Chapter 50: The Calm Before the Storm
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The team were still enjoying their 3-1 win over Cheltenham the night before. Thiago, Luka Radev and Max Simons had all played their part, and the result had moved Crawley up to fifth in the league.
That evening, the players went to The Black Dog in Crawley to spend some time with the supporters. The pub was busy, with fans sitting around the tables and talking about the match.
Max, Luka and Thiago were sitting together in one of the booths. Baxter was near the bar, telling the story of Cheltenham's goalkeeper struggling to deal with Max's header.
"He didn't know what was going on," Baxter said.
The fans laughed.
Someone nearby raised his glass.
"To Max's header!"
The table erupted in cheers.
A young girl wearing a Crawley cap walked over to Luka with a small booklet.
"Can you sign this? You're my hero."
Luka smiled and took it from her.
"What's your name?"
"Emily," she said quietly.
