Chapter 93: Back to Work at Zoudenbalch
The morning sun peeked through thin gray clouds as Amani trotted onto the senior training pitch at Zoudenbalch. His legs felt a little heavy from last night’s heroics, but his heart was light.
Around him, the FC Utrecht first-team squad moved at an easy pace – a light recovery session after the big win.
Coach Jan Wouters stood in the center circle, hands tucked into his jacket, watching his players with a discerning eye. Despite the 6-2 thrashing of VVV-Venlo the day before, Utrecht still sat 11th in the Eredivisie table with five matches remaining.
There was pride in the win, but no one was celebrating like the season was fixed. Wouters had made that clear from the outset.
"Alright, listen up," Wouters called, gathering the players in a loose circle. Amani found himself between two towering teammates, craning his neck to see the coach. Wouters’ voice was gruff but upbeat.
"Good result yesterday. Enjoy it, you earned it." A faint smile touched his lips, then just as quickly he set his jaw. "But we’re still 11th. That win didn’t move us up a single spot." He scanned the circle, making sure the veterans and the youngster alike took his point.
"Five games left to show what we’re made of. So we recover today and get back to work. No let-up."
A murmur of agreement rumbled from the players. Amani nodded along, sweat beading on his forehead from the gentle warm-up jog they’d just finished.
He tried to stay inconspicuous, but he could feel a couple of the senior players sneaking glances his way. After all, he wasn’t usually part of this group.
Youngest ever player on the team sheet – the media had been buzzing with that fact. Now here he was, the very next morning, standing among men who had been playing pro football longer than he had been alive.
Wouters’ stern gaze softened just a touch as it landed on the teenager. "And a quick shout to our debutant," he added, tilting his head toward Amani.