Chapter 18 – The Weight of a Start

15 September 2012 – Premier League Matchday 4

Old Trafford – Manchester United vs Wigan Athletic

Alex stood in front of the tactics board, blinking twice to make sure he wasn't imagining it.

Starting XI – vs Wigan Athletic

De Gea

Rafael, Evans, Büttner, Jones

Anderson, Cleverley

Valencia, Kagawa, A. Marshall

Welbeck

No Van Persie. No Rooney. No Giggs. Rested for the Liverpool match next week.

And in their place… Alex Marshall. Starting. At Old Trafford.

Sir Alex's Office – Pre-match Talk

"Alex."

He turned sharply at the sound of the gaffer's voice.

"Come in," Sir Alex said, holding the door to his office.

The room smelled like paper and peppermint. There were trophies on every surface, a whiteboard with the lineup drawn out, and a half-drunk cup of tea.

"You've done enough to earn this, give it your all on the pitch" Sir Alex said, gesturing to the name on the board. "But make no mistake — this isn't charity. You're here because I think you can help us win. Don't prove me wrong"

Alex nodded, straightening his back.

Sir Alex leaned in.

"You've got 75,000 fans watching and screaming. Make 'em remember."

Kick-off – First Half

The stadium was a sea of red and roaring voices. Alex jogged out, heart pounding. It wasn't nerves now — it was hunger.

From the first whistle, United dominated.

In the 7th minute, Kagawa slipped a sharp pass to Alex on the left. He cut inside, ignored the overlapping run from Büttner, and whipped a curling shot—

Off the post.

But it was a warning sign.

Two minutes later, the midfield opened up again.

Alex danced past a desperate sliding challenge, keeping the ball tight to his boots. Cleverley made the overlapping run down the right channel—Alex spotted it instantly.

"Tom, go!" Alex shouted.

A sharp one-two. The ball zipped back to him.

He didn't hesitate.

Just outside the edge of the box, Alex shifted his weight and curled a cross with his weaker left foot—not just hopeful, but measured—floating with precision toward the back post.

Valencia had ghosted in from wide, unchecked, like a predator finding his lane.

The Ecuadorian leapt, powerful and compact, and met it mid-air with a thumping header. No flick. No hesitation. Pure contact.

The ball screamed into the net at the near post—just under the bar.

Old Trafford erupted. Valencia pointed straight at Alex, grinning.

"Perfect ball, lad!"

Alex jogged back toward halfway, barely able to contain his smile.

So this is what it feels like, he thought. To belong.

Goal – Valencia. 1–0 United.

System Notification:

Premier League Assist (1)

Attribute Gain: +1 Crossing, +1 Composure

Relationship Progress – Valencia +10%

15th Minute

Alex picked up a loose ball from midfield, darted past two Wigan players and sent a through ball that split their backline.

Welbeck was onto it—Goal.

2–0.

Even Scholes, watching from the benh, gave a small approving nod. Arms folded. Silent. But impressed.

System Notification:

Playmaking Trait XP +8

Mentorship Progress – Scholes +7%

Second Half – 3–0 Onward

At 48 minutes, Anderson thundered in a long shot after a layoff from Kagawa. 3–0.

By the hour mark, Alex was feeling the rhythm.

In the 62nd minute, a corner rebounded out of the box. Alex caught it mid-air on the volley — clean, rising, unstoppable.

Goal – A. Marshall. His first Premier League goal.

Old Trafford erupted.

System Notification:

First Premier League Goal Achieved

Trait Boost: +2 Shooting (Volleys), +1 Confidence

New Title Unlocked: Wonderkid Debut

Final 20 Minutes

The floodgates opened.

5–0: Alex assisted Kagawa with a slick cut-back from the byline.

6–0: A cheeky chipped ball from Alex put Valencia through again. Clinical finish.

Full-time whistle.

Manchester United 6 – 0 Wigan Athletic

And at the heart of it:

Alex Marshall — 1 goal, 3 assists, and countless moments of magic.

Post-Match

The full-time whistle had barely faded when the tunnel swallowed them whole.

Inside the dressing room, shirts were tugged over heads, boots clattered against tile, and the smell of sweat mixed with liniment and victory.

Valencia clapped Alex on the back hard enough to make him stumble.

"Oi! Calm down, I'm still processing," Alex laughed, still breathless.

"You put out three assists and a goal, kid," Cleverley grinned. "That's more than some lads get in half a season."

Sir Alex stepped in. The room fell quiet.

He scanned the squad, hands behind his back, then fixed his gaze on Alex.

"Young man," he said, his Scottish accent firm but warm, "you made me look bloody brilliant out there."

A wave of chuckles rolled through the squad.

"One match doesn't make a player. But…" He paused. "...it certainly makes a memory. Well done. Celebrate the win but don't get carried away by it. We got Liverpool next week. Stay focus."

Alex exhaled slowly. His shirt was still clinging to his back with sweat, but a warmth bloomed in his chest.

System Notification

Milestone Reached: First Premier League Start – Performance Rating: S+

Reward: +3 Dribbling, +2 Vision, +2 Stamina

Trait Progress – 'Engine' Mentorship Progress – Kagawa (8%), Cleverley (6%)

Fan Approval Rating: +25%

Media Coverage Boost Activated – Next Media Interaction: High Visibility

Tunnel & Mixed Zone

As players began to file out, Alex was pulled into the mixed zone, where a dozen microphones, boom mics, and recorders faced him like a firing squad.

A Sky Sports reporter leaned in.

"Alex, one goal and three assists in your first Premier League start. Where did that performance come from?"

He swallowed. His voice came out steadier than expected.

"A dream and a bit of luck, maybe. And a lot of good teammates."

"Sir Alex has rotated the squad today. With Liverpool next week, do you think you've done enough to stay involved?"

Alex grinned.

"That's not my decision. I'm still young, barely a month in the season, i'll take it one game at a time. But if it were up to me—I'd definitely give myself another shot."

A ripple of laughter went through the gathered media.

Back Home – Marshall Residence, Manchester Suburb

His mum cried. Of course she did. She'd seen the whole thing on the telly, wearing his old academy jersey.

"You were brilliant, love! Like a little golden bullet out there!, you made it look easy"

His dad didn't say much — just a single nod when Alex walked through the door later that night.

"Good," he said. "But it's just one step."

"A big one," Alex replied, matching his tone.

His older brother gave him a full-on bear hug, lifted him off the ground.

"Mate… SIX-NIL?! What are you, Cristiano Ronaldo now?"

Alex laughed.

"Nah. Better haircut."

Nighttime – Bedroom, Lights Off

His phone buzzed again. Another message. This one from someone unexpected:

Paul Scholes:"Saw the match. Reminded me of 1996. Good instinct. We'll talk."

He blinked at the screen, stunned.

System Notification:

Mentorship Path – Paul Scholes (10%)

Potential Attribute to Inherit: Passing Vision (World-Class)

He stared at the ceiling, heart still racing.

Today, he'd made the world notice.Tomorrow? Liverpool. Anfield. War.

But tonight?

He grinned in the dark.

"Not bad for a debut."

[I thought it's going to be hard to research the match but turns out its quite easy. I messed up the carabao cup opponent, it should be newcastle but because i so focus on giving Alex his first start i pick a lower league club, so i apologize for that. From here on i try to be as accurate as possible in the matches.]

[enjoy the chapter. leave comment and review]

[100 stones = 1 bonus chapter]