Chapter 145: Back to the Grind
Saturday, October, 2010
The bus ride to Gillingham felt less like a team trip and more like a quiet, solemn journey. The usual card games and loud laughter were nowhere to be found.
Instead, a heavy, thoughtful quiet filled the air. Each player sat alone with their thoughts, replaying Niels's words and the grueling training sessions from the past week.
The harsh headlines, critical articles, and the memory of their poor game against Hartlepool had been hard to take but this week's training changed everything.
The team wasn't tired anymore and they were tougher. They weren't distracted; they were fully focused on the challenge ahead.
Jamal Osei, the quiet anchor in midfield, stared out the window, visualizing every tackle he'd need to make.
Beside him, Dev Patel wore his headphones, but no music played he was deep in thought, mentally walking through every simple pass and first touch, determined not to repeat last week's mistake.
