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Roddy.
    Jason looked uncomfortable. “Oh, stuff about the fire, and a phantom footballer,” he said. “But you don’t want to listen to that sort of rubbish. You’re here for a football trial. Come on. I’ve still got to show you the swimming pool and the gym.
    They all got up, and he led them back towards the main school. Roddy trailed his hands over the seats as they left them. If there was any luck to be had from them, he wanted to make sure he got as much of it as possible.

5. At the Trial
    Back at the main building, Roddy’s group joined all the other hopefuls in the dining room. While everyone was having a drink, Mr Jenkins appeared. Roddy was very pleased to see a familiar face.
    â€œHe was at the summer school day I went on,” he explained to Geno excitedly. “He was the one who asked me to come to this trial.”
    Mr Jenkins clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention, and the room fell silent.
    â€œI’m Mr Jenkins, head coach for the juniors,” he told them. “Some of you will have met me before. I try to get to as many summer schools as possible, but I don’t manage to beat all of them.” He paused and looked over the crowd of people in front of him.
    â€œI’d like to welcome you to Stadium School, and to thank you all for coming. I know some of you have travelled long distances to get here. I also know that uppermost in your minds will be the trial, and in a few minutes we’ll go over to the changing rooms and get started. But here at Stadium School we can afford to be very choosy, and we like to think that every student who comes here has the right attitude, as well as the right skills to fit in. That is why we invite all our prospective students to stay overnight with us. We can get an idea of what sort of person you are, and hopefully you can find out enough about the school to decide if you’ll be happy here.”
    Mr Jenkins looked to his right, where Jason and a girl from the school were waiting. “OK. Girls, you follow Debbie, and boys, go withJason. Your strips are already in the changing rooms. I’ll see you out on the field in 20 minutes.”
    Roddy grabbed his kitbag. His dad had bought him new shin pads with ankle support especially for today. Roddy hoped they’d do the trick and keep his ankle well protected. In the changing room, he took his blue shorts and blue-and-green shirt, and found a space to get changed.
    During the guided tour, Roddy had felt quite calm, but as he pulled the shirt over his head, his mouth felt dry. In a few minutes, he would be out there on the practice pitch, doing his best to win a place at this school.
    Geno was already changed and, as Roddy finished lacing his boots, his new friend came to stand with him. Geno was looking pale and scared, but there was a determination in his face that Roddy hadn’t noticed before.
    â€œWell,” Roddy said to Geno. “This is it. Good luck.”
    â€œGood luck to you, too,” said Geno, offering his hand. Roddy hadn’t ever shaken hands with a friend before. It felt as if he was crossing some sort of frontier, as if he was growing up in a sudden jerk.
    The last boot had been tied, the last shirt put on. Everyone was ready. Roddy and Geno pushed their way out of the changing rooms and onto the pitch. The girls were already there, some standing still and others warming up with stretches or short sprints. They all looked anxious and edgy.
    Roddy saw Mr Jenkins approaching and nudged Geno. The players were split up into eight teams of eleven, and Roddy was pleased to have been put with his new friend. The teams had a few minutes to get to know each other and sort out tactics before the matchesbegan. Roddy looked across at their opponents and recognised Keira doing some stretches.
    It was a sunny day, but a cool breeze was blowing. The conditions were perfect, and the turf was pretty good, too. Roddy was impressed. For a