2026-04-27, 07:37 AM - Word count:
“Pass it! Nick! Pass it to me” shouted Jason as Kasak coolly slots in his fourth goal of the game with no reply, securing the under-11 London Schools Cup for the second year running. Most of the boys there celebrate with him, but Jason, allegedly his scoring partner up front, sulks and kicks the goalpost.
“I thought you’d be pleased that you won?” His Dad asks on the way home, but Jason continues to sulk about Kasak’s greed on goal.
“He’s in the year below, he shouldn’t even be on the team!”
—-
“Man on!” Shouts Carl, moving himself into space while a Kasak attempts to lose his defender.
Nick neatly outmanoeuvres the 13 year old full back, barely looking back at Carl in space before blasting a shot towards the net. The goalkeeper can only watch is it sails past his outstretched gloves. On the sidelines, the makeshift paper scoreboard is flipped over to 5-1 from 4-1 while the rain beats down.
“I was in space” shouts Carl as they track back for the restart.
“Didn’t see you,” Young Kasak shouts back, retrieving the ball and jogging back to the centre circle. “Keeper was out of position.”
“I know, I was at the back post… it would have been a tap in.”
But Kasak has already moved on.
—-
A slightly older, teenage Nick Kasak is thundering down the left side of the pitch at full pace, looking for the opening to cut inside and shoot, but the defenders senses a moment of hesitation and goes hard into the tackle, studs first.
"'Ave that!" spits the defender as he leers over Kasak clutching his ankle.
Some of under 15s are getting bigger and stronger, and they're wiser to the goalscoring threat that Nick poses.
The centre back is yellow carded, and Kasak limps up, trying to run off the injury, but he’s bruised and off his game. With the league championship at stake, the two teams are locked together at one all.
“Nick, what’s going on?” Screams the coach at half time, his star player struggling to hold onto the ball let alone score. He shrugs in reply, unsure at what to say.
The match ends in a drab 1-2 and the title is lost.
“Kasak, stay behind a sec.” Coach Sligo tells him.
“What is it?”
“You need to look for the pass.”
Nick looks puzzled, how would that have helped?
“I’ve seen it, Nick, you could go far, really far, but you have to remember it’s a team game. The other 10 lads wouldn’t mind touching the ball from time to time.”
“But… I'm a striker. I want to score goals.
“Everyone does, and you will, but you need to look to your team mates rather than just running yourself out of trouble every time. When you’re trying to go pro… you’ll need your team and they’ll need you. Next game you’re playing on the wing… and you will look for the pass.”
—-
The African sun trickles through the curtains into Kasak’s room at Accra’s accommodation for the academy team. It’s early but it’s already hot. The players are all looked after by the club, their every need catered for, to properly prepare them for life in the SSL.
And things have been going well, Adowa Accra are top of the league, new player Mullet Man is amazing on the right, allowing Nick to play in his more favoured position on the left. He even scored a scintillating effort to open his academy scoring account.
But it’s not enough.
One great performance and a few mediocre ones, in his mind at least. He’s been working on getting even faster. Sprinting drills and strength training for that burst of acceleration, but something isn’t quite getting him there.
He gets into his training outfit and heads to the gym to get in an early workout, try and get ahead. Youz and Ofusu are already there, halfway through their workout.
Purves, Chavez and Flowers are also awake and training on one of the outside pitches; going through crossing drills, helping the goalie to command the area and clear out the danger.
Has Kasak peaked? Is this it? Nearly good enough but not quite there.
He trains hard, headphones on, already his alarm set for an hour earlier tomorrow.
2nd placed Stockholm next, and possibly the biggest test of his young career so far. Is Kasak ready?
He has to be.
“I thought you’d be pleased that you won?” His Dad asks on the way home, but Jason continues to sulk about Kasak’s greed on goal.
“He’s in the year below, he shouldn’t even be on the team!”
—-
“Man on!” Shouts Carl, moving himself into space while a Kasak attempts to lose his defender.
Nick neatly outmanoeuvres the 13 year old full back, barely looking back at Carl in space before blasting a shot towards the net. The goalkeeper can only watch is it sails past his outstretched gloves. On the sidelines, the makeshift paper scoreboard is flipped over to 5-1 from 4-1 while the rain beats down.
“I was in space” shouts Carl as they track back for the restart.
“Didn’t see you,” Young Kasak shouts back, retrieving the ball and jogging back to the centre circle. “Keeper was out of position.”
“I know, I was at the back post… it would have been a tap in.”
But Kasak has already moved on.
—-
A slightly older, teenage Nick Kasak is thundering down the left side of the pitch at full pace, looking for the opening to cut inside and shoot, but the defenders senses a moment of hesitation and goes hard into the tackle, studs first.
"'Ave that!" spits the defender as he leers over Kasak clutching his ankle.
Some of under 15s are getting bigger and stronger, and they're wiser to the goalscoring threat that Nick poses.
The centre back is yellow carded, and Kasak limps up, trying to run off the injury, but he’s bruised and off his game. With the league championship at stake, the two teams are locked together at one all.
“Nick, what’s going on?” Screams the coach at half time, his star player struggling to hold onto the ball let alone score. He shrugs in reply, unsure at what to say.
The match ends in a drab 1-2 and the title is lost.
“Kasak, stay behind a sec.” Coach Sligo tells him.
“What is it?”
“You need to look for the pass.”
Nick looks puzzled, how would that have helped?
“I’ve seen it, Nick, you could go far, really far, but you have to remember it’s a team game. The other 10 lads wouldn’t mind touching the ball from time to time.”
“But… I'm a striker. I want to score goals.
“Everyone does, and you will, but you need to look to your team mates rather than just running yourself out of trouble every time. When you’re trying to go pro… you’ll need your team and they’ll need you. Next game you’re playing on the wing… and you will look for the pass.”
—-
The African sun trickles through the curtains into Kasak’s room at Accra’s accommodation for the academy team. It’s early but it’s already hot. The players are all looked after by the club, their every need catered for, to properly prepare them for life in the SSL.
And things have been going well, Adowa Accra are top of the league, new player Mullet Man is amazing on the right, allowing Nick to play in his more favoured position on the left. He even scored a scintillating effort to open his academy scoring account.
But it’s not enough.
One great performance and a few mediocre ones, in his mind at least. He’s been working on getting even faster. Sprinting drills and strength training for that burst of acceleration, but something isn’t quite getting him there.
He gets into his training outfit and heads to the gym to get in an early workout, try and get ahead. Youz and Ofusu are already there, halfway through their workout.
Purves, Chavez and Flowers are also awake and training on one of the outside pitches; going through crossing drills, helping the goalie to command the area and clear out the danger.
Has Kasak peaked? Is this it? Nearly good enough but not quite there.
He trains hard, headphones on, already his alarm set for an hour earlier tomorrow.
2nd placed Stockholm next, and possibly the biggest test of his young career so far. Is Kasak ready?
He has to be.
