144: The "habit" of victory

Joachim angrily pushed his teammate.

“What are you all doing?!”

But Captain Foster had no heart to fight anymore.

He looked at these Hartlepool kids, his eyes full of admiration.

The game entered garbage time.

Although Darlington pressed forward with all its might, its offense was unorganized.

Hartlepool United's defense, under the command of Smalling, systematically defused every attack.

In the 87th minute, Darlington got a golden opportunity.

From a corner kick, Joachim got to the ball in the penalty area.

But his header went straight into the sky.

The chance was wasted.

In the 90th minute, the game entered injury time.

Darlington's defense completely lost control, pushing high to find an equalizer.

Hartlepool United keenly seized this opportunity.

Carson threw the ball, finding Bridcutt in midfield.

Bridcutt did not stop the ball, but immediately sent a long pass.

The ball accurately found Jones in the front field.

The 15-year-old forward was no longer as nervous as he had been in the first half.

He calmly trapped the ball, adjusted, and shot.

The ball rolled along the grass into the bottom right corner of the goal.

4-1!

Jones scored a brace!

He excitedly took off his jersey and ran wildly on the field.

His teammates chased him frantically, and the entire away stand cheered for the young man.

The final whistle blew.

Hartlepool United defeated Darlington 4-1, advancing to the next round of the EFL Trophy with their heads held high!

The players rushed to the away stand to celebrate with the fans.

Jones was carried on his teammates' shoulders, a happy smile on his face.

The 15-year-old had made his derby debut.

Two goals, a perfect coming-of-age ceremony.

Smalling walked towards the Darlington players, shaking hands with each of them.

Even in victory, he showed a maturity beyond his years.

“It was a great game,” he said to Joachim.

The veteran smiled bitterly.

“You kids are really special.”

“Mark my words, your future is limitless.”

Inside the away team's locker room, cheers rose and fell.

Old John pushed open the door, a satisfied smile on his face.

“Gentlemen, I am proud of you!”

He walked to each player, hugging them one by one.

“You have proven what the spirit of Hartlepool United is!”

“You have proven the value of the youth academy system!”

Jones sat in front of his locker, holding the match ball.

This was his first hat-trick ball, even though it was only a brace.

But to him, it was more precious than anything.

Smith walked over and patted his shoulder.

“Brother, you are a hero tonight.”

“All of Hartlepool will be proud of you.”

Baker also came over.

“My goal was thanks to your pulling in the front field.”

“We are a team, and the glory belongs to everyone.”

Bridcutt was tidying his boots.

He remembered his first time coming to the Phoenix Training Center a few months ago.

At that time, he was just an unknown youth team player.

Now, he has shown the temperament of a core player in a derby match.

This is the charm of the system Lin Feng built.

Everyone can find their own place here.

Everyone can realize their dreams here.

Outside the locker room, media reporters had been waiting for a long time.

Johnson, the chief reporter of The Northern Echo, was the first to ask.

“Old John, how do you evaluate the team's performance tonight?”

Old John straightened his tie.

“These kids played the way football should be played tonight.”

“They conquered their opponents with skill and overcame difficulties with willpower.”

“This is the DNA of Hartlepool United.”

The Times reporter continued to press.

“There are rumors that several Premier League clubs are interested in your young players, what do you think?”

Old John's expression became serious.

“We are not a talent supply base.”

“We are a rising club.”

“The future of these kids is at Hartlepool United.”

After the press conference, the team bus slowly drove away from Darlington.

Inside the bus, the young players were still excitedly discussing the details of the game.

Jones leaned against the window, watching the night scenery outside flash by.

After tonight, he was no longer the shy young man on the training ground.

He was the rising star of Hartlepool United.

Smalling sat in the front row, organizing the match footage.

As the core of the team's defense, he needed to analyze every defensive detail.

Looking for areas that could be improved.

This is the self-cultivation of a professional player.

In the back of the bus, Bridcutt and Smith were studying tactical diagrams.

“Look at this passing route,” Bridcutt said, pointing at the diagram.

“If we had a little more control in midfield, we could create more opportunities.”

Smith nodded.

“Next training we will focus on practicing this cooperation.”

The professionalism of these young people surprised even Old John.

They not only have talent but also the mentality to become top players.

Hartlepool, Lin Feng's office.

The TV screen was playing highlights of the match.

Lin Feng held a cup of black tea, quietly watching every goal.

The [System Interface] displayed detailed match data analysis.

[Match Summary]

[Possession: Hartlepool United 61% vs Darlington 39%]

[Shots: 13 vs 7]

[Shots on Target: 8 vs 3]

[Pass Completion Rate: 87% vs 74%]

[Highest Individual Rating: Bridcutt 8.9 points]

[Teamwork Index: A-level]

More importantly, the player growth data.

[Jones: Mental Quality +5, Shooting Accuracy +3, Match Experience +10]

[Smalling: Leadership +4, Defensive Awareness +2, Game Reading Ability +3]

[Bridcutt: Passing Vision +4, Game Rhythm Control +5, Core Temperament +6]

This data proved the value of Lin Feng's system.

Not just cultivating players' technical abilities.

More importantly, shaping their professional spirit and mental quality.

Lin Feng's phone rang.

Richard Arnold's voice came through the receiver.

“Boss, three Premier League clubs have inquired about loaning players.”

“And two Championship clubs want to buy out Jones's contract.”

Lin Feng chuckled softly.

“Reply uniformly—no loans, no sales.”

“Our goal is to build a dynasty, not operate a talent supermarket.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Arnold paused.

“One more thing, Samsung hopes to accelerate the negotiation process.”

“They were impressed by tonight's match and believe it proves the club's investment value.”

Lin Feng nodded.

“Schedule a meeting for tomorrow morning.”

“It's time to let the world see our ambition.”

After the call ended, Lin Feng walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The night sky over Hartlepool was dotted with stars.

Just like this young team, everyone was shining brightly.

Tonight's victory was just the beginning.

The true legend still awaited them to write.