Dodgy Tackle: Part 3

Only three of the starting eleven from Epping Forest Utd had ever been inside the ground at White Hart Lane and then only as spectators. They were in danger of being overwhelmed by the huge football ground and the sea of home supporters in blue and white who came to cheer on the home side. Manager Drury pointed to the pitch and reminded his team that it was the same as the one at Epping Forest and identified the small ripple of fans in red and yellow who had come out to see them make history. The manager’s words gave them the reassurance they needed.

In the opening minute of the match, things looked like they were going to go down the predicted route when Fonsecca received a well aimed pass and streaked down the pitch past a spellbound defender. As he closed in on the goal, he kicked the ball with a thunderous strike that all of the 30,000 Tottenham fans were certain was going to end up in the back of the net. Somehow, by some miracle, the Epping Forest goalkeeper took a giant leap and managed to get his fingers on the ball just enough to knock it off its intended path. Any ideas of Spurs scoring on the ensuing corner were quickly dashed as Andy easily headed the kick out of harm’s way.

Tottenham fans were dead certain it would only be a matter of minutes until their team scored. When Andy easily headed the ensuing corner out of harm’s way, their thoughts remained the same. However, Andy and his Epping Forest Utd teammates had other ideas. Andy’s bulky six foot one frame combined with his suprising quickness helped him establish his dominance in mid-field. He seemed to be everywhere, frustrating the Spurs mid-fielders with every kick of the ball. They couldn’t get anything past him and on the one occasion they did, even the least knowledgable football pundit could see that Fonsecca was miles offside.

Twenty-five minutes in, his dominance began shifting the flow of the match Forest’s way. He sent three really good balls into the Tottenham box and only premiership defending prevented catastrophe for Spurs. Then in the thirty-first minute, he sent a perfect fourth ball in that landed right on the foot of the Epping Forest striker. Teammate Jason Blakeborough struck true and his shot whistled past the Tottenham keeper just inches wide of the right post. The miss brought sighs of relief from the 30,000 Tottenham fans and encouraging shouts of “unlucky” from the small band of Epping Forest supporters.

The ensuing goal kick was headed by a Tottenham mid-fielder straight to Fonsecca. In the second the Spanish star took to control the ball, Andy was there to take it off him and pass it to a teammate before he had any time to react. After he made the pass, Andy noticed Fonsecca looking at him with disdain. The Spaniard muttered something to him in his native tongue and though Andy didn’t understand Spanish, the tone in which it was said sounded derogatory.

Ten minutes later, Forest were looking the better side. Instead of going forward, Fonsecca had to drop back as most of the play now was in the Tottenham half of the pitch. He controlled a pass and dribbled past one Forest player. Andy reacted, determined that this rapist wasn’t going to get past him. He slid for the ball and as he slid, something in his mind compelled to raise his extended leg off the ground. He didn’t drop his leg as he homed in on his opponent and with his raised leg, struck Fonsecca just above the knee with the bottom of his boot. Momentum going in opposite directions forced Fonsecca to do a beautiful somersault over the sliding Andy. He landed with a thud and immediately grabbed his injured thigh while flopping around like a dying fish and screaming in agony. Andy simply stood up doing his best to conceal his smug grin.

Spurs medical staffed immediately rushed out onto the pitch to treat their fallen star. They had reached him before the referee had gone to the fouler and after a brief fumble, produced the red card holding it high for all the crowd to see. Andy’s match was over. As he turned to leave the pitch, he couldn’t help not to notice the perplexed and disappointed looks he was getting from his teammates. His team captain looked especially hurt and mouthed “Why?”

Andy smirked, “It was worth it.”

Before leaving the pitch, he took one last good look at Fonsecca who lay on the pitch with the medical team attending to him, still squealing in pain. In his mind, it was those squeals which drowned out the chorus off boos the Spurs fans were giving him as he exited the pitch.

Felipe Fonsecca had to be stretchered off the pitch but unlike Andy, it was to a roaring ovation. The match was never the same when it resumed after Andy’s dismissal. Spurs immediately began exploited the empty space left by Andy and now having one more player on the pitch, began taking the play to Forest. The Portugese sub for Fonsecca ran rings around the Forest defense and two minutes before half time, his shot found the back of the net.

Epping Forest Utd might as well not have come out for the second half because Tottenham totally dominated it. He might not have been Fonsecca, but the Portugese star was a constant thorn in the Forest side, who had no answer in stopping him. He scored two more goals and very late in the game, another Spurs player added a fourth for a 4-0 rout and securing a place in the FA Cup fourth round.

It was probably best for Andy that the rest of the team ignored him on the bus ride home. He was left to his thoughts but the more he thought about his foul and sending off, the more convinced he was that he was right. The FA should have never let that rapist back into the beautiful game, therefore, he did football a favour by putting him out for the rest of the match and quite possibly, the season. On the other hand, he was extremely remorseful that he had let his team down.