Just then, a tall, heavy man in sports kit strode across the field. He came over to the football pitch and called to everyone. 'Mr Jones is sick,' he said. 'I'm Mr Stanley. From now on, I'm in charge of the team.'
Everybody looked unhappy. They knew Mr Jones was a good teacher and he was always fair. They had never seen Mr Stanley before. 'Right,' said Mr Stanley. 'Line up and we'll see what you can do!'
The team made a line ready to practise their shots on goal. Donna stood behind Stevie Hamilton and waited for her turn. Then she heard Mr Stanley shouting and waving his arms. His face was bright red and he sounded really angry. 'Oi, you!' he shouted at Donna. 'Clear off! We don't want any girls hanging around here getting in the way!'
Donna stared at Mr Stanley. Stevie Hamilton said, 'But, Sir… Donna is on the team. She's brilliant!' 'NO GIRLS ON MY TEAM!!' shouted Mr Stanley even louder. 'But that's not fair!' 'NO BUTS!' His face seemed about to explode.
Donna stood at the side of the field and watched her team during training. Barry Woodhead smirked and smiled. Of course he was pleased that she was thrown off the team! It started to rain and everyone got cold. By half past six it was raining so hard that they had to stop. 'Bye, see you tomorrow at the match!' they shouted as they left.
Donna walked slowly home in the rain. She felt sad and miserable. It just wasn't fair. She always played for the team. Mr Jones didn't mind. She had played in all the matches so far…how could she survive without football? It was her life.
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