Chapter 38: Ready for Giants
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Six days remained until Crawley's FA Cup clash with Barnsley.
The morning was cold at Broadfield Stadium. Frost covered parts of the training pitch, and the players could see their breath as they went through their warm-ups.
Niels watched from the side of the pitch. Crawley had drawn 1–1 with Rochdale five days earlier, with Korey Henry scoring for them. The result kept Crawley seventh in League Two with 47 points.
But the next game was different.
Barnsley were a Championship team, and the FA Cup tie was getting closer every day.
Before training, Niels met with Claire and chairman Mr. Hargreaves in the boardroom.
Claire stood beside a whiteboard and went through the latest numbers.
"Rochdale brought in another £30,000 from the gate," she said. "But Thiago's £200,000 transfer and Baxter's loan wages are putting a lot of pressure on the budget."
Niels listened quietly.
Claire continued.
