The Beautiful Game: Survival - Couverture souple

Chapter 1

Who's Who
BARRY
BENNETT
Age: 18
Football
player
Born and brought up in Sandford along with his
twin brother Billy, Barry is the calmer of the two
brothers and fi ercely protective of his older sister,
Claire. He hates bullies and has a long-standing
rivalry with Russell ‘Crab’ Craven. Their rivalry
goes back to primary school when Crab broke
Barry’s nose in a fi ght.

BILLY
BENNETT
Age: 18
Football
player
Billy Bennett is the more volatile of the Bennett
twins. Exceedingly talented on the pitch, his
spontaneous nature often gets him into trouble.
He has been playing for the Sandford Town
youth team for three seasons now and, along
with his brother, seems certain to make it as a
professional footballer.

CLAIRE
BENNETT
Age: 20
Hairdresser
Claire Bennett is big sister to Billy and Barry. She
has been working at Scissorz Booty Bootique
as a hairdresser, ever since leaving school at
eighteen. Claire has a mind of her own, and a
quick temper like her brother Billy.

HARRY
BENNETT
Age: 55
He is the father of Billy, Barry and Claire. Harry
Bennett has worked hard to make sure that
his kids have a good life. He was an amateur
footballer during his schooldays, and along with
his best mate Andy Shelldrake, he was a force to
reckon with on the fi eld.

BOB
EVANS
Age: 65
Retired football
player
A Sandford Town prodigy, Bob Evans started
playing at the age of seventeen. He went on to
make several appearances for Town before his
playing career was cut short in 1983 by the Swiss
coach disaster. A believer in team spirit, Bob has
no time for people who give anything less than a
110 percent.

STEVEN
HUNTER
Age: 33
Football
player
Captain of Sandford Town, Steve Hunter has
been their star player, up until now. He is no
longer as fast as he used to be, but is still
passionate about the game. He loves the club,
but his wife Sharon wants him to leave Sandford
for a bigger setup. Arrogant and hot-headed,
Steve’s discipline issues have made him a target
for referees.

CRAB
CRAVEN
Age: 20
Unemployed
Happiest when fi ghting, Crab loves to lead his
gang—the Sandford Soldiers, a local crew of
football hooligans—into battles against fans of
rival teams. Crab is passionate about Sandford
Town and Claire Bennett, on whom he has had a
crush all his life. The two of them have been an
item, on and off, for some years now.

STAN
LYDON
Age: 60
Chairman,
Sandford
Town FC
A thorough professional with good business
acumen, Stan Lydon is always thinking of the
bigger picture. He doesn’t hesitate to take tough
decisions, as long as it benefi ts the club’s future.

GUY
TALK
Music group
A London based boy band that has become
a worldwide sensation. With fi ve hit numbers,
members Larry Holmes, Vijay Nagar, Kieron
O’Hagan and Ken Lee are ruling the charts at the
moment. Vijay and Larry love football as much as
they love driving their manager, Justin Taylor, up
the wall.

HALTON
MOOR
Football club
A football club as old as Sandford Town and one
of the founding members of the Football League
formed in 1888. Moor’s defenders are top-notch;
especially Juan Perez who can slither his way
in and out of the tightest corner. An old rival of
Town, there is bad blood between the two clubs
and things often tend to go out of hand during a
match between the two.

These are dark days for Sandford Town FC as they are anchored to the foot
of the table and look set for relegation come the end of the season.
SANDFORD EVENING POST
For the chop? Kurt Olaffsen feeling the pressure.
ARE SANDFORD TOWN GOING DOWN?
Brought in just nine months ago, Kurt
Olaffsen, the Sandford coach, has been
unable to repeat the success he had at
Cartagonova in Spain, when he led them to
the Champions League semi-fi nals just two
seasons ago, and reports of dressing room
unrest are only adding to his problems.
Taking the manager’s position at Sandford
Town is sure to be seen by many as a
poisoned chalice rather than a challenge,
and we have to ask—who are the main
contenders for the job? Martin O’Neill has
already expressed a distinct lack of interest
in the position, which leaves two main
candidates—former Sandford Town hero
Bob Evans or his ex-teammate, T.V. pundit
Kenny Gilchrist. Evans has supposedly
retired from the game, but it is well known
that he has always held Sandford Town
close to his heart. He would certainly be a
fi rm fan favorite. We ask the question, is it
time for the board to cut their losses and
let Olaffsen go before it is too late? Saving
the club from relegation will certainly be
a Herculean task, but if something is not
done soon then a diffi cult situation is sure
to become impossible. Booed by his own
supporters at every match, Olaffsen is
proving an unpopular fi gure in Sandford.
Although, we are sure that rival team
Sandford Rovers hope he will remain
in charge of the club and complete the
dismantling of this once great team.

Jason Quinn was born in Liverpool, England. He learned to read with Marvel Comics and was devastated when his teachers told him that Spider Man did not exist. He has worked for Marvel UK and Panini, editing and writing their Spectacular Spider Man comic, along with just about everything else from Barbie to Action Man. In 1998 he was voted 'Sportsman of the Year' by the Boars Head Soccer Club. He then moved to Pinewood Studios, England, home of the James Bond movies, where he worked in children's television, scripting and developing programs for kids.