Chapter 221: Captain's Burden
December 8th, 2010
The morning after the win, the stadium was quiet again.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, it had been loud and alive. Red and white scarves in the air. The cheers after the first goal and the tension at the end.
Now there was only empty seats.
A few streets away, in his small house near Broadfield, Max stood in his kitchen, staring at the floodlights rising above the rooftops.
They were off now.
So was the noise.
He wrapped his hands around a mug of coffee that had already gone cold.
The win should have felt simple.
But his mind wasn't on the goal he scored.
It was on the one they conceded.
At 28, he was supposed to be in the prime of his career. But for a League One striker, prime doesn't last long.
It wasn't something stable.
One good season could lift you up and one bad season could push you down.
