As the ball came down, Stones rose high, his forehead meeting the leather with a solid thud. He didn't just head it away; he directed it toward Will van Drunen.
[> "Stones is winning everything in the air," <] Michael Harrison noted. [> "He's playing like a man possessed. Foxmere's 'Route One' football is hitting a brick wall." <]
Van Drunen took the ball down on his chest. A Foxmere winger rushed him, trying to force a mistake. The Dutch defender didn't panic. He performed a neat turn, using his strength to hold off the attacker, and then played a simple pass to the wing where Marcelo was overlapping.
The Northcastle transition was becoming smoother. They were no longer fighting the long grass; they were making the ball do the work.
