Chapter 219: Pre-Match Talk
Dev woke to sunlight on the sofa. His laptop was still open on a clip of his last game.
He didn't check his phone.
Today wasn't about money or headlines.
Today was about Crawley.
He stretched his sore legs and thought about Niels' instructions like finding space, staying patient, controlling the game tempo.
Dev stood, took a deep breath, and got ready. The pressure was there but so was his focus.
Dev grabbed his bag and keys and walked to the car. The streets were quiet in the morning. He focused on the road, blocking out everything else.
At the training ground, a few players were already warming up. Dev nodded to them and went straight to the locker room.
Some players, like Nate Sutton, moved slowly, clutching steaming cups of black coffee. Others, like Korey Henry, were already wired, his leg bouncing as he got his ankles taped, clearly thinking about the Carlisle defense.
Max glanced up from tying his boots. "Morning," he said. Dev nodded.
