Hasan made Jordan look stupid again two minutes later. This time he rolled the ball 19forward as if he was asking Jordan to tackle him, then he dragged it back and went past him. He crossed the ball and another boy poked it home. Jordan fell over and landed on his backside. He wasn’t just fed up. He was angry because he was being made to look stupid.

When Hasan got the ball a third time, Jordan didn’t wait. He pushed towards Hasan and ran his foot down his shin. Hasan rolled over on the ground. It hurt!

“That was out of order,” Jack said. “Get off the pitch, Jordan. I’ll have a word with you later.”

Hasan got to his feet, but he was limping badly.

“You have a bit of a rest, son,” Jack said. “Let’s see what your mate can do.”

Hasan was good, but Faisal was amazing. He was taller and stronger than Hasan. He 20didn’t do as many tricks, but he had such close control, nobody could get the ball off him. He scored twice with his feet and once with his head.

“OK, Faisal,” Jack said. “Take a rest. Are you ready to come back on, Hasan?” 21

Hasan nodded and showed more of his tricks. He did two step-overs, then rolled the ball into the net.

As they walked off the pitch, Sam nudged Hasan. “Keep an eye on Jordan,” he said. “He doesn’t like anybody making a fool of him. Let Faisal know too.”

Hasan grinned. “You can tell Faisal yourself,” he said. “He isn’t stupid, you know. He understands everything you say. He just doesn’t say anything back.”

Sam thought about Faisal. Hasan said he had seen too many bad things. What did that mean?

The boys stood round Jack. “OK, lads,” he said. “John has dropped out, but it looks as if we have struck lucky. We’ve got a couple of good players to take his place. I’m playing both of them on Sunday.” 22

“Are you having a laugh?” Jordan asked. “They can’t just walk into the team.”

“Who’s the manager, Jordan?” Jack said. “Me or you?”

Jordan waited for a few moments. “You,” he said.

“That’s right,” Jack said, “and don’t forget it. We haven’t won for four games. We defend all right, but we’re not scoring enough goals.”

Jordan glared. “Are you blaming me?” he asked.

“No,” Jack said, “I’m not blaming anyone. But we need more pace. Hasan and Faisal have got bucket loads. I’m playing Hasan in the centre of midfield. Faisal will be upfront alongside you, Jordan.”

Jordan turned bright red. He looked as if his head was going to explode. “I don’t need 23anybody alongside me. I just need somebody to give me the ball. You can’t score goals without the right kind of service.”