The ticket inspector at Shepherd Park pitch yawned, a tear popping out of the corner of his eye, and there was eye droppings.

He reached out and rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found two people walking from a distance. A man and a woman, who looked like a couple, walked straight to the ticket gate where they were.

He slowly rose from his stool.

Ten minutes before the start of the game, the stadium was empty and empty. This wasn't the case in the past, a year ago, even a minute before the start of the game, there were still people waiting for their tickets to be checked. At that time, there was always a crowd of people outside the stadium, and at a glance, you couldn't see the end, only a black crowd.

But since the owner of Wimbledon announced his move to Milton Keynes Keynes next season at the end of last season, the number of people who come here has plummeted.

After two rounds of the league, the fans even gave the club a "refusal". There was not a single home fan in the huge stands.

Later, the situation improved slightly, and thousands of people were able to watch each home game, but it was no longer as grand as it used to be.

Today is the final round of the League One (and future Championship) league fixtures of the season, and it is also the last game of Wimbledon Professional Football Club at this stadium, and it is reasonable that such a monumental game will attract many home fans to watch the old stadium see off.

But in Wimbledon, it's a different story.

The team moved without the consent of the fans, and this time it was a bit far away...... Although Wimbledon has also moved once because the stadium is too small to meet the needs of the Super League, that is, from the former Prau Lane to the current Shecherst Park. But at that time, the move was supported by the whole fans, because if they didn't move out of Prau Lane, they would not be able to register with the English League Committee and play in the new English Premier League because the stadium was not up to standard. There was also an extremely important reason: the move did not go too far, Wimbledon and Crystal Palace were next to each other, and it was easy for fans to go to the game. Which one is like this one now? Milton Keynes is 60 miles from Wimbledon, so what is this to watch a home game?

Now the owner of the club, Pete. Winckelmann announced that the name change had been resolved by the full board of directors, and that the team would have to prepare for the name change after moving to Milton Keynes.

This greatly angered the Wimbledon fans, and the name was changed, which was completely to erase "Wimbledon" as a football club name from reality, that is to say, from the date the club changed its name, the team "Wimbledon Football Club" will no longer exist, and the team with a history of more than 100 years will be destroyed.

So where do the fans who have supported this team for several lifetimes go?

So in protest against this outrageous act, in the team's final home game of the season, as of 10 minutes before kick-off, not a single home fan entered the stadium with a ticket through the reverse wicket.

It's not even a game yet, and Shehrst Park is as quiet as if it's a non-match day. Occasionally, there is a little bit of the voice of the away fans, and it is said that there are 1,500 Burnley fans who come as the visitors, and they are lucky that there will not be a single person who will fight against them, and they can cheer and sing or boo the home team players at will, creating psychological pressure on them, and they don't have to think about the reaction of the hosts.

The Wimbledon opponents who came to Sheherst Park to play at the stadium were really lucky to be home!

The young couple walked up to the ticket inspector, and he realized that the girl was dressed up sexy and beautiful, but the boy was an Asian ...... "It's so cold." When the girl handed the goal up, she said casually.

"Congratulations, you're the first two home fans of this game." The ticket inspector made a joke while bowing his head to check the tickets.

The girl whistled to show her feelings.

The boy was a little surprised: "Such an exaggeration? ”

"No, not an exaggeration. If I were the owner of Wimbledon, I would have awarded you a medal of honor. The ticket inspector waved his hand and let the girl in. He then hooked his hand at the boy and motioned for him to come and check the ticket.

The boy handed the ticket in his hand, and looked inside, through the low stairs, he could see the high and horizontal pitch and part of the stands, and he saw a large crowd of people.

"Isn't there someone in the stands?" He asked, pointing to the stands.

The ticket inspector didn't raise his head: "It's all fans of the away team Burnley." You two go up and stay away from them, this is their 'home turf'. Ha ha! "The ticket inspector is not sad about the fate of the Wimbledon team, but he is a little sorry for the Wimbledon fans. Because he's a Crystal Palace fan. The stadium was originally the home of Crystal Palace, and Wimbledon Football Club only paid a little money to rent it out every year.

