Chapter 42: A Dream Start
August 7, 2004, afternoon — Madejski Stadium, Reading.
First round of the Championship: Bayswater Chinese FC faced Reading away from home.
Before the match, assistant coach Wally Downes strode into the home team's dressing room.
He held up a sheet of paper and said to head coach Steve Coppell, "Their starting lineup is out."
Coppell walked over and took the sheet from Downes.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart;Defense: Capaldi, José Fonte, Koscielny, and Kevin Foley;Midfield: Huddlestone sitting deep, Lass Diarra and Modrić in central roles;Forwards: Ribéry, Kitson, and Aaron Lennon.
When Coppell's eyes landed on Dave Kitson's name, a flicker of displeasure crossed his face.
He had been tracking the player since his time at Cambridge United.
But before he could make a move, Yang Cheng beat him to it.
£150,000!After last season's performance, his value must have multiplied.
"Looks like he's sticking with most of last season's lineup — only Martin Devaney has been replaced by Aaron Lennon, Roger Johnson by José Fonte, and Martin Rowlands by Lass Diarra."
The other assistant coach, Kevin Dillon, mumbled as he scanned the list.
When Martin Rowlands' name came up, Wally Downes' face turned grim.
If Coppell's grudge against Bayswater Chinese FC stemmed from Dave Kitson, then Downes' resentment was all about Martin Rowlands.
Back in 2001, when Coppell managed Brentford, Downes had been his assistant.
When Coppell stepped down in the summer of 2002, Downes stayed to assist the new manager, eventually becoming Brentford's head coach himself.
But under Downes, Rowlands never earned his trust.
To many Brentford fans, Rowlands' free transfer exit was Downes' fault.
And, of all ironies, after moving to Bayswater Chinese FC, Rowlands exploded with form — helping the team gain promotion from League Two and even winning both the League Two and Football League Trophy titles.
Later, he earned a £3 million move to QPR.
That fee might not have been astronomical in League Two, but for Brentford, it was a massive loss.
To make matters worse, Brentford had a rough season and barely avoided relegation.
Downes took the fall and was sacked by mid-March.
Naturally, his grudge against Bayswater Chinese FC only grew.
This summer, Downes accepted Coppell's offer to be his assistant at Reading.
Now, with both of them harboring resentment toward Yang Cheng and Bayswater Chinese FC, it felt like divine fate that their first match of the season was against them.
Especially after seeing the Chinese side's starting formation — once again a 4-3-3 — they were convinced: Bayswater Chinese FC was doomed.
Coppell immediately started making tactical adjustments.
He wanted to use the home advantage to press Bayswater Chinese FC from the very first minute, cutting off their fluid passing and movement.
Even if it meant committing fouls.
He placed high hopes on 1.91m Glenn Little to dominate the right flank and suppress Capaldi on the opposing left side.
"Remember, that guy's good going forward but weak in defense. With Ribéry ahead of him, he's not getting much cover."
"That's our breakthrough point. Exploit it — break it open!"
After the tactical instructions, Coppell gave his final pre-match speech.
"Tonight, we're at home. It's the first match of the season. Our opponent? A bunch of rookies with zero Championship experience. Never even played in the second division."
"We're going to teach them a hard lesson in front of 15,000 home fans."
"Let those bastards know — the Championship is a warzone!"
"Send them back to London!"
The locker room erupted.
The players were fired up, practically foaming with adrenaline.
...
14:59.
Less than a minute to kickoff.
Bayswater Chinese FC, in red, would kick off.
Kitson and Ribéry stood at the center circle, waiting for referee Crossley's whistle.
If they had a choice, Bayswater Chinese FC would have preferred to choose ends, not possession.
But their clumsy little captain lost the coin toss.
Thinking about it, Ribéry couldn't help turning to shoot an annoyed glance at Modrić outside the circle.
Modrić noticed Ribéry's look, grinned, and tugged on the captain's armband. Then he turned to Lass Diarra.
The Frenchman was muttering to himself.
"100! Press! 200! Don't hog the ball!"
Modrić thought Lass was acting a little odd today. What was he even doing?
"Lass," he called.
Not only did Lass Diarra look over, but Huddlestone behind him did too.
"Call it. Clock. Got it?"
Modrić spoke good English, but Lass was still getting used to things.
Still, they had already worked out a code system.
In their 4-3-3, Huddlestone stayed back as anchor.
Lass Diarra was the ball-winner.
