Cherreads

Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Let Them See

February 9, 2015 – Motspur ParkBarclays U21 Premier League – Fulham vs Tottenham

The air was wet and sharp with winter bite, the kind that made each breath feel like a blade. The pitch, though soft, was freshly cut, and the empty stands offered nothing but echoes and wind.

To most, it was just a youth league game.To me, it was the prologue of my resurrection.

🧠 Mental State: Focused 📈 Sync Active: Son Heung-min (Attributes Boosted) 🎯 Personal Goal: First Career Hat-Trick

We lined up in a 4–2–3–1.Coach mumbled about staying disciplined and playing our patterns. I nodded, pretending to listen.

But I already knew where the gaps would be. Fulham pressed with five but dropped with six. That meant the space was always in transition — just behind their midfield, before their defenders could step up.

That space belonged to me.

⚽ 9th Minute – Goal 1

The play started innocently — Nathan Byrne with a throw-in on the left. Winks dropped deep to collect and quickly switched play across the backline. The tempo slowed, then accelerated as Kyle Walker-Peters overlapped on the right.

He received the pass and pushed forward. Their left-back stepped toward him.

That was my cue.

I drifted into the right half-space, just behind Fulham's holding midfielder.The moment Walker-Peters squared it inside, Winks met it and zipped a vertical pass into my path.

First touch — soft.Second touch — forward.Their center-back lunged.

Too slow.

I slid the ball past the keeper's outstretched foot and into the bottom left corner.

No wild celebration. Just a cold nod and a jog back.

But deep inside, I could feel it.

The first spark.

⚽ 31st Minute – Goal 2

They tried to respond — more aggression, quicker passes — but they lacked creativity. Their buildup stalled, their midfield shape started to fray.

After a turnover on the halfway line, Harry Winks pounced and immediately played forward. I received the ball just past the center circle and scanned quickly — no one within five yards.

I drove forward.

Coulthirst made a diagonal run, dragging their right center-back wide.I faked left, shifted right — and just like that, I was one-on-one.

The keeper came out, narrowing the angle. I didn't break stride.Right foot. Light chip.

The ball soared briefly, then dipped under the bar with cruel precision.

2–0.

I stood still. Then slowly, with every eye watching, I raised my hand and curled it into the eye-trick pose.

The first time I ever did it.

But not the last.

⚽ 62nd Minute – Goal 3

The hat-trick came like thunder.

We built slowly from the back — Ogilvie to Winks, Winks to Pritchard. Fulham had dropped into a low block now, worn down by the press, hesitant to engage.

I found a pocket of space between their midfield and defense again, gesturing subtly.

Pritchard saw me. Pass fired in. I let it run across my body, drawing their central midfielder out of position.

I turned. Space opened.

And I let fly — a first-time half-volley from 25 yards.

The ball sailed like a missile, curving away from the keeper and crashing into the top corner.

Gasps. Silence. A few claps, even from their side.

I didn't celebrate.I stared into the stands — where the senior staff sometimes sat.I knew someone was watching.

And then I did it again.Fingers to my eye."Let them see."

🔚 Final Score: Fulham U21 0 – 3 Tottenham U21

[Dele Alli – 9', 31', 62']

[SYSTEM UPDATE]🎉 First Hat-Trick Achieved🆓 Bonus Skill Slot: UNLOCKED (Expires in 48h)👥 Teammate Affinity Increased: Winks +20

On the bus ride home, I didn't say a word. But I could feel it. The shift.I wasn't a prospect anymore.

I was a problem.

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