Football Hero

The boy saved the goal. It's hard to emphasize how important this is. The double fracture in his arm was a small price to pay for the glory. A white plaster cast has lots of room for messages in coloured felt-tip: 'You're my hero'; 'Play it again'; 'XXX'. The front porch bears a pile of tributes: toffees, comics, old DVDs. Back in school his blonde sweetheart is Becky to his Tom Sawyer, trailing him round the playground to rout the opposition. The boy is only seven but he knows what is required for success in the tribe.