Harbinger Of Glory-Chapter 53: Now, More Than Ever

Loftus Road — 31’

After McClean’s goal, QPR responded the way home teams do — not with panic, but with fire.

They upped the tempo.

Switched play from wing to wing with venom.

The ball was moved quicker now, touches were tighter, and communication was louder.

Their supporters roared behind every throw-in and demanded energy from every overlapping run.

But Wigan didn’t retreat.

If anything, the goal gave them shape.

Confidence.

They compressed space, closed channels, and cut-off angles.

Every player shifted as one unit.

The fullbacks tucked in tighter, and the midfielders double-teamed more aggressively.

Leo watched from the bench, eyes narrowed, fingers woven together between his knees.

This wasn’t control.

This was survival — but smart survival.

QPR’s best chance of the half came in the 38th minute.

A cross clipped in low from the right, dummied cleverly by their forward, then smashed first-time from the top of the box.

It beat the keeper.

But not the post.

The ball rattled off the woodwork, bounced wildly back into play, and was cleared with three boots at once.

The home fans groaned like a punchline had been stolen.

"They are getting closer, though. That’s two warning signs now — and Wigan need to stay switched on."

The final minutes of the half played out in a tense rhythm.

QPR dominated possession as Wigan sat deeper.

There were a few cheap fouls to disrupt the flow.

One yellow card apiece.

Time wasting began subtly — longer goal kicks, slower throw-ins.

The referee added two minutes of stoppage time, forcing the QPR players to ramp up the pace of their attack without being vulnerable at the back.

Dawson didn’t move from his post.

Leo could see the tension in the backroom staff now — assistants glancing at watches, trainers muttering to each other under their breath.

Then the whistle blew.

The half ended not with a bang, but a standoff.

"So Wigan, away from home, lead 1-0 at the break here at Loftus Road courtesy of a smart strike from Veteran James Mclean. Just 45 minutes played, but this could be a chance to end their losing streak. We await the return of the players from the break. My name is Darren Wallac, and this is EFL football"

QPR jogged into the tunnel with their heads up.

Wigan walked in with theirs down — but only because they knew better than to get comfortable.

.....

Wigan Away Dressing Room — Halftime

The door shut behind them with a heavy thud.

No music.

No talking.

Just the hiss of opened water bottles and the low buzz of first-half murmurs between players.

Dawson entered last, exchanging a couple of words with Nolan before the latter slipped right back out, touchpad in hand.

He stood still for a second, just watching his team, letting them breathe.

Then he spoke.

"Alright."

One word, and the room snapped to attention.

"We’ve got the lead," he said.

"And we earned it. McClean — good finish. The rest of you? You held your lines and didn’t falter. That’s what we trained for."

He stepped forward, pointing toward the midfield group first.

"But the job’s only halfway done. They’re going to come harder second half. You know it. I know it. Every fan out there knows it. So the next 15 minutes after the restart? That’s your war zone. Win that stretch, and they’ll start to tire."

He turned to the defenders now.

"Stay compact. No gambling. No heroes. If in doubt, clear. Get us up the pitch."

Then a glance at the forwards.

"If we get a second? Good. But don’t chase. Let the space open. Be patient. They’ll give you another one if we wait for it. Once again, don’t force it too much. Let’s try and go home with at least a smile on our faces."

The room stayed quiet.

Focused.

Leo watched from his seat near the back.

No one looked tired.

But everyone looked wired — adrenaline, maybe.

Dawson then turned, eyes glossing over a few more players before letting his words out.

"And if your number’s called," he said, sweeping his eyes across the subs, "don’t just play it safe. Play it smart."

Then he gave a single nod.

"Alright. Hydrate, take a breather for the remainder of the minutes and let’s go out and finish this."

The players nodded as Dawson turned to leave the room.

Leo, who had been expecting some sort of reaction from Dawson, some form of acknowledgement that told him he could play todaystared down after not getting one, but he didn’t let it get to him.

......

The crowd was louder now, as if the delay only made them hungrier.

