Grant Hanley trudged off the pitch, his face a thunderous mask of injustice, leaving his ten teammates to face the final twenty minutes of a brutal cup derby a man down.
The Orion FC players were buzzing, the scent of a famous victory in their nostrils.
Ethan stood on the sideline, his mind a whirlwind of frantic calculations. The injustice of the red card was a bitter pill to swallow, but he had no time for anger.
He had a crisis to manage.
"Ben!" he roared, getting the attention of his remaining senior center-back, Ben Gibson. "You're the captain now! Get them organized! We're going to a 4-4-1! Drop deep, stay compact! No more gaps!"
On the pitch, the players were a mixture of fury and defiance.
"An absolute joke!" Kenny McLean spat, glaring at the referee. "He won the ball clean!"
"Forget it!" Gibson barked, taking charge. "It's done. We don't complain; we fight. Get in your shape. Now!"
