The Coaching System-Chapter 60: League Focus & A Rising Star

The day after the 9-0 thrashing against Manchester City, Valley Parade was quiet. Too quiet.

The usual banter in the locker room? Gone. The confidence that had carried Bradford through League Two? Shattered.

Jake walked into the training ground, finding his players already warming up. No one spoke much. Heads down, focused, but the weight of that defeat was still on their shoulders.

Paul Roberts, his assistant, leaned in. "They're still thinking about it."

Jake nodded. He had expected this. Losing was part of football, but getting humiliated? That stuck with you.

He clapped his hands, gathering everyone.

"I know what you're all thinking," Jake began, looking around. "You're embarrassed. Frustrated. Maybe even questioning if we belong at the top."

No one said anything, but their eyes told the story.

"Good." Jake's voice was firm. "Because that feeling? That's fuel. You never forget a loss like that. You use it. You let it drive you forward."

He paused.

"But let's get one thing straight—Manchester City didn't expose us. They just showed us where we need to go. If we want to be great, we can't sit here feeling sorry for ourselves. We have a league to win."

The players lifted their heads.

Novak clenched his fists. Collins exhaled sharply. Carter wiped his face and nodded.

They were ready.

Jake smiled. "Back to work."

A Crucial Run of League Games:

With the FA Cup behind them, Bradford had to shift their focus back to League Two. They were still in 2nd place, but the race for automatic promotion was tight.

Match 1 – A 3-2 Comeback Victory (vs. MK Dons, 3rd Place)

Bradford needed a statement win—and this match was it.

First Half – A Nightmare Start

Bradford came out sluggish. Sloppy passes. Missed tackles. MK Dons looked sharper, hungrier.

It only took 15 minutes for them to strike.

🔹 15th Minute – MK Dons Take the Lead (0-1)

A misplaced pass from Lowe was intercepted in midfield. MK Dons countered at lightning speed. Their striker, Ethan Robson, ghosted between Barnes and Fletcher, receiving a perfect through-ball.

One touch. Shot fired.

GOAL.

Bradford 0-1 MK Dons.

Jake clenched his jaw, but he stayed calm. "Wake up!" he barked from the sideline.

But his players weren't waking up.

🔹 29th Minute – Disaster Strikes Again (0-2)

MK Dons forced a corner. The ball was swung in deep. Nathan Barnes lost his marker.

A towering header smashed past Okafor.

GOAL.

Bradford 0-2 MK Dons.

Valley Parade fell silent.

Jake turned to Paul, shaking his head. "We're all over the place."

Paul sighed. "They're rattled."

Bradford needed halftime. Fast.

They had zero shots on target in the first 40 minutes. The midfield was non-existent. The attack? Isolated.

Then, in the 44th minute, Carter finally tested the MK Dons keeper with a long-range effort. Saved.

Whistle blew.

Halftime.

Bradford 0-2 down.

Halftime

The locker room was dead silent.

Players sat on the benches, heads down, still processing what had just happened.

Jake wasn't having it.

He walked to the center of the room and slammed the tactics board onto the table.

"Look at me," he said.

Slowly, they lifted their heads.

"You think this is over?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the silence. "Because if any of you believe that, you can stay in here for the second half."

Eyes widened. Nobody moved.

Jake pointed at the board. "We are NOT losing this game. You hear me?"

Novak clenched his fists. Carter exhaled sharply.

Jake took a deep breath. Then, he changed tactics.

🔄 Tactical Adjustments for Second Half:

✅ Press higher up the pitch – force MK Dons into mistakes.

✅ Exploit the wide areas – use Silva and Collins' pace against their full-backs.

✅ Ortega & Carter to push forward more – overload their midfield.

Substitutions:

🔄 Thompson ON, Lowe OFF (Extra attacking presence)

Jake clapped his hands. "We're going back out there, and we're fighting. Every single one of you. No more standing around. We take this game back."

The fire returned to their eyes.

Jake turned to Novak before they left. "Be the difference."

Novak nodded. "I will."

Second Half

The second half began with chaos.

Bradford pressed aggressively, suffocating MK Dons' midfield.