The QPR fans clapped in rhythm, waved scarves, and stomped.

A wall of noise followed both teams as they re-entered the pitch.

Leo stepped out behind the others, bib still on, breathing in the second-half air.

The floodlights were on now, bright against the early afternoon grey.

Shadows grew longer across the grass.

Dawson walked a few paces forward, hands behind his back.

He didn’t look nervous.

He looked like a man daring the storm to come again.

And from the way QPR lined up — all forward lean, all urgent motion — it was already on its way.

QPR came out of the tunnel like they’d been wound tight and released.

More direct.

More aggressive.

Long diagonals.

Crosses were being swung in without hesitation.

Their midfielders were starting to push higher, flooding Wigan’s defensive third, trying to pin them in with sheer momentum.

The crowd responded, swelling into full-throated chants that rolled across the rafters.

Every completed pass was met with an approving roar.

Every Wigan clearance with a groan of frustration.

Leo shifted forward on the bench, elbows on his thighs, eyes wide open.

Everything had shifted again.

At the 57th minute, it almost cracked.

A QPR winger collected a clever ball in behind, shook off the right back, and rifled a shot low across the face of the goal, but the keeper got a hand to it — not enough to stop it, just to slow it.

The ball spun toward the far post, bounced once... and rolled along the line before being hoofed away at full stretch.

Gasps erupted in the stadium.

Half the QPR fans had already leapt to their feet, certain it was in.

But it wasn’t.

No VAR here.

No watch beep for the ref.

Play waved on.

"Heart-in-mouth moment there! That looked in from this angle — but no signal from the linesman! QPR inches away from pulling level!" the commentator roared in sync as the wave of attacks continued.

Motion could be seen on the other side of the dugout as a couple of QPR bench players began moving, but the Wigan bench didn’t move.

Not yet.

59’

A midfield clash broke the rhythm.

Captain Tendayi Darikwa went in strong to intercept a loose ball and collided shoulder-to-shoulder with QPR’s left-sided midfielder — a hard, jarring hit that echoed even from the bench.

He went down immediately.

Flat and still.

Leo’s breath caught for a moment like it always did in that quiet between contact and reaction.

He wasn’t one to be like that, but at the moment, he was wishing the captain could stay down a bit longer.

Dawson, on the other hand, tightened.

His eyes didn’t blink.

The physios jogged out, kits swinging at their sides, the fourth official already moving to check on the touchline.

The stadium reacted as expected — split down the middle.

The QPR fans jeered.

Some sarcastic applause.

Shouts of "Get him off!" and "He’s buying time!" echoed behind the Wigan dugout.

The away end clapped and sang louder as Darikwa stirred, sat up, and waved the physios off.

But he didn’t bounce up.

He rose like a man negotiating with his own body.

He jogged to the sideline and then rejoined play after the referee allowed.

But not cleanly.

Nolan could see it from 30 yards away.

The gait was wrong.

No push off the back foot.

No urgency in the recovery runs.

Darikwa was still in the right space, but he wasn’t moving like he normally did.

Dawson noticed, too.

He stood still, arms crossed, staring hard at his captain.

Then turned.

"Chris. Naylor. Fletch," he barked, short and sharp.

"Warm up. Now."

The three stood as one.

Bibs half-on, boots tapping quickly as they began jogging down the far side touchline.

Leo stayed seated.

Still watching Darikwa.

Still watching the space around him expand slightly every minute.

QPR sensed it too — they kept pushing that flank.

The pressure was redlining.

And then it happened again.

Darikwa made a stretch tackle, won the ball, but stayed down.

No roll. No theatrics.

Just stayed there.

"And now the Wigan captain is down again. This time, it looks more serious. You can see Dawson on the sideline — he’s already turning to his bench."

The home fans erupted again.

Booing.

Pointing at invisible watches.

Waving for cards, the atmosphere, being a bit impatient, all in all.

Leo leaned back slightly, heart racing.

Things were edging closer.

A/N: Have fun reading. It’s the weekend so might do a double release today or something.

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