"Alright. Good luck and hopefully the game won't be too ugly. "The ticket inspector did his job and let go.

The device used to separate the fans from the fans waiting to enter is a simplified revolving door - a column in the middle, surrounded by four sticks, and a circle of such sticks in the upper and middle parts of the column, exactly at the head and waist of a man of 1.80 meters tall, these four sticks are four doors, but there is no glass.

Chu Zhongtian opened the "door" in front of his face and stepped into the court. Emily was standing on the steps and looking back at him.

It's been more than a year since he arrived in the UK, and this is the first time he's stepped into a full-fledged football club pitch to watch a regular high-level league game.

Although it is only a fan channel, when Chu Zhongtian stepped on the steps and saw the smooth green field, he still had a feeling of running out of the corridor as a player - if he could play a game on such a field, it would be considered that he had not come to the UK to study in vain for four years...... England's stadiums are not like those on the European continent, with high stands and even running tracks. The stadium stands and the football field are on the same level, and the distance between the two is also quite close. When a player goes to take a corner, the fan behind him can put his hand on the player's shoulder as soon as he stretches out his arm.

The stadium and the stands are separated by only billboards. Although the stands of the Premier League stadiums have all been converted into seating, the real die-hard fans are still used to standing in the stands behind the goal to watch the game.

Burnley fans are already behind the stands that belong to the visiting fans. As fans of the home team, Emily and Chu Zhongtian naturally had to take a seat in the stands opposite.

"It's spectacular......" Chu Zhongtian turned his head and looked around, except for some away fans in the stands behind the opposite goal, the huge stadium was empty, if it weren't for the staff and media reporters who were still busy on the sidelines, he really thought that there was actually no game today.

As much as he would love to play in a regular stadium that looks like a regular game in every way, he doesn't want to play in such an environment, even if it's a Premier League game – it's just boring!

Emily chuckled softly and stepped up to the stands.

The two men found their seat numbers in the empty stands and sat down again. In fact, you don't need to sit in the right seat, anyway, no one else will come to this game...... Compared to those fixtures of the Premier League regulars, Crystal Palace's stadium is a bit shabby. After all, Crystal Palace was still in League One (and later the Championship) at this time. The off-white ceiling, large red and blue seats, look very old.

Emily and Chu Zhongtian had a large-screen TV hanging from the roof of the stands, which was used to broadcast real-time slow-motion replays and scores, as well as the list of players from both sides. When you turn around, you can see two levels of boxes above the stands, and the boxes are plastered with various advertisements. Now it was empty, too, and all the boxes were pitch black, and the lights were not even turned on. Because I didn't sell tickets to the box at all...... "It's a little unaccustomed to being so deserted......"

Chu Zhongtian looked left and right.

The Burnley fans on the opposite side seemed to see the arrival of the two of them, and they also came to a little spirit, and kept singing. It's a pity that the two home fans have no intention of singing with them.

Soon there was a burst of music on the radio to remind the fans that the players were about to play. Although there are no fans, the set of procedures that should be done is not missing a step. The head coach of the home team looked up at the empty stands, shook his head slightly, and then walked to the coach's bench with his head down, while the players around him walked into the bench with their heads down.

"I remember you didn't say you weren't going to watch this team again." Chu Zhongtian pointed to the people on the side of the court and asked Emily.

"I suddenly wanted to come and see it." Emily laughed and said, "Anyway, this is the last one, and I won't watch it again." ”

Say goodbye to the past? Chu Zhongtian said in his heart.

It was Wimbledon's last game here as a professional club and they are moving next season. Sheherst Park will be reinstated as an exclusive Crystal Palace stadium.

