Chapter 29: The Year's Last Stand
Wednesday, 31 December 2009
Matchday 21: Crawley Town vs. Crewe Alexandra (Away)
New Year's Eve didn't feel very festive in Crewe.
The sky was gray and the air was cold and damp. Gresty Road was slowly filling up as fans arrived in coats and scarves, talking quietly as they waited for the game.
There would be no big celebration yet.
There was still a match to play.
Niels stood on the touchline during the warm-up and watched his players closely.
Max still had tape around his ankle, but he was moving more freely now. He worked through the cones without much trouble.
Luka was already fully focused. His passes during the rondo were quick and accurate, and he barely looked up before moving the ball.
Nate was quieter than usual. Whatever had been bothering him during the week was still there, but it wasn't affecting his touch.
Korey was full of energy.
He moved quickly between the drills, chasing every ball and pushing himself hard.
Niels watched them for a moment.
They were tired.
So was every other team at this point in the season.
But nobody wanted to finish the year with regrets.
The players were ready.
Now they just had to show it.
The away dressing room was quiet.
The players were getting ready in their own way. Some were taping their wrists, others were fixing their boots or pulling their socks up.
Niels stood at the front of the room.
"This is it," he said. "Last game of the year."
Everyone looked up.
"Crewe are at home, and they'll want to finish the year with a win. They're going to make this difficult for us."
He paused.
"But we've done this before. Stay together. Work for each other. Don't panic if things don't go our way."
Niels looked around the room.
"Play the way we've been playing. Be brave on the ball, win your battles and take your chances."
His eyes stopped on Korey, then Max, then Luka.
"You've earned your place here. Now go out there and show it."
He took a breath.
"Let's finish the year properly."
The players nodded.
Nobody shouted or started a chant.
They simply stood up, one after another, and headed toward the tunnel.
They were ready.
Kickoff:
The whistle blew, and the match began.
Crewe started quickly. Their midfielders went into every tackle, while their forwards pressed high and tried to force Crawley into mistakes.
Crawley stayed calm.
They moved the ball around without rushing and tried to find space in the crowded midfield.
Luka dropped deeper to help start attacks. Whenever Crewe closed him down, he found a teammate with a quick pass.
Reece was also having a good start on the right. He stayed in position and dealt with Crewe's attacks whenever they came down his side.
Then, in the 20th minute, Crawley were caught out.
Crewe won the ball and immediately played it forward.
The pass went over the top of the Crawley defence.
Their striker ran onto it. Max tried to stop him with a sliding challenge, but he missed.
The striker kept going and fired a low shot toward the corner.
Luka dived, but he couldn't reach it.
Crewe 1-0 Crawley.
The home fans erupted.
Luka stayed on the ground for a moment before getting back to his feet. He brushed the dirt from his gloves and looked toward his teammates.
"We're fine," he shouted. "Keep going!"
Crawley moved back into position.
There was still plenty of time left.
Crawley didn't panic after going behind.
They got back into their shape and started playing their game again.
Korey kept making runs down the right, forcing Crewe's left-back to stay deep. Dev was causing problems on the other side. He kept getting into space behind Crewe's right-back and sending balls into the box.
"Keep finding Dev," Niels called from the sideline. "He's getting past their full-back."
Dev heard him and made another run.
His next cross went across the face of goal, just out of Max's reach.
It was becoming a problem for Crewe.
Their right-back couldn't push forward because he had to stay with Dev, while the centre-backs were being pulled toward the crosses.
Crawley's pressure finally paid off in the 40th minute.
Luka picked out Nate with a long pass toward the left side.
Nate controlled it and moved inside. Two defenders came toward him.
Instead of taking the shot, he spotted Max running into the box.
Nate passed the ball across to him.
Max took one touch and fired a low shot into the corner.
1-1.
The Crawley fans celebrated behind the goal.
Max didn't say much. He just looked at Nate and gave him a quick nod before jogging back.
A few minutes later, the referee blew for half-time.
Half-Time: Crewe 1-1 Crawley
Back in the dressing room, the players were calm but focused.
Niels leaned against the wall.
"They're starting to rush things," he said. "Keep moving the ball and make them chase us. The spaces will come."
He looked at Dev.
"You're getting behind their defence. Keep doing it. Keep forcing that full-back back, and when the cross is on, put it into the box."
Dev nodded.
"Got it."
Niels looked around the room.
"We're level. Now let's finish the job."
Second Half:
Second Half
The second half was much more physical.
Crewe started pushing harder and making more challenges. Crawley stayed calm and kept trying to play their way forward.
Max was becoming more involved as the game went on. He kept moving around and pulling defenders out of position.
In the 70th minute, Crawley got the chance they were waiting for.
Korey won the ball high up the pitch and forced Crewe into a poor clearance.
Max picked it up and quickly played a one-two with Nate.
Then he saw Dev making another run down the left.
Max passed it into his path.
Dev reached the ball and sent a low cross across the box.
Korey had made his run to the far side and was completely free.
He hit the ball first time.
Goal.
Crewe 1-2 Crawley.
The Crawley fans went wild.
Korey turned toward them with a huge grin before jogging back toward his teammates.
Niels stayed near the touchline and gave a small nod.
"Good," he said.
Crewe had twenty minutes to find an equalizer.
They started throwing more players forward and taking more risks.
In the 82nd minute, their midfielder curled a shot toward the top corner.
Luka reacted quickly and tipped it over the bar.
A few minutes later, Reece blocked another shot near the goal line.
The ball bounced away, and the Crawley players immediately tried to clear their lines.
The clock kept moving.
In the 89th minute, Nate won a foul in Crewe's half. He stayed down for a few seconds before getting back to his feet, taking some valuable time off the clock.
Crewe made one final attack, but Crawley defended it well.
Then the referee blew the whistle.
Full-Time: Crewe 1-2 Crawley Town
The away fans celebrated loudly.
The players were exhausted. There was no huge pile-up or wild celebration.
They simply stood together, catching their breath and congratulating each other.
Another win.
Another three points.
And Crawley had finished the year on a high.
Back in the dressing room, the players were quietly celebrating.
There were a few laughs and plenty of pats on the back. Everyone was tired, but nobody wanted to leave just yet.
Max sat on the bench and looked over at Nate.
"Told you. We're not the same team anymore."
Nate gave him a tired smile.
"Yeah."
Niels stood near the door, watching them.
After a moment, he stepped forward.
"Well done, boys. That's a great way to finish the year."
The players looked toward him.
"Get some rest tomorrow. Spend some time with your families and enjoy the break. We've still got a lot of football ahead of us."
A few players nodded.
"Happy New Year, boss," Dev called from the back.
Niels smiled.
"Happy New Year."
Later that night, fireworks were going off around Crewe.
Niels walked toward the team bus with his hood pulled up against the cold. His phone buzzed.
It was Elise.
Heard you won. Happy New Year, Niels. Mum wants to know when you're coming home.
He stared at the message for a moment.
He missed them more than he wanted to admit.
He typed back.
'Happy New Year. Tell her I'll try to come home soon.'
He put his phone away and climbed onto the bus.
The engine started, and the sound of fireworks continued in the distance.
The year was over.
But the season wasn't.
A few months ago, Crawley had been fighting just to stay out of trouble.
Now they were looking up the table.
The players believed in themselves.
Niels did too.
As the bus pulled away, he looked out at the lights disappearing behind them.
There was still a lot ahead.
For once, that didn't scare him.