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Jace Holloway was destined for greatness. A track prodigy from North London, he was on the path to becoming one of the UK’s top young sprinters—until a devastating knee injury shattered his dreams.

 Though he could still run, he would never reach the world-class speeds that once made him unstoppable.

Lost and uncertain about his future, Jace drifts through his days at Harrow Sixth Form College, haunted by what could have been.

 When his best mate, Marcus, suggests he try football, Jace is sceptical. 

He has never played seriously, and the game requires more than just raw pace. But something about the sport intrigues him.

At first, he only watches from the sidelines, attending the school team’s tryouts without committing. 

The game is different from the track—unpredictable, tactical, demanding. 

Yet, the more he observes, the more he wonders: Can speed still be his weapon? Can football give him a second shot at greatness?

Jace faces a new challenge—learning the game from scratch, proving himself against skilled players, and overcoming his lingering doubts.

 But if he can harness his speed in a new way, he might just find a new dream waiting for him on the pitch.

Speed demon

And yet, as the celebrations died down and the days passed, Jace found himself restless.

After all the pain and hard work, he was thinking about his future and whether his career would end in only Harrowgate.

He'd fought so hard to return from his injury.

But the future still felt… uncertain.

The Monday after their victory, Jace found himself on the school rooftop, staring down at the football pitch below.

It looked so small from up here, like a matchbox.

It had felt huge during the match.

"Knew I'd find you up here," Theo said, leaning on the railing.

Jace smirked. "What gave it away?"

"You always disappear when you're overthinking."

Jace sighed. "You ever wonder what's next?"

Jace nodded. "Yeah. Like… we won. That's great. But what's the next step? What's the bigger goal?"

"That's the difference between us, mate. I live in the moment. You're always looking at the bigger picture."

Jace grinned. "Guess that's why we work so well together."

Jace exhaled. "I just… I feel like I need more. Like winning wasn't enough."

"Then maybe it's time you start aiming higher."

Theo nodded. "Think about it. You went from track to football in a year. You went from not even knowing if you'd play again to winning the league. You're not just some guy on the team, Jace. You're special."

He didn't know why, but hearing that made his chest tighten and gave him some moral.

Like something was waking up inside him.

Something that had been asleep for a long time.

Coach Davies: Come to my office after school. Need to talk.

Or was this about something bigger?

When he entered the office, Coach was sitting at his desk, looking through some paperwork.

"Close the door, Holloway," he said.

Jace did as he was told, sitting down across from him.

Coach tapped his fingers on his desk.

This made him happy, but he was shocked because he was thinking of something bigger to do in the future.

Coach nodded. "From a professional academy. They were at the match. They liked what they saw."

"Who?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Coach slid a card across the desk.

This message caught him in a dilemma at the moment because he wasn't sure whether football was going to be his career.

A pathway to professional football.

"They want you to come in for a trial," Coach said. "Nothing guaranteed. But it's a chance."

Everything he'd been searching for.

A chance to prove himself on the biggest stage.

"I know this is a lot," he said. "Take time to think about it. But if you want my advice?"

He didn't need time to think about it.

"I'm in" with a smiling look and a serious look on his face as a demon.

The Pathway