The opposition team pulled into the parking lot of Rockliffe Park around half past the morning, two and a half hours before the match was supposed to begin.

The opposing players stepped off the bus, some of them had their kit bags slung over their shoulders, others held them in one hand, while some just had a small bag in their hand and a phone in the other.

David, along with some of the assistant coaches, went to welcome them and lead them to their accommodations.

Will, along with the rest of the Middlesbrough U-18 players, had already arrived earlier in the day and were currently changing into their warmup outfits. They would still have to go out and practice before the match actually commenced.

David came in a few minutes later, and after saying a few words, the players filed out and went for their pre match practice session.

Will didn’t do much during this practice session. They were just warming up and doing a few final touch ups before the match. There was no need for him to overexert himself.

About ten minutes into the warmup, he caught himself searching for Chloe. She was there early in the morning when he arrived to do some training of his own and from how she spoke, she was going to be watching the match. He didn’t manage to see Chloe, but what he did see brought a smile to his face.

He found his mum, sister, and dad in the small crowd, waving at him as soon as their eyes met. He waved back and continued focusing on the warmups.

When they were done, they headed back into the locker room, took a shower and changed into their jerseys so that they could go out for the second preseason match.

"So you’re on the bench today." Will turned and saw Alex, who had already changed into his jersey, walking towards him with a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Will nodded.

"Thank God!" Alex sighed. "I was worried I’d have to watch the boring match all by myself."

"Fuck off!" Will shoved Alex, causing the latter to burst out laughing.

"On a serious note though, you should get some game time," Alex said. "It’s a friendly, so he’d sub you in if we’re winning, and he’d still sub you in if we’re losing. Make a difference and all that."

"Yeah, I already figured that," Will said.

"So why are you still looking like you caught someone piping your girl?" Alex asked.

Will gave him a side eye for his analogy, before shaking his head. "It’s nothing."

How could Will possibly explain that he was bummed out because the odds were stacked against him in regard to completing the system’s mission? He was supposed to get an average rating of 8.0 in his preseason friendlies, but unless the club managed to organize another one, then it was in jeopardy.

"Whatever man," Alex raised his hand and walked out of the locker room.

A few seconds later, Will did the same, and then the pair walked out to the pitch together with the rest of the subs.

The two teams walked out of the tunnel and after the pre game formalities were complete, the referee blew his whistle and the match commenced.

The beginning of the match was a bit boring. It was basically the two teams feeling each other out and testing themselves. A couple of shots were made by either side but that was it.

It was after the twenty minute mark that things got interesting. The two sides were now playing without their initial respect for each other, and it was now an end to end game, exciting the crowd very much.

They were worried for the team that they supported but were very loud in cheering whenever their team got a chance at goal. The game state made the atmosphere in the training ground very nice and better than what it would have been normally.

The match continued like that until a few minutes into the second half when the two teams began dropping the intensity with which they played. As much as the match excited the players, they were still teenagers and their bodies could not keep up with that intensity for long.

In the end, the first half came to a close with neither side managing to get a goal. The scoreline however, did not do justice to the quality of attacking football that was being displayed.

After the referee blew his whistle, the two teams went back into their locker rooms for their fifteen minute break before the second half would begin.

"Alright boys, I like what I’ve seen from you in the attacking department, but that’s it. That’s as far as it goes," David said. "I told you that they like to play this kind of high intensity football and I told you to always try to slow down the tempo, but you went and played right into their hands. They’re mainly a counter attacking team, so this chaotic game state is where they thrive. We need to slow things down so that they cannot take advantage of the chaos."

David looked around. "Marcus, you’re coming in for Daniel." He took one more glance around the room and his eyes eventually settled on Will. "Smithson, you’re coming in for Miles."

Will internally pumped his fists when he heard that he was going to come on at half time. He maintained a calm outward appearance and nodded his head slightly.

"I’m bringing you in to calm the game, not to play in their chaos. I know that’s where you thrive but today is going to be your first real challenge. It’s just a friendly, but this can mean so much more if you grab this opportunity by the scruff of the neck."

"I understand," Will nodded.

"Alright boys, let’s get back out there and give these fuckers a beating to send them back to Scotland!" David screamed, causing the team to reply with passionate screams.

After a couple more discussions, the Middlesbrough U-18 players went out onto the field and waited for the referee to blow his whistle so that the second half would commence.