Into first half stop-pitch time...

The thunderous roars keep filling my senses. I get constantly blinded by the floodlights. I'm the striker, midfielder, defender, goalkeeper of both the home and away teams, the linesmen, referee, coach, manager, physio, die-hard fans all at the same time... it's as grueling as the real thing, time-compressed.

And what's more pressurizing is the fear of relegation from the league if I don't win this crucial match. That's how scary it is....loss of dignity, loss of hope, the manager fired, team valuation depressed, the loss of sponsorships, loss of media coverage.......How many of those Div 1 English clubs ever got promoted back to the EPL immediately after being relegated last season?

It's about time to head back into the changing room. The first-half performance so far was lackluster. Still feeling disoriented and losing faith in myself each time the ball went over the crossbar.

Already counting down towards the final seconds of the first half. I'm nothing but incapacitated. And there's still one last chance to draw first blood...

My breathing remains heavy...when is the halftime whistle ever gonna come?

~