The whistle went. Whack!…a sickening pain in my back and I was flying through the hot evening air again.

‘Goal!’

The United fans went wild, stamping and screaming.

‘Easy! Easy! Easy!’

Entangled in the back of the net my face streamed blood from where the net was cutting into my cheeks. Claws dug into my flesh in an effort to release me, but I was stuck. My right hand was trapped, and the more they pulled the more I became entangled. And the more frustrated the crowd became.

The whole stadium began chanting…

‘Heave, heave, heave.’

It was me or the net. Belching fumes and fire they pulled and they heaved. Something had to give, and that something was my hand. The net cut through flesh and bone at the wrist like a cheese wire. I passed out.

I woke up screaming with the smell of burning flesh up my nostrils, searing heat and excruciating pain wreathing up my arm .

They flung me back to the ref’ at the centre spot. Faintly I heard the announcer over the speaker system.

‘United six, Pool five.’

‘Jeez!’ I said glancing through my legs at the stadium clock. “Only one minute to full time. Please let Pool score again. Please!”

Wham!, I was in the air again, a little lighter now and flying a little faster. I hit the grass and bounced. Two scaley bodies crushed me between them and I dropped at their feet. Bang! A foot in my right ear and a kick in the side. Crack! a bloody rib. My nose was being twisted.

I felt a scrunch and warm blood spurted across my face. I felt no more pain.

‘Penalty ref,’ someone shouted.

The crowd took it up.

‘Penalty, penalty, penalty.’

Picking me up the referee placed me firmly on the spot. I opened my eyes but the blood was blinding me. I brought my hand up to wipe it away.

‘Ball boy. Keep still!’

The crowd was silent. It seemed an age. The ref’s whistle suddenly shrilled around the stadium.

Blap!…swoosh!…I was streaking towards the goal. A claw scraped across my face. I spun hitting the left post, and dropped to the ground. Hitting the muddy goal mouth with a squelch I dragged my eyes open squinting through a haze of red. My luck was in, I was on the goal line.

The thunder of heavy feet pounded the ground. The United keeper was rushing to me. I twisted, rolling quickly over the line. The stadium erupted.

‘Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart.’

Through the noise I heard two short blasts, and one long one from the referees whistle.

I knew then I was free.