Yang Cheng didn't limit his position — he could run freely, as long as he won the ball.
After winning it, he had several passing options.
If near the attack, Ribéry was the priority.
In midfield, Modrić.
If both were unavailable, Huddlestone.
So his teammates needed a signal when he was about to make a move.
He'd shout a number — referencing clock direction — to indicate where he was running.
Lass nodded at Modrić and gave a thumbs-up.
"100! Press! 200! Don't hog the ball!"
...
With the referee's whistle and a wave of cheers from the crowd, the match began.
Kitson tapped the ball to Ribéry, then darted forward.
Ribéry received and, seeing a defender charge at him, immediately returned the ball.
Here it comes!Lass Diarra controlled the ball instinctively. Even though a defender was closing in, he wanted to carry it forward.
He had confidence in his technique.
But then — a gleaming golden number popped up in his mind.
£200.
Diarra snapped to attention and passed the ball back.
Without that penalty system, he might've given it away on purpose just to win it back and pad his interception stats.
Huddlestone passed to Modrić.
Still 18 but already wearing the captain's armband, Modrić was under the spotlight.
This match was being broadcast live across the UK.
Facing Steve Sidwell, he feinted right, then quickly cut left, leaving Sidwell wrong-footed.
After a few steps, he passed forward.
Ribéry took the ball on the left and immediately beat a defender.
The French winger's speed — especially his burst — was unstoppable one-on-one.
Cutting in toward the center, Ribéry drew attention before passing back into the middle.
Modrić arrived, stopped suddenly to control, then quickly shifted it to the right.
At that moment, everyone noticed that Aaron Lennon had been waiting wide on the right all along.
The 17-year-old red-clad youngster exploded forward like a Ferrari at full throttle, chasing down Modrić's pass and surging ahead.
Reading's left-back Nicky Shorey didn't even get close before Lennon blew past him, storming into the right side of the box and delivering a low cross.
Too fast!
Kitson charged into the middle, used his body to shield the center-back, and stretched his left foot to meet the cross — sending the ball into Marcus Hahnemann's net.
"GOAL!!!!"
"Less than one minute into the match, Dave Kitson scores Bayswater Chinese FC's first goal of the season!"
"It's also the first goal in club history at the second-tier level!"
The Bayswater Chinese FC players went wild on the pitch, roaring and cheering.
On the sideline, Yang Cheng jumped up in celebration.
No one expected a lead so early — under one minute into the game.
This was a dream start!
...
Steve Coppell never imagined that his carefully laid plan would collapse in under a minute.
Even more shocking — the scorer was Dave Kitson.
What kind of club was Reading?A promotion-chasing Championship side!Last season, they missed the playoff spot by just 3 points.
Coppell's goal this season was promotion to the Premier League.
No way could he accept a loss at home in the season opener — especially not to a newly promoted side.
Especially not them — Bayswater Chinese FC.
Coppell screamed from the sideline, urging his players to press harder.
He wanted more intensity — get that goal back!
But as Reading tried to regroup and build an attack, they immediately hit a wall.
In the 4th minute, midfielder Andrew Hughes had just received the ball when a black blur swooped in from behind and stole it.
"100!"
Hughes was stunned.
Where the hell did this guy come from?And what the hell does "100" mean?An insult?
Six minutes later, right midfielder Glenn Little tracked back to receive a pass — but before he could control it, Diarra had already closed him down.
Short and nimble, the Frenchman pressed in tightly against the much taller Little, completely disrupting him.
Before Little could adjust, Diarra stole the ball again.
"200!"
Damn it!
What's going on?
Little chased after Diarra furiously.
But the Frenchman immediately passed it off to Ribéry to start another attack.
Diarra ran off with a smirk. Little was left fuming.
Every time Reading tried to build, Diarra was there — chasing, harassing, intercepting.
To him, stamina might as well be infinite.
Of course, no one in the stadium — except maybe Yang Cheng — knew what those numbers Diarra kept muttering meant.
Later, when he snatched the ball from Reading's James Harper, the number changed again — 300.
But when he received a pass and lingered on the ball too long, Sidwell nailed him with a sliding tackle.
Fuming, Diarra glared at Sidwell like he'd just murdered his family, eyes burning red.
From then on, he started shouting "100" again.
He ran faster, tackled harder, pressed more fiercely.
Even Steve Coppell on the sidelines was dumbfounded.
Where the hell did this monster come from?
(End of Chapter)