Chapter 24 – FA Cup Fourth Round
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- AFTER 3 MONTHS -
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Three months can change a player. For Nathan Perry, they changed everything.
From the boy with raw potential to the name sung across Elland Road, Nathan had carved out more than a role—he'd claimed a throne. Ten goals, countless chances created, and a fire in his eyes that no one could put out.
"Naaathan Perryyy, born to be a White!"
That chant echoed now, not just in the stadium, but in training, in the streets, in the dreams of kids watching him become something real.
Leeds United were in third place. Forty-five points. Chasing Leicester and Norwich like wolves in the snow. Hungry. Relentless.
But while the league was a marathon, the FA Cup was something different. A battlefield where giants could fall. Where a single moment could decide everything.
Leeds had breezed through the first three rounds—dispatching Swansea, Blackpool, and Cambridge United with comfortable ease. Nathan had scored in two of those matches, but the team barely broke a sweat.
That all changed the moment the fourth-round draw was announced.
Leeds United vs Arsenal.
The room had gone quiet when the name dropped.
Even Marco, usually full of quips and smirks, let out a slow whistle. "Whew… they really threw us into the fire, huh?"
Nathan didn't say anything. He simply tightened the laces on his boots and stared at the screen, his jaw clenched.
A Premier League powerhouse. Champions League regulars. Global superstars.
This was a different kind of war.
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The days leading up to the Arsenal clash felt like a countdown to something colossal. The press buzzed with headlines:
"Can Leeds pull off a miracle?" "Nathan Perry vs Premier League defenders—his biggest test yet." "Grayson's young guns to face the Gunners."
But inside Thorp Arch, the mood wasn't fearful. It was sharp. Focused. Coach Grayson made that clear from day one.
"We're not going there to survive," he said. "We're going there to compete."
His voice rang like steel through the briefing room.
"You give them space, they'll tear you apart. You get scared, they'll smell it. But you stay compact, press smart, and when you see your moment—you take it."
Nathan sat forward, eyes narrowed. He wasn't scared. Not anymore.
He wanted this.
He wanted to test himself against the best.