Chapter 262: FA Cup Round Four (I)

Chapter 262: FA Cup Round Four (I)

The noise from the Broadfield crowd was overwhelming as the players walked out of the tunnel and into the freezing January wind.

Floodlights lit up the overcast afternoon, shining down on a pitch that already looked heavy. It was damp and cold, but the adrenaline of the FA Cup Fourth Round was enough to push it aside.

Niels stood at the edge of his technical area with his hands stuffed deep into his heavy coat pockets, watching his rotated squad take their positions.

The referee blew the whistle, the crowd cheered even louder and the reality of the match immediately set in.

Kickoff:

Notts County hadn’t come to West Sussex to be part of a fairytale. They were a tough League One team and their manager had clearly studied Crawley’s lineup.

Within five minutes, their strategy was obvious: they were going after Benji Cook.

Whenever Crawley tried to build from the back, Notts County pressed hard. They gave Darnell Prince and Harry Thompson just enough space to receive the ball, but as soon as either center-back looked up, every pass into midfield was blocked.

They were forcing Crawley’s defenders to pass backward to their young goalie.

The second the ball rolled toward Benji, a Notts County forward would sprint directly at him.

They wanted to test the kid’s nerves and see if he would panic with a big, experienced striker charging at him on a muddy field.

For the first twenty minutes, Crawley couldn’t get into a rhythm. Kieron Marsh battled hard in the middle of the pitch, throwing himself into heavy tackles and fighting for loose balls, but it was just too crowded.

Crawley’s usual passing game was completely shut down by the other team’s physical play.

In the twenty-fourth minute, the constant pressure finally forced the mistake Notts County had been waiting for.

Trapped near the right corner flag, Darnell Prince rushed a heavy pass back to Benji. The ball bounced awkwardly over a rough patch of grass.

Benji took a touch to control it and looked up. The Notts County striker was already closing in, sliding to block the clearance.

Instead of just booting it into the stands the safe choice Benji tried to be clever. He spotted Kieron drifting into a small pocket of space near the center circle and tried to slide a low pass right through the middle of the attackers.

It was a terrible decision.

The pass didn’t have enough pace on it. A Notts County midfielder read the young goalie’s eyes, stepped out in front of Kieron, and cleanly intercepted the ball just twenty-five yards from the goal.

The crowd at Broadfield let out a collective gasp.

On the sideline, Gary grabbed his head. It was exactly the kind of massive mistake that can ruin a young goalkeeper’s career.

The midfielder took one touch to set himself and fired a powerful, dipping shot straight toward the bottom left corner.

For a split second, everyone in the stadium was likely thinking of Adam Fletcher’s veteran calm. Fletcher would have been in a better position. Fletcher wouldn’t have tried that pass.

But Benji didn’t have Fletcher’s experience. What he did have was pure athleticism.

Realizing his mistake the moment he kicked the ball, Benji didn’t freeze. He scrambled backward struggling for grip on the wet grass and threw himself horizontally through the air.

He stretched his right arm out as far as he could and somehow got a strong hand on the ball just inches before it crossed the line.

It bounced off his glove, smashed into the bottom of the post, and rebounded out. Harry Thompson quickly booted it away into the stands.

The stadium erupted in a mix of absolute panic and overwhelming relief.

Benji scrambled to his feet, his kit covered in mud. He didn’t look down or apologize. He just puffed out his chest, let out a loud shout, and smacked his muddy gloves together yelling at his defense to push up the field.

On the sideline, Niels let out a long breath. The kid had caused a disaster but he’d managed to fix it himself.

Judging by Benji’s body language, that incredible save had given him a huge boost of confidence.

All his earlier nervousness was gone.

Crawley fed off that energy. Their tackles got harder, and the pace of the game quickened.

In the thirty-ninth minute, Crawley finally broke through the Notts County defense.

Nate Sutton picked up a loose ball on the left wing. He slipped past his defender with a quick drop of the shoulder and cut inside, drawing the defense toward him. Looking up, he spotted Korey Henry sprinting down the opposite side of the field.

Nate hit a perfect cross-field pass.

Korey took it in stride. His speed immediately put the Notts County left-back on his heels. Korey drove hard toward the end line, looking like he was going to cross, before quickly cutting the ball back inside onto his stronger foot.

The defender went sliding past him in the mud. With a clear look at the goal, Korey fired a powerful shot toward the near post.

