Barnfield. There’s nothing wrong with second best, isn’t that right Jimmy?’
‘Spot on, Mick,’ Jimmy said with a nod.
‘Yiz have put in a superb second half to the season lads, and myself and Jimmy are dead proud of yiz, no matter the result of this game. But guess what, boys?’ Mick smiled at his team. ‘This could be the best game of your lives if you want it to be. Enjoy your football and you’ll always be a winner!’ Mick yelled. ‘Now, all on your feet.’
An army of lads stomped the dressing room floor.
‘When you go out onto that pitch, lads, where are you playing?’ asked Mick.
‘On the Little Croker!’ came the reply.
‘And how do we play every game?’
‘Like the all Ireland final!’
Chapter Nineteen
Tiger Boots
M ick had given Danny a second chance. Of course, Danny was team captain and the Crokes’ best player, but that didn’t make him invincible.
It was agreed that Jonathon would jump for the throw in as Dempsey had stepped forward.
Danny could see both Dempsey and Savage trying to make eye contact with him to further wind him up, but Danny wasn’t having any of it. He wanted to show everyone that he was better than that – better than them, not just at football, but also in the way he carried himself and represented his team as captain.
Danny had one last look over to the line just to give Mick a thumbs-up when he noticed Trinity and Lowry walking up towards Larry who was standing near Jimmy.
Regina was trailing behind with Granny Maureen. Now, all the Wilde family was here and, most importantly to Danny, Trinity had decided to come after all.
That gave Danny a real boost.
‘All set, lads?’ asked the referee.
Jonathon and Danny nodded. Dempsey and Savage nodded.
‘Best of luck, boys. I know this is a big game, but keep it clean.’
The whistle was blown and the ball was in the air.
Dempsey out-jumped Jonathon and fisted the ball down to Savage. Danny pounced toward Savage like the tiger that Hammer Hughes had compared him to, but Savage cleverly side-stepped Danny’s approach and left the Crokes’ captain face down on the turf.
Jonathon could hear Dempsey laughing at Danny, so he stuck a sneaky elbow into Dempsey’s side as he ran past him. Dempsey tried to retaliate, but Danny quickly jumped to his feet and pulled Jonathon away.
Savage had kicked the ball out to his left half forward who beat Darren Ward, the Crokes’ right half back, then sent a low pass back across the Crokes’ defence to his centre half forward.
The Crokes number six, Alan Whelan, jumped onto the back of the Barnfield forward and sent him crashing to the ground.
The referee blew his whistle. Barnfield had a free kick.
Sean Dempsey was one of the best kickers for Barnfield, and that was one of the reasons why he had made i t onto the Dublin development squad.
Dempsey took the ball to hand, took a few steps forward, then kicked a massive high shot toward the Crokes’ goal. The ball seemed to stay in the air forever, but as it came down, it was noticeable from where Mick and Jimmy were standing that it was going to fall short.
‘Defend!’ Jimmy roared.
Liam Darcy, the Crokes’ keeper, never took his eyes off the ball, but unfortunately, neither did big Johnner Purcell, the Crokes’ full back. The two Crokes’ players clumsily collided.
The ball clattered off Big Johnner’s left shoulder and into the path of the Barnfield full forward.
The number fourteen snatched the lose ball in his hands and thumped it into the back of the Crokes’ net.
GOAL!
Mick glanced across the field. He could see Tommy Dempsey almost break-dancing with joy.
Jimmy patted Mick on the back.
‘No worries, boss!’ encouraged Jimmy. ‘Our boys will bounce back.’
Unfortunately, Jimmy was wrong. The Barnfield centre half forward caught the kick out and sent the ball back toward the Crokes’ goal, scoring a brilliant point.
Things went from bad to worse. The Crokes’ defence lacked discipline
‘Spot on, Mick,’ Jimmy said with a nod.
‘Yiz have put in a superb second half to the season lads, and myself and Jimmy are dead proud of yiz, no matter the result of this game. But guess what, boys?’ Mick smiled at his team. ‘This could be the best game of your lives if you want it to be. Enjoy your football and you’ll always be a winner!’ Mick yelled. ‘Now, all on your feet.’
An army of lads stomped the dressing room floor.
‘When you go out onto that pitch, lads, where are you playing?’ asked Mick.
‘On the Little Croker!’ came the reply.
‘And how do we play every game?’
‘Like the all Ireland final!’
Chapter Nineteen
Tiger Boots
M ick had given Danny a second chance. Of course, Danny was team captain and the Crokes’ best player, but that didn’t make him invincible.
It was agreed that Jonathon would jump for the throw in as Dempsey had stepped forward.
Danny could see both Dempsey and Savage trying to make eye contact with him to further wind him up, but Danny wasn’t having any of it. He wanted to show everyone that he was better than that – better than them, not just at football, but also in the way he carried himself and represented his team as captain.
Danny had one last look over to the line just to give Mick a thumbs-up when he noticed Trinity and Lowry walking up towards Larry who was standing near Jimmy.
Regina was trailing behind with Granny Maureen. Now, all the Wilde family was here and, most importantly to Danny, Trinity had decided to come after all.
That gave Danny a real boost.
‘All set, lads?’ asked the referee.
Jonathon and Danny nodded. Dempsey and Savage nodded.
‘Best of luck, boys. I know this is a big game, but keep it clean.’
The whistle was blown and the ball was in the air.
Dempsey out-jumped Jonathon and fisted the ball down to Savage. Danny pounced toward Savage like the tiger that Hammer Hughes had compared him to, but Savage cleverly side-stepped Danny’s approach and left the Crokes’ captain face down on the turf.
Jonathon could hear Dempsey laughing at Danny, so he stuck a sneaky elbow into Dempsey’s side as he ran past him. Dempsey tried to retaliate, but Danny quickly jumped to his feet and pulled Jonathon away.
Savage had kicked the ball out to his left half forward who beat Darren Ward, the Crokes’ right half back, then sent a low pass back across the Crokes’ defence to his centre half forward.
The Crokes number six, Alan Whelan, jumped onto the back of the Barnfield forward and sent him crashing to the ground.
The referee blew his whistle. Barnfield had a free kick.
Sean Dempsey was one of the best kickers for Barnfield, and that was one of the reasons why he had made i t onto the Dublin development squad.
Dempsey took the ball to hand, took a few steps forward, then kicked a massive high shot toward the Crokes’ goal. The ball seemed to stay in the air forever, but as it came down, it was noticeable from where Mick and Jimmy were standing that it was going to fall short.
‘Defend!’ Jimmy roared.
Liam Darcy, the Crokes’ keeper, never took his eyes off the ball, but unfortunately, neither did big Johnner Purcell, the Crokes’ full back. The two Crokes’ players clumsily collided.
The ball clattered off Big Johnner’s left shoulder and into the path of the Barnfield full forward.
The number fourteen snatched the lose ball in his hands and thumped it into the back of the Crokes’ net.
GOAL!
Mick glanced across the field. He could see Tommy Dempsey almost break-dancing with joy.
Jimmy patted Mick on the back.
‘No worries, boss!’ encouraged Jimmy. ‘Our boys will bounce back.’
Unfortunately, Jimmy was wrong. The Barnfield centre half forward caught the kick out and sent the ball back toward the Crokes’ goal, scoring a brilliant point.
Things went from bad to worse. The Crokes’ defence lacked discipline
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