Breaking The Deadlock

Jace Holloway had been waiting for this moment.

Two weeks of frustration, of sitting on the sidelines, of watching his team struggle without him—all of it had built up to this.

The final match of the season.

The match that would decide everything.

Harrowgate Academy vs. Linford High.

Win, and they had a shot at the title.

Lose, and all their hard work meant nothing.

And for the first time since his injury, Jace would be back on the pitch strong and healthy.

Jace arrived at the school grounds earlier than anyone else.

He needed time.

Time to breathe.

It is time to prepare and do some quick warm-ups.

As he laced up his boots, his fingers trembled slightly.

What if I'm not ready? He asked himself.

The thought had been eating at him all week.

Sure, he'd made it through training.

But a match?

A full match?

That was different.

The intensity. The pressure. The tackles.

Would his leg hold up?

Or would he let everyone down again?

He was afraid of going on another injury again because he thought he wasn't fit enough for the game.

A voice snapped him out of it.

"You alright, mate?"

Jace turned to see Theo standing in the doorway.

"You've been staring at your boots for about five minutes."

Jace exhaled sharply. "Yeah. Just… thinking."

Theo sat next to him.

"You nervous?"

Jace hesitated, then nodded.

Theo chuckled. "Good. Means you care."

Jace smirked. "You nervous?"

Theo grinned. "Absolutely."

Jace laughed, the tension in his chest easing slightly.

Maybe Theo was right.

Maybe nerves weren't a bad thing.

They just meant this mattered.

And Jace had never wanted anything more.

Coach Davies stood in front of them in the locker room.

His expression was calm. Focused.

"You already know what's at stake," he said. "So I'm not going to give you some long speech."

He looked around the room, meeting each of their eyes.

"We win this match, and we prove that Harrowgate isn't just an underdog team. We prove that we're champions."

A pause.

"Play with heart. Play with discipline, passion, and with all your might. And most of all—play for each other."

The team nodded, determination on their faces.

Jace clenched his fists.

This was it.

No more doubts.

No more fear.

Just football.

The referee blew the whistle, and the game began.

Linford came out strong.

Aggressive pressing. Fast transitions. Hard tackles.

They weren't going to make this easy.

Jace felt the first hit almost immediately—an opposing defender clipped his ankle as he sprinted down the wing.

He stumbled but stayed on his feet.

No whistle.

This made him upset because the defender hit him hard but the referee gave no response.

Jace gritted his teeth.

Alright. That's how it's going to be? Fine.

He wasn't backing down.

For the first twenty minutes, it was a war in midfield.

Neither team could get a clean chance.

Theo was working tirelessly, intercepting passes, driving forward whenever he could.

But Linford's defence was tight.

No space. No gaps.

Jace found himself frustrated.

Every time he tried to break free, a Linford player was there to block his run.

He needed to change something.

Then, in the 29th minute, an opportunity came.

Theo won the ball in midfield and spotted Jace making a diagonal run.

A perfect pass.

Jace sprinted onto it, feeling the familiar rush of speed.

But just as he reached the ball—

A crunching tackle from behind.

Jace hit the ground hard.

The whistle blew.

Free kick.

Jace groaned, pushing himself up.

The Linford defender smirked. "Welcome back, Speed Demon."

They played the free-kick, but they weren't able to score the free-kick.

Jace wiped the dirt off his kit.

If they wanted to play rough?

He could handle that.

By halftime, it was still 0-0.

Coach Davies kept it simple.

"Keep moving. Keep pressing. The goal will come."

Jace took a deep breath.

They had 45 minutes left to make it happen.

The second half started with more of the same—a physical battle.

Then, in the 58th minute, Linford broke through.

A quick counterattack.

A low cross into the box.

A simple tap-in.

1-0 Linford.

The Harrowgate players froze.

Jace clenched his jaw.

No. Not like this.

Theo clapped his hands. "Heads up! We're not done yet!"

Jace met his gaze.

Time to step up.

Harrowgate pushed forward, desperate for a goal.

Theo, Callum, and Jace began linking up, moving faster, finding gaps.

Then, in the 72nd minute, their chance came.

Theo played a through ball—

Jace exploded forward, beating his marker—

A quick cut inside—

A curling shot—

GOAL!

The crowd erupted.

Jace fist-pumped, roaring in celebration.

He was back.

And Harrowgate were alive.

With ten minutes left, both teams were pushing for a winner.

Then, in the 88th minute, Harrowgate won a corner.

Theo jogged over to take it.

Jace positioned himself just outside the box, waiting.

Theo whipped it in—

A scramble in the box—

The ball deflected toward Jace.

One chance.

Jace swung his leg—

A powerful strike—

Goal.

2-1 Harrowgate.

The crowd went insane.

Jace barely had time to react before his teammates piled on him.

They had done it.

After the celebration, Linford passed the ball to their defender and made a mistake, making the ball head towards Jace, so he powered up and made a rocket short, moving directly inside the pole.

GOAL.

3-1

They had won.

The final whistle blew.

Harrowgate Academy: 3- Linford High: 1.

The team erupted in celebration.

Jace felt pure joy.

All the struggles.

All the doubts.

All the pain.

It had led to this moment.

As he looked around at his teammates, at Theo grinning at him, at Coach Davies giving a rare proud smile—

Jace knew one thing for certain.

He belonged here.

And this?

This was just the beginning.