It was heading straight for the top of the net, but the Notts County keeper made a great diving save, tipping the ball just over the bar with his fingertips.

The home crowd roared. Crawley was finally getting close.

But momentum can shift fast in cup matches.

The ball landed behind the goal, and Korey dropped to his knees for a second, staring at the net in disbelief.

He had beaten the defender.

He had beaten the keeper.

He had just been denied by fingertips.

"Unlucky!" Nate shouted, jogging over and pulling him back to his feet.

Korey nodded, still breathing heavily.

Crawley took the corner quickly, hoping to keep the pressure on. The ball was swung toward the near post, where Darnell Prince rose above everyone and managed to get his head to it.

But his header sailed over the crossbar.

Notts County’s players immediately began pushing out.

"Get back! Get back!" Niels shouted from the touchline.

He knew what was coming.

Crawley had committed numbers forward, and Notts County had been waiting for exactly this moment.

The clearance found their midfielder near halfway.

One touch.

Then another.

Suddenly, the whole Notts County attack was moving forward.

Notts County immediately broke on the counter. Their winger raced into the space behind Crawley’s full-back and whipped a dangerous ball across the six-yard box.

Benji stepped forward, but Darnell Prince got there first, throwing himself in front of it and smashing the ball clear.

The crowd roared again.

Crawley had survived.

In the forty-third minute, completely against the flow of the game, Notts County picked up a cheap corner off a deflected clearance.

The cross came in fast, curling right into a packed six-yard box. Amid a mess of grabbing shirts and flying elbows, a big Notts County center-back timed his jump perfectly.

He overpowered Darnell Prince in the air and drove a strong header straight down.

The ball bounced hard off the wet grass and flew past Benji before he could even react.

0-1.

The small section of away fans went wild their cheers ringing out through the sudden silence of the home crowd.

The goal knocked Crawley completely off balance.

For the next few minutes, they looked stunned. Their passing got sloppy, and they were suddenly a step slow to every ball. Notts County sensed the shift and pushed forward, pinning Crawley deep in their own half.

Still, Crawley didn’t give up. They tried everything to get back into the game. Nate Sutton kept attacking down the left, Korey Henry looked for space on the right, and Kieron Marsh fought hard in midfield constantly asking for the ball.

They managed to create a few chances, but the final touch was always just a bit off a pass slightly too heavy, a cross too high, or a defender stepping in at the very last second.

Then, in stoppage time, Keiron finally found some room outside the box. He hit the ball cleanly. It flew through a crowd of players and skipped just wide of the post. Marsh grabbed his head in frustration.

That was their chance.

Crawley kept pushing, but Notts County dug in and cleared away everything that came near their box. The home team had thrown everything they had at finding an equalizer, but it just wasn’t coming together.

When the halftime whistle blew, the Crawley players walked toward the tunnel with their heads down. Rain fell as they went inside to the warm dressing room.

Inside the dressing room, the mood was tense.

Benji sat quietly in the corner staring at his gloves. He was clearly thinking about the goal and the mistake he had made earlier.

Kieron was breathing hard, frustrated, as he drank from a bottle of water.

Niels walked into the room. He didn’t slam the door or throw anything. He calmly walked to the middle of the dressing room.

He looked at the young goalkeeper. "Great save, Benji," Niels said, breaking the silence. "You kept us in the game. Forget the rest. The goal wasn’t your fault."

Benji looked up surprised and nodded. Some of the tension left his shoulders.

Niels turned to the rest of the team.

"We’re losing," he said, "because we’re playing the game they want."

He walked to the tactical board and picked up a marker.

"They’re pressing us because they know we want to play from the back. They want a physical game, and we’re giving it to them by trying to make short passes through a crowded midfield."

Niels tapped the marker aggressively against the board, circling the area behind the Notts County defense.

"Forget the pretty football," Niels said firmly. "We’re changing our approach. If they’re pressing us with four players, there’s a lot of space behind them. Stop forcing the ball through Kieron. I want us to play direct."

He looked at Darnell and Harry.

"When you get the ball, don’t hesitate. Look for Leo."

Then he pointed at Nate and Korey.

"You two, run off Leo. Don’t wait for the ball at your feet. Run into the space. Let them deal with the long balls. Make them run backward in the mud."

Niels paused as the team took it in. It wasn’t the passing football they had practiced, but that didn’t matter now.

He wanted to win.

"They think they can bully us," Niels said. "Show them we can play ugly too. Now get back out there."