Chu Zhongtian is no stranger to Crystal Palace, because in the late nineties of the last century, two Chinese players joined the team, they are Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai, who are very popular in China. With the addition of two Chinese players, Chu Zhongtian has also changed from being unfamiliar to understanding this team. It's just that neither of them has taken root here, and they come and go in a hurry. Only Sun Jihai later joined Manchester City and is now playing in the Premier League, which can be regarded as a successful exit.

He himself is now a small "foreign player", but his level is too low and no one cares. Wimbledon haven't paid off for a year of hard work, which doesn't make him feel good, but today he just came out to take a break and watch a high-level game, maybe he can learn something.

"Actually, after knowing the results yesterday, I had some regrets." Emily, who had been silent for a while, said suddenly.

"I'm so sorry, Emily." promised to give a gift, but it didn't work out, and Chu Zhongtian felt a little "untrustworthy".

"No, that's okay. You don't have to apologize. ”

"I promised you something, but I didn't do it. There is a saying in China: 'A big husband is hard to chase after a horse'. It means that words count ......"

Emily looked at his serious explanation, and couldn't help but laugh: "You are really a bit machismo, Chu." ”

"I just feel like I should have done better......"

"Don't force yourself, Chu. It's tiring to live like that. Emily also said seriously.

"I just don't want to lose, Emily." Chu Zhongtian defended himself. "I play to win, not to lose."

Emily was silent for a moment and said, "But there are always winners and losers in football games, and you can't win all the time." ”

Chu Zhongtian lowered his head: "I know." So I hope those big games, the key games, try not to lose. ”

Emily smiled dumbly, "You're so cute, Chu." If the result of the game can be as you want, as you would like, then ......" He thought about it, but couldn't find the right words, and spread his hand and waved, "I don't even know what to say." ”

"I'll be happy if I can achieve this goal through my efforts." Chu Zhongtian didn't care what Emily thought.

"Do you always play football with that in mind?" Emily was a little weird.

"It's not just about playing, I'm trying to do everything I can do as well as I can." Chu Zhongtian replied.

Emily shrugged and said nothing.

The game has already begun in their conversation.

The two of them quickly turned their attention to the game, which was the first time Chu Zhongtian had watched a high-level football game on the spot - compared to the ninth league he participated in, this English League One game was indeed a "high-level football game...... And Emily was stimulated by the news of yesterday's Wimbledon promotion failure, and suddenly wanted to say goodbye to the feelings she had paid for the team in front of her.

So they all looked very engaged.

※※※ Perhaps it was the only two fans sitting in the home stadium who spurred the Wimbledon players into the game. And the sound of the Burnley fans in the stands did not disturb them at all, even if the two home fans did not make any sound at all, did not applaud or cheer, just sat there and watched silently, Wimbledon felt a force.

This season they are a mixed failure, the league is in the middle of the table, there is no relegation worry, there is no hope of promotion, the team is moving next season, and the last home game only came with two fans. But it's better than not coming at all, isn't it?

The final result of the game was 2-1, with Wimbledon at home beating Burnley, much to the disappointment of the more than 1,500 visiting fans.

The game is over, and Emily and Chu Zhongtian are also planning to leave.

But as soon as they got under the stands, a Wimbledon player came running from the pitch.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

The two men stopped.

The player ran up and asked, "Are you Wimbledon fans?" ”

Chu Zhongtian looked at Emily, and Emily pointed to herself: "I am." ”

The player was so happy to hear that he took off his jersey and handed it to Emily: "Keep it as a memento." Thank you for coming and see. ”

Chu Zhongtian looked at Emily, he knew that Emily should not like this team, but she still reached out and took the jersey.

"I won't be your fan next season." Emily said.

The man was a little embarrassed. The club owner did not do anything authentic in this matter, but he was just an ordinary player and could not affect the decision-making of the club's top management at all.

'I'm a Wimbledon fan, not a Milton Keynes fan.' Emily told him, "Luckily, even if you're gone, we now have another team to replace Wimbledon." She's still very young, but one day we'll be back. ”

"Today is the first time I came to see you this season and the last time. Thank you for the jersey, it's still a blue and yellow jersey...... Good bye. ”

After saying this, Emily pulled Chu Zhongtian out of the court.

The two men didn't look back, and walked directly out of Shechhurst Park.

The player stood still, stunned as they disappeared into the exit.

※※※ "Are you in a bad mood, Emily?" "It was far off the pitch, and Emily just strode away without saying a word.

Chu Zhongtian caught up and asked.

"No, I'm happy now." Emily turned around and smiled at Chu Zhongtian.

But the sadness on her face couldn't be concealed by a smile.

"Uh...... Let's find a place to rest. Chu Zhongtian looked at her like this, and hurriedly said. Going for a coffee? Or go for a drink? Don't go to the Dons bar, if you don't want to be disturbed, we can find an unfamiliar bar...... Then get drunk, and all the unhappy things are gone. ”

Seeing Chu Zhongtian comforting her a little awkwardly, Emily felt warm inside.

"I'll lend you a shoulder." She said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Before Chu Zhongtian could react, Emily stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, buried her face in his shoulder, and the whole person stuck to him like this.

"......" Chu Zhongtian opened his mouth wide, but he didn't make any sound.

His hand hung in the air, and he didn't know where to put it.

Emily's voice rang out, "Put me on my waist." ”

Chu Zhongtian slowly put his hands on Emily's waist on both sides with some hesitation, and when his fingers touched Emily's bare skin, it was like an electric shock, and he desperately resisted the intention of retracting his hand. The smooth snow-white skin and slender waist were in his hands...... "A little bit back." ”

When Chu Zhongtian was flustered, when he heard Emily's words, there was no reaction in his mind at all, so he obediently moved his hand a little.

"It's not enough."

His hand continued to move.

"Close."

The two hands met at Emily's lower back, just above her hips.

Next, Chu Zhongtian felt Emily's upper body push hard against him, and he could clearly feel that his chest was being pushed against two lumps of flesh. There was no need to wear too many clothes on the afternoon of May, Chu Zhongtian only wore a shirt, and Emily was just a T-shirt, and the two thin layers of fabric could not block the soft and warm touch at all.

After doing all this, Emily didn't make any moves, so she leaned on Chu Zhongtian and buried her face underneath.

To outsiders, it seems to be nothing more than a couple embracing each other affectionately on the street, although they will all envy the good fortune of the Asian kid who can find a girlfriend who is so punctual and so beautiful...... But this kind of thing is not uncommon on the streets of the United Kingdom, so people who come and go do not pay much attention.

Fortunately, they didn't watch, otherwise Chu Zhongtian didn't know what expression to put on his face.

So he buried his head next to Emily. The only bad thing was that the cap didn't feel good to the touch, but he could take a breath and ask Emily The scent on her hair should be the smell of shampoo, faintly fragrant, not strong.

It was a taste that Chu Zhongtian liked, and he not only took a big sip of it greedily.

"Does it smell good?"

"Hmm. Yes! Chu Zhongtian was taken aback, he jerked his head up and saw Emily smiling at him.

"Uh, I...... I didn't mean to. He quickly let go of the hands that were holding Emily and explained.

"Thank you, Chu." Emily also let go of Chu Zhongtian, she took a step back, and the two of them returned to the "safe distance". "I feel better."

Chu Zhongtian let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's go for a walk in the park." Emily pointed to the large green field in front of her, which was free to enter.

※※※ In the afternoon of early May, the time of darkness has been delayed, so when they come to the park, it is still lively in the golden sun. The lawn was covered with colorful cloth mats, and someone was sitting on it, enjoying the sunny afternoon.

In the distance there were several football fields, which were more lively than on the lawn, full of people, and from time to time there was a buzz of life and whistles. Football lovers are playing "Sunday League" there.

Emily and Chu Zhongtian didn't come over, they sat directly on the lawn in the distance.

"Wimbledon FC started playing on this kind of turf in the first place." Emily said, pointing to the large green space in front of her. This is a luxury for Chinese to have a lawn that visitors can trample and sit on - if any park dares to open the lawn and let people walk and do whatever they want, within two days, that lawn will be only bare yellow earth. There are too many people, and there is really no way.

"And then little by little, it became what it is now. At that time, it was not called this name, it was called 'Wimbledon Old Centre Football Club', it was the team of Wimbledon National Central Primary School, and the people who played football at that time were all students of that central primary school. Can't think of it, right? A group of elementary school students form a club. ”

Chu Zhongtian thought that if this happened in China, a group of students who like football and love to play came together because of their common interests and hobbies, and decided to form a football team and play games everywhere. How should the story develop? What will happen to them?

First, they need to evade teachers and parents, and if there is a Sunday afternoon game, they need to lie to their parents that the school has to make up classes. Second, when they finally got out of the interrogation of their parents, they had to ride their bikes everywhere to find a football field where they could go in and play football - although many schools, factories and mines, and stadiums have football fields, the gates are usually locked and not allowed to be used by outsiders. In order to play football, maybe they have to compete with the basketball players. Next, when they are covered in mud and return home, they will inevitably be interrogated by their parents, as long as they are found to have lied and not gone to make up for class, but to play football, then what awaits them is a scolding and fat beating. Eventually, fewer and fewer people couldn't play because they couldn't escape the surveillance of their parents and teachers, and when they couldn't even make up seven of them, the team was dead.

A hundred years and then a professional football club?

Don't even think about it!

"Then we played on this field until 1912, when we moved into Prau Lane. Seventy-nine years there, seventy-nine years at Prau Lane made us a nationally known team, we played in the top flight, we reached the FA Cup final, we beat the ......strong in Prau Lane," Emily whispered. "When the club decided to move to Shepherd Park because there was no way to expand Plain Lane, it was packed for the last game at Plain Lane."

"But for me, the most familiar thing is Shechhurst Park. The team has been playing there since I was sensible. Whether it's the Super League or the First Division, they all play at home there. Every home game day, I would drive from Wimbledon with my dad to Crystal Palace to watch a Gangster game. I never thought Wimbledon would leave me then, just as I didn't think my dad would leave me......"

Chu Zhongtian showed a look of confusion on his face, but he didn't ask. This is someone else's, it's rude to ask rashly.

Emily herself said: "My dad and mom divorced, just three years ago. ”

"Uh...... I'm sorry. Actually, he didn't need to be sorry, but apart from this, Chu Zhongtian didn't know what to say.

Emily couldn't help but laugh when she heard Chu Zhongtian say this: "Is it your responsibility for them to divorce?" ”

Chu Zhongtian hurriedly waved his hand: "I didn't do it!" ”

"And what do you apologize for?" Emily laughed heartily.

After laughing, she continued: "Yesterday's game made me think there was another game today, so I wanted to come and take a look. ”

"Say goodbye to the past?" Chu Zhongtian asked the words in his heart.

Emily nodded, "Yes." Farewell, goodbye to the past. There won't be a team from Wimbledon in the new professional league season, so I'm here to say goodbye. ”

"It will be in a few years." Seeing Emily's somewhat lonely appearance, Chu Zhongtian comforted.

"Maybe it's going to be a long time?" Emily asked him with a sudden turn.

"Maybe it won't be that long." Chu Zhongtian replied.

Emily stared at Chu Zhongtian, her blue eyes reflecting the glow of the setting sun, as if they were flickering.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really."

Chu Zhongtian nodded.

Emily withdrew her gaze, and she sat on the grass with her knees folded, watching the sun set in the distance. Under the bright red sunset, the curling smoke and dust rising from the place where the ball was played were very obvious, and it did not look abrupt in this green grassy place.

Once upon a time, there was a group of schoolchildren chasing the ball on the same lawn, and they were enjoying the joy of football......

(To be continued)