There are many important people at a football match. There are the players – 11 on each side. There are the substitutes who sit on the bench waiting for the manager to replace one of the players on the field. There is the referee, and the two linesmen. And there are the supporters who come to cheer their team. They are over the moon when their team wins, and gutted when they lose.

　　But the most important thing at a football match is of course the football. We are at the final of the Borsetshire Football cup, between Ambridge and Felversham. Ambridge have just won 1-0. I am talking to Fiona Football. Well, Fiona, how did it go?

　　Not too bad. The pitch was a bit wet and muddy, but at the end of the day I can’t grumble.

　　There was that controversial penalty decision in the second half.

　　From where I was, it was definitely a penalty. A Felversham player fouled an Ambridge player inside the penalty area. Archer took the penalty. The goalkeeper dived to the left, but I was going to the right, and the next thing I was in the net.

　　You were in the net earlier in the game as well, but the referee disallowed the goal.

