Chapter Five: The Goalkeeper No Giant Wanted

By Christmas, Harborbridge had climbed from twenty-third to twelfth and drawn Northcastle United in the FA Cup. Fate knew how to market a story. Financial statements did not. The documentary advance was gone, and the supporters' bonds could not be used for transfer fees. Worse, Harborbridge's first-choice goalkeeper dislocated a shoulder in training and would miss at least ten weeks. Harding handed Lin a list of three replacements. Each would cost more than a million pounds to borrow. “I only need someone who can catch a ball,” the manager said. “The expensive ones often catch reputations. Not necessarily footballs.” Lin returned the list with a fourth name circled: Arthur Bell, twenty-nine, third-choice goalkeeper at Real Madeira, with zero