August 25, 2012 – Carrington Training Ground & Derby County Academy Stadium
Alex tied the laces of his boots twice — not out of superstition, but to steady his nerves. He glanced at the whiteboard in the changing room one more time.
Starting XI – vs Derby U21Formation: 4-2-3-1
ST: Curtis Doyle
CAM: Alexander Marshall
LM: Tom Lawrence
RM: Jesse Lingard
CM: Tunnicliffe
CM : Ekangamene
LB: Blackett
CB: Thorpe
CB : Fornasier
RB: Veseli
GK: Ben Amos
He was starting. Central Attacking Midfielder. The engine.
[System Alert: "First U21 League Start" Triggered]Temporary Boosts: +2 Tactical Awareness, +1 Passing, +2 Composure
Alex exhaled slowly. "Showtime."
The bus buzzed with quiet energy. Some players had headphones on, others tapped away on their phones. Curtis sat diagonally across from Alex, flicking through clips of his own goals.
Jesse leaned over. "You good?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah. Just visualizing the match."
"Visualize feeding me an assist, yeah?"
Alex smirked. "Only if you make the run this time."
Jesse laughed. "This lad's got jokes now."
[+1 Charisma]Trait Update: "Locker Room Chemistry" – Moderate (Growing)
Match Start – Derby U21 vs Manchester United U21
Pride Park Training Ground
The whistle blew. The ball rolled. And right away, Derby pressed hard.
Their midfield played tight and dirty. Every touch Alex took had a boot snapping at his heels. Every pass had to be fast or it was gone.
He misjudged one early.
6th minute — Derby stole the ball and launched a counter.
"Track back, Marshall!" McGuinness yelled.
Alex sprinted back and slid in late. The referee blew the whistle — foul. Free kick.
[-2 Match Rating Penalty]"Nervous Start" Status Applied – Duration: 10 minutes
He muttered under his breath. "Get a grip."
Derby kept pressing United's midfield, forcing errors. After a shaky clearance from Tunnicliffe, their number 11 pounced.
One quick switch to the left flank, a low cross into the box—and bang. Their striker, a tall No. 9, ghosted past Fornasier and slotted it into the bottom corner past Ben Amos.
0–1 to Derby.
The home bench erupted. Their players rushed the goal scorer, sliding on their knees toward the corner flag. One even cupped his hand to his ear, staring straight at the United bench.
"Oi! Thought you lot were Premier League!" he shouted.
Laughter followed. Derby's midfield captain jogged past Alex and muttered, "Welcome to the real league, wonderboy."
Alex's jaw tightened. His breath came short and sharp.
[System Note: "Conceded While Under Pressure"]Trigger: "Verbal Provocation" — Mental Resilience CheckEmotional State: Focus -1 | Urgency +3 | Grit Path Progress +5%
Coach McGuinness barked from the sideline. "We go again! Don't drop your heads!"
But Alex wasn't dropping. He was burning.
A ball came flying from Veseli down the right flank.
Alex took one touch — perfect.
He turned past the marker with a body feint, drove forward, and fed Curtis through the middle.
Curtis was one-on-one.
He… hesitated. Tried to nutmeg the keeper. Saved.
Alex blinked. "Shoot the damn ball."
Curtis ignored him.
[System Prompt: "In-Game Decision Conflict"]
Curtis Doyle Relationship -2 Public Visibility: Coach McGuinness (Watching Closely)
As he turned in midfield, a Derby midfielder — number 6, their captain — slammed into him shoulder-first.
Alex went flying. Grass. Elbow burn. Winded.
No foul.
He sat up, shaking.
[System Triggered: "Grit Check"]
Pass or fail moment: Will you back down or dig in?
Choice: "Get Up and Respond"
Selected Reward: +2 Strength, Trait Progress – "Never Back Down" (18%)
Alex stood, teeth gritted. He didn't say a word. But the fire in his eyes was new.
United were down 0–1 from a 12th-minute header.
Alex picked up a loose ball near the halfway line. Everyone expected a simple pass.
Instead, he drove.
One, two — beat two midfielders.
Thirty yards out.
He shoot.
It screamed inches wide.
Gasps. Even Derby's keeper looked worried.
+1 Shooting+1 Confidence Rooney Mentorship Progress: 4/5
"Now we're talking," Jesse muttered under his breath.
The team turn in, sweating and frustrated.
Coach McGuinness was blunt. "We're being bullied. Marshall, you want to run the game? Step up. Stop ghosting between flashes."
Curtis added, "He'd play better if he passed to me quicker."
Alex turned. "You had a one-on-one and bottled it."
Curtis stepped forward. "You saying I'm the problem?"
Jesse stood between them. "Hey, save it for the second half."
[On-Field Conflict: Public Argument]
Coach Observation: Tension Noted (Impact Pending)
Rivalry Path Deepens – Curtis Doyle (Rivalry Level: 2)
Trait Progress: "Fire & Focus" — Unlocked (Passive boost when emotions are high)
Second Half starts.
Something had changed in Alex.
His movements became sharper. He demanded the ball more and take control of the game.
53rd minute,he dropped deep, turned past a press, and pinged a diagonal to Jesse.
62nd minute he combined with Tom Lawrence on the left, flicked a backheel through two defenders. Lawrence makes a cross to the middle.
Curtis latched on and scored.
But he didn't celebrate.
Alex didn't either.
Just turned back toward the halfway line.
Assist Recorded+2 Vision+1 Passing Team Chemistry: Jesse +2 | Curtis ±0 Coach Rating: ↑ Slightly.
A corner for Derby. Cleared by a header from Thorpe.
Counterattack brewing.
Jesse led the charge. Alex ran into space down the middle — waving for the pass.
Jesse hesitated. Passed right to Curtis instead.
Curtis missed the touch. The ball rolled out of play.
Alex frustated and threw his arms up.
"Why would you pass there?"
Curtis whipped around. "You think you're the bloody star now?"
"Only one of us is playing like it."
That was loud enough for Coach McGuinness to hear. Loud enough for the cameras filming match footage.
The ref gave both a warning.
[Reputation Change: "Fiery" – New Label Among Staff]
Wayne Rooney Watching: Interest +1
Amused Paul Scholes Watching: Interest +1, Concerned
Final whistle come and the match end in a draw. 1-1 until the last minutes.
In the dressing room, Coach McGuinness didn't mince words.
"Sloppy. Too emotional. But some of you showed fire. Marshall — flashes of class, good passes and great control of the game but you need consistency. Curtis — grow up. This isn't a school yard. If you want to be in the First team you need to be better, not just on the field but also with your head and emotion, do you understand ?"
Both nodded in silence.
Outside, Rooney and Meulensteen chatted on the sidelines.
"He's raw," Rooney said.
"But fearless," Meulensteen added.
Rooney smirked. "Reminds me of someone."
That Night – System Review
Alex lay in bed, replaying the day in his mind.
Match Rating: 7.3
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Key Passes: 4
Tackles Won: 2
Distance Covered: 10.8km
Pass Completion: 84%
[New Trait Progress: "Big Game Temperament" – 27%]
[System Suggestion: Work on conflict control to improve Leadership]
[Mentorship Status: Rooney (4/5), Scholes (2/5)]
Current Stats:
Pace: 70
Dribbling: 75
Shooting: 71
Passing: 74
Stamina: 75
Strength: 66
Tactical Awareness: 70
Charisma: 64
Still rough. Still rising.
And in the darkness of his room, a message pinged from an unknown number.
"Good assist today. Let's talk soon. – W.R."