Suddenly, the energy had shifted.

52nd Minute

MK Dons tried to build from the back—bad idea.

Collins stole possession near the halfway line and fed Carter, who took one touch and slipped a beautiful through-ball behind the defense.

Novak was already sprinting.

One-on-one with the keeper.

Composed. Clinical.

GOAL!

Bradford 1-2 MK Dons!

The stadium roared back to life.

Jake pumped his fist. "That's the response I wanted!"

MK Dons were rattled now.

68th Minute

Bradford kept pushing. They had all the momentum.

Ortega spread the play wide to Silva, who cut inside and floated a cross into the box.

Novak leaped for it but missed—but Collins was there at the far post!

A cushioned volley straight into the bottom corner!

GOAL!

Bradford 2-2 MK Dons!

Jake grinned. "Game on."

MK Dons panicked. Their passes became sloppy. Their defense shaky.

They were crumbling.

Jake turned to Paul. "One more goal buries them."

🔄 80th Minute – Final Substitution

🔄 Chapman ON, Richards OFF (Extra energy in midfield)

Bradford kept attacking.

Then, in stoppage time, the moment arrived.

🔹 90+3rd Minute

Silva picked up the ball on the right wing. Two defenders closed in.

He somehow slipped between them with a nutmeg, then curled in an inch-perfect cross into the box.

Thompson rose highest.

Header.

Bullet.

GOAL!

Bradford 3-2 MK Dons!

The stadium ERUPTED.

Thompson sprinted towards the dugout, arms wide. His teammates piled on top of him.

Jake roared, fists clenched.

The whistle blew.

Full-Time: Bradford 3-2 MK Dons.

Post-Match Reactions

🔹 The Fans – Valley Parade shook. The chants of "Bradford! Bradford!" echoed through the night.

🔹 The Players – Collins and Silva collapsed to the ground, exhausted but victorious.

🔹 Jake Wilson? He stood at the edge of the technical area, hands on his hips, taking it all in.

A comeback win against one of the toughest teams in the league.

The title race?

Still alive.

Paul walked up to him, shaking his head in disbelief. "You really never panic, do you?"

Jake smirked. "Not when I know we're better."

He turned back to the pitch, watching his players celebrate.

Bradford wasn't done yet.

Match 2 – A 2-0 Defensive Masterclass (vs. Sutton United, 12th Place)

This time, Jake focused on keeping things tight at the back. The system had shown Sutton's weakness: they struggled against disciplined pressing teams.

🔹 First Half: Ortega controlled the midfield, dictating the tempo. Carter scored a stunning long-range effort in the 32nd minute.

🔹 Second Half: Silva sealed the win in the 78th minute after a brilliant counterattack.

Final Score: 2-0 Bradford.

A clean sheet. A controlled performance. Bradford were showing their resilience.

Match 3 – A Frustrating 1-1 Draw (vs. Grimsby Town, 17th Place)

🔹 First Half: Bradford dominated, but Grimsby parked the bus. Silva hit the post twice.

🔹 Second Half: Novak finally broke through in the 67th minute, but Grimsby equalized from a controversial penalty in the 85th.

Final Score: 1-1 Draw.

Jake was frustrated, but he knew—in a title race, every point mattered.

After his dominant performances in midfield, Ryan Carter was getting serious attention.

Scouts from Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and AS Monaco had been spotted in the stands during the last few matches.

After training, Paul pulled Jake aside. "Carter's agent called. He's got offers lined up for the summer."

Jake exhaled. He had expected this.

That night, he called Carter into his office.

"You know why I called you," Jake said.

Carter nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Clubs are sniffing around."

Jake studied him. "You're 19. You're one of the best midfielders in League Two. People are going to want you."

Carter met his gaze. "You think I should leave?"

Jake smirked. "I think you should do what's best for your career."

Silence.

Then, Carter exhaled, shaking his head. "I want to stay. At least for now. We have something special here."

Jake nodded. "Good. Because we're going all the way."

Bradford was still in the fight. And Carter?

He was going to be at the center of it.

League Standings Update

After this run of games, Bradford remained in 2nd place.

# Team P W D L Pts

1 Stockport County 30 20 5 5 65

2 Bradford City 30 18 8 4 62

3 Wrexham 30 17 7 6 58

4 MK Dons 30 16 7 7 55

5 Gillingham 30 14 9 7 51

Jake glanced at the table in his office.

Three points behind the leaders. A title race was officially on.

And Bradford?

They weren't backing down.

Final Thoughts

With the FA Cup humiliation behind them, Bradford had responded perfectly.

✔️ Three crucial matches.

✔️ Seven points gained.

✔️ Still in the promotion race.

But Jake knew this wasn't over.

There were still lot league matches left.

And the next challenge?

The January Transfer Window.

Carter had committed to staying—for now. But what about the rest of the squad?

Decisions had to be made.

Bradford City were still fighting.

And Jake Wilson?

He was just getting started.

Dinner with Family – A Rare Moment of Peace

For the first time in what felt like months, Jake Wilson wasn't on a pitch.

No tactical meetings. No match footage. No endless system analysis.

Just dinner.

He sat across from Emma and Ethan at one of Bradford's nicer restaurants, the dim lighting casting a soft glow over the table. The warm scent of grilled steak and roasted vegetables filled the air.

Ethan, already halfway through his plate of pasta, grinned up at Jake. "Dad, you know you're eating like you have a match tomorrow, right?"

Jake smirked. "Old habits die hard."

Emma chuckled, sipping her wine. "It's nice, though. Having you here, really here."

Jake glanced at her, feeling a twinge of guilt. He was here, physically—but mentally? Football never left his mind.

For now, though, he pushed it aside.

Ethan sat forward, his eyes bright. "Coach at the academy said I've been improving a lot! He thinks I could make the U-12 team next year!"

Jake grinned. "That's my boy. But remember, talent is nothing without hard work."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Here comes the football speech."

Ethan laughed. "I don't mind. But seriously, Dad… do you ever wonder why you're so different now?"

Jake froze.

The air at the table shifted.

Emma tilted her head, studying him. "He's right. You've changed, Jake. And I'm not complaining—it's just… it feels like you woke up one day and became a different person."

Jake's grip on his fork tightened.

He forced a small smile. "People change, Em."

Emma watched him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Well, whatever happened, I like this version of you."

The tension passed, and the conversation drifted back to normal things—Ethan's school, Emma's work, even a bit of teasing about Jake's "mild" obsession with tactics.

But even as they laughed…

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Jake couldn't shake the feeling that his past—or rather, the past he had inherited—was going to catch up to him.

A Late-Night Revelation – The System Tells the Truth

Back home, once Ethan had gone to bed and Emma was asleep, Jake sat alone in his office.

The only light in the room came from the screen in front of him, replaying clips of league matches. He was analyzing opposition tendencies, refining strategies, making sure Bradford stayed on course for promotion.

Then—

[Ding! New Information Unlocked.]

Jake's eyes narrowed as a new system notification appeared.

➝ "Expanding System Knowledge..."

➝ "You are not alone."

Jake sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"

The system continued.

➝ There are others.

➝ People across different industries who have received a system like yours.

➝ Some in sports. Some in business. Some in entertainment.

Jake felt his pulse quicken.

"There are more like me?"

The system remained vague.

➝ Your path is your own. Competing against them is inevitable, but you must focus on your journey.

Jake clenched his jaw.

This changed everything.

He had always assumed he was the only one. That his advantage was unique.

But if others had systems too…

It meant he wasn't just competing against regular coaches anymore.

He was up against people who, like him, had an edge.

Jake exhaled, leaning back in his chair.

If he wanted to reach the top of football—to not just win, but dominate—he had to be smarter, faster, better.

Because somewhere out there, another coach might have a system too.

And one day, Jake would have to face him.

A Bigger World Beyond Football?

For the first time, Jake wondered—

If others had a system… did that mean the next battle wouldn't just be on the pitch?

Business moguls. Athletes. Musicians.

People using their own system to bend the world in their favor.

Jake had only just begun to master his.

But if this was true?

Then this story was bigger than just football.

And one day—

He was going to see just how deep this rabbit hole went.