Saturday, January 23rd. 2:45 PM. Deepdale Stadium.
Preston North End vs. West Bromwich Albion.
"They know who you are now," Julian Vance had warned on the bus. "The secret is out. You are not the surprise package. You are the target."
Ethan stood in the center circle. The wind was cold, whipping around the steep stands of Deepdale. He looked at the Preston midfield. They were set up in a tight, narrow block.
Standing next to him—uncomfortably close—was Preston's Number 4, Kyle Graham. He was a tough midfielder. Shaven head, black boots, eyes fixed on Ethan's chest.
"You're not breathing today, lad," Graham whispered.
Ethan adjusted his shin pads. "We'll see."
Kickoff.
The game began. Ethan dropped deep to receive a pass from Liam Thorne. Before the ball reached him, he felt a forearm in his back. Graham.
Ethan laid the ball off quickly and spun to find space. Graham followed closely. He didn't look at the ball; he just tracked Ethan's movement.
15th Minute.
West Brom struggled to find rhythm. Usually, Ethan was the metronome. He would collect the ball, turn, and switch play. But every time he showed for the ball, Graham was right there.
Ethan tried to drift wide. Graham stayed with him. Ethan dropped between the center-backs. Graham continued to shadow him.
"Get off him!" Volkan Demir shouted at the referee as Graham grabbed at Ethan's ankles for the tenth time.
"Personal battle, ref!" Graham grinned.
30th Minute.
Frustration was building. Ethan had only touched the ball 12 times. Normally, he'd have around 40 touches by now. West Brom's attacks were messy. They bypassed the midfield and sent long, hopeful balls to Remi Cole, which the big Preston defenders easily headed away.
Ethan checked his run to receive a pass. Graham stepped in, shoulder-barging him off balance and intercepting the ball. Preston countered. A quick cross. A header.
GOAL.
Preston 1 - 0 West Brom.
The home crowd erupted. Graham pumped his fist, staring at Ethan. "In my pocket, son. Deep in the pocket."
Ethan stood with his hands on his hips, breathing heavily. He couldn't shake him off. It felt like playing with a shadow that weighed 80 kg.
Halftime.
Preston 1 - 0 West Brom.
The dressing room was tense. Liam Thorne kicked a kit bag across the room.
"We can't play! The middle is dead!"
Julian Vance walked in, calm and composed. He pulled out a magnetic tactical board.
He placed a blue magnet (Ethan) and a red magnet (Graham) together.
"Ethan," Vance said. "You are trying to play football."
"He's man-marking me, boss," Ethan said, frustration creeping into his voice. "He follows me everywhere. I can't turn."
"So stop trying to turn," Vance replied. He moved the blue magnet away from the ball and all the way to the touchline. The red magnet followed.
"Look at the middle," Vance pointed to the empty space on the board. "If he follows you, he leaves a hole. A huge hole."
Vance addressed the team.
"Ethan has Gravity. He pulls players towards him. Use that gravity. Ethan, in the second half, I want you to be the least involved player on the pitch. I want you to touch the ball zero times."
Ethan frowned. "Zero?"
"Run away from the play," Vance instructed. "Drag him to the corner flag. Make him choose: stay with you or protect the middle. Volkan, Jaden—when Ethan moves the 'shadow', you attack the space he leaves. Do not pass to Ethan. Pass to the space."
Second Half.
Ethan walked out. He looked at Graham, who was waiting for him.
"Ready for round two?" Graham smirked.
"I'm going for a walk," Ethan said. "You coming?"
55th Minute.
Liam Thorne had the ball at the back. Normally, Ethan would show for a pass in the center circle. Instead, he sprinted diagonally towards the right wing, 40 yards away from the action.
Graham hesitated, then sprinted after him. "Where are you going?!"
Ethan didn't reply. He just stood by the touchline. Graham stood next to him, confused.
Thorne looked up. He saw the center of the pitch was empty. The "bulldog" wasn't there to protect the back four. Thorne didn't pass to Ethan. He charged into the gap in midfield.
He carried the ball 30 yards without being challenged.
He passed to Jaden Kalu.
Kalu shot. Just wide.
Graham looked at Ethan. Then at the empty midfield. He appeared worried.
68th Minute.
"Again!" Vance shouted.
West Brom built an attack on the left. Ethan was on the right. He saw Volkan Demir looking for a pass. Ethan made a quick run away from goal, dragging Graham towards the halfway line.
Graham followed the bait. Volkan didn't pass. He used the space Graham left to drive to the edge of the box. No defensive midfielder to stop him.
Volkan shot from 25 yards.
Top corner.
GOAL.
1-1.
Ethan stood 40 yards from goal. He didn't raise his hands. He just looked at Graham. "Nice view from here, isn't it?"
Graham's face turned red. He realized he'd been outsmarted.
82nd Minute.
The game was tied, but Preston was confused. Graham didn't know whether to stay close or back off. Every time he got near Ethan, Ethan ran away, removing him from the game.
West Brom regained possession. Counterattack. Jaden Kalu had the ball on the wing.
Ethan was in the center. He spotted space in the box. He pointed to the penalty spot—not for himself, but for Mitch Evans, who had come on as a substitute for Remi Cole.
Ethan made a quick run to the near post. "MINE!" he shouted, pretending to want the cross.
Graham and the center-back panicked. They both raced to the near post to block Ethan. Ethan didn't touch the ball. He let it roll through his legs.
The ball traveled across the six-yard box to the back post, where Mitch Evans was standing, completely open in the gap Ethan created.
Evans tapped it in.
GOAL.
1-2 West Brom.
Ethan fell into the net, tangled with Graham. He looked up at the Preston midfielder. "You should have let me breathe," Ethan smiled.
Full Time.
Preston North End 1 - 2 West Bromwich Albion.
Ethan's stats were poor.
Touches: 24 (Season Low)
Passes: 15
Distance Covered: 12.5km (Season High)
But in the dressing room, Julian Vance walked straight to him.
"The Invisible Man," Vance said with a smile. "You sacrificed yourself. That shows maturity. That's what a Number 8 does."
Volkan Demir put an arm around him.
"My goal came because of you. You took the dog for a walk."
Ethan untied his boots. He felt exhausted in a new way. It was mental fatigue. He hadn't played with the ball; he had played with space.
He checked his phone.
Mason: Watching the stream. What were you doing? You were running away from the ball all game.
Ethan: Gravity, mate. Gravity.
Mason: Whatever it was, it worked. Graham looked like he wanted to punch you.
Ethan: He tried. I moved.
Ethan leaned back. He had learned a new lesson. Sometimes, being the best player meant doing nothing at all.