Chapter 258: Overthinking
The Sunday papers focused heavily on the 0-0 draw with Walsall.
Crawley had controlled most of the match, setting the tempo and dominating possession, but the headlines were all about the missed chances.
Local reporters zeroed in on the Walsall keeper's heroics and more specifically, Dev Patel's reaction in the seventy-eighth minute.
When the keeper tipped Dev's curling shot over the crossbar, the young winger didn't scream or yank his shirt over his face. He didn't even kick the turf. He just turned around and jogged back into position, his face completely blank.
His post-match interview didn't give away much either. Dev had stood in the mixed zone, offering the usual rehearsed answers into the microphone.
"We needed to win," he'd said flatly. "It was a good save. We just have to keep working and look forward to the next match."
Behind that calm front, though, it was a completely different story.
