THE BEST GAME I EVER PLAYED

One day a very long, long, long time ago and yet I remember it as if it was only last week, I, Jim Stewart was picked to play for my school football team (well actually I was to be a substitute! (A great achievement for a boy of fourteen whom it has to be said was actually pretty rubbish at football.) I was usually to be found on a rugger pitch on a Saturday morning, playing scrum half, badly!

   However the gods or the P.E. teacher, (to this day I don’t know which) chose to play me in attack, much to the dismay of my fellow team mates who all thought I was the worst player ever, and they would often tell me or shout after me as I missed “sitter after sitter”.

  Today, however, was going to be my day, my best day ever. I would play like my   idols “Tommy McLean” and “Derek Johnston” or at least I would try my hardest     and not miss any so called “sitters!”                                                                     

  1pm kick off, “This is it Jim, this is your chance to shine, to be a hero.”

Now the lads are shouting, “Run Jim, run doon the wing. Go wee man, on ye go! My heart’s in my mouth, almost stopping me from breathing. I run and by some miracle the ball lands right in front of me, but better still almost right on the penalty spot. I’m through, I’m in on goal. “Shoot ya numptie!” The lads cal after me.

   “Easy Jim, easy, take your time.” Who said that in my ear? I don’t know but I’d like to think it was Derek Johnston. “Bottom right corner,” the voice said. “Bottom right”. So, in that split second my mind was made up for me . Bottom right  it would be. The goalie was helpless and just watched as I, “Jimmy Stewart” the worst player imaginable slotted the ball in at the right hand corner, goal!! “Gone yer sell wee man!” “That was a belter!” and “Mare ay the same wee man”, were some of the comments that will stay with me forever. We “the team” won 8-1 and I scored 3 more times in this most memorable game ever.

   Afterwards all my team and even some of the opposition nominated me “Man o’ the match" and I was carried off the pitch “shoulder high2. What a day that was. What a day!!

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