Jace Holloway had never felt more restless in his life.
For the past week, he had been forced to sit out of training, miss matches, and worst of all—watch his team fight without him.
His thigh strain wasn't severe, but the physio had made it clear: No running, no training, no football.
And that was driving him mad.
Harrowgate's next match was against Riverside Academy.
Normally, Jace would be gearing up for another battle, another chance to prove himself.
Instead, he sat on the bench in his tracksuit, arms crossed, feeling useless.
Theo walked over, giving him a playful nudge.
"Cheer up, mate. We'll get the job done."
Jace forced a grin. "You better."
Deep down, though, he hated this.
He hated being on the sidelines.
Watching instead of playing.
Hearing the roar of the crowd without feeling the adrenaline of being on the pitch.
The whistle blew, and the match kicked off.
Jace clenched his fists.
He had to trust his team.
---
A Battle Without Jace
From the start, it was clear that Riverside had no pushovers, and they weren't a threat.
They played aggressively, pressing hard, looking for gaps in Harrowgate's defence.
Jace's absence on the wing was noticeable because he would have forwarded the ball when he was there.
Without his pace, Harrowgate struggled to stretch the field. The ball was all in the midfield.
Mason, who had taken Jace's spot, was a solid player—but he wasn't the kind of winger who could terrorize defenders like Jace could.
By halftime, the score was 0-0.
Coach Davies was furious because he was afraid they would lose the match ßince Jace wasn't playing.
"You lot are playing like you've already lost!" he barked. "Where's the fight? Where's the hunger?"
Jace could see it in his teammates' eyes—they were frustrated too.
But they needed to find a way to win without him.
Riverside came out strong after halftime.
And in the 57th minute, they struck first.
A long-range shot, perfectly placed, curling into the top corner.
1-0 Riverside.
Jace's stomach twisted.
He wanted to be out there.
He wanted to make a difference.
But all he could do was watch.
This pained him a lot and he was disappointed but didn't lose hope.
Theo tried to rally the team, pushing forward, pressing harder.
Then, in the 74th minute, Harrowgate finally broke through.
Theo whipped in a cross—
Callum rose above his defender—
Goal!
1-1.
The crowd erupted.
Jace jumped up from the bench, shouting with excitement.
Maybe they could do this after all.
With ten minutes left, Harrowgate pushed for a winner.
But Riverside wasn't giving up either.
Then, in the 89th minute, disaster struck.
A counterattack.
A perfect through ball.
Riverside's striker broke free—one-on-one with Jake.
A powerful shot.
Goal.
2-1 Riverside.
Silence.
Jace felt his heart sink.
That was it.
The final whistle blew.
Harrowgate had lost.
The dressing room was silent.
Coach Davies didn't yell.
Didn't lecture.
He just looked at them, disappointment clear in his eyes and sad also.
"This is what happens when you don't take your chances," he said quietly.
Jace could see the pain in his teammates' faces.
They had fought hard.
But it wasn't enough.
As the others packed up, Theo sat down next to Jace.
"We needed you out there, mate," he admitted.
Jace sighed. "I know."
He hated this.
Hated feeling helpless.
But there was nothing he could do—except wait.
---
A Race Against Time
The next morning, Jace met with the physio again.
She tested his thigh, checking his range of motion, looking for any lingering pain.
"How does it feel?" she asked.
Jace hesitated.
It still ached, but nowhere near as bad as before.
"Better," he said.
The physio nodded. "You're healing well. Another week, and we'll see if you're ready to start light training."
Jace's heart sank.
Another week?
Because he was going to miss another match again.
That meant missing another match.
He couldn't afford that.
Harrowgate had two games left in the season.
If they lost again, their title hopes were gone.
He needed to get back—now.
Jace couldn't wait any longer.
That night, he snuck into the school's training ground.
Just a few sprints.
Just to see if he could still move.
He took a deep breath, steadied himself—
And pushed off.
Pain flared in his thigh.
He barely made it ten meters before he had to stop, breathing heavily.
He wasn't ready.
But that didn't mean he'd stop trying.
He did all this because he did want his team to win trophies this season,, so he kept pushing harder.
The next morning, Coach Davies called Jace into his office.
"You trying to get yourself ruled out for the rest of the season?
Jace's heart pounded. "I—"
"Don't lie," Coach interrupted. "I saw you last night."
Jace exhaled. "I just… I need to be ready, Coach."
Coach leaned back in his chair.
"I get it," he said. "You want to help your team. You want to win. But if you push this too hard, you won't just miss the next match—you'll miss the rest of the season."
Jace knew he was right.
But sitting out felt like giving up.
Coach sighed. "Look, if you can get through training on Friday without pain, I'll consider letting you play in the final match."
Jace's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"But if you feel even a twinge, you tell me. No hiding it. No pushing through."
Jace nodded.
This was his chance.
And he wasn't going to waste it.
---
Friday Training: The Moment of Truth
By the time Friday arrived, Jace was more nervous than he'd ever been.
This wasn't just a test for his body.
It was a test for his future.
The coach had him go through light drills first.
Passing. Shooting. No sprinting.
No pain.
Then, the real test.
Sprints.
Jace took a deep breath.
And ran.
One sprint.
No pain.
Another.
Still fine.
By the time he finished, he was grinning.
He was back.
Coach Davies clapped him on the shoulder.
"Alright, Holloway," he said. "You're in."
Jace had one more match.
One last chance to help his team.
And this time, he wasn't going to let them down.
As Jace walked off the pitch that night, he felt something he hadn't felt in weeks.
Excitement.
He was ready.
Harrowgate had one last shot at the title.
And this time, he would be on the pitch—where he belonged.