brushed the goalkeeper’s hand, and shook the net.

“eee-YA!”

“YeeeAH!”

Just beyond the goalpost was the away table. Thanks to this, Robin could hear the cheers of the away fans who came to London right in front of his nose.

‘This is it.’

A shiver ran through Robin’s body.

‘Yes, this was it.’

A feeling I had forgotten for a very long time.

And······.

“Robin! Robin!”

“hahahaha! I knew you would put it!”

“You scored a goal because you didn’t want to die!”

I ran towards the work minitris family I met at the stadium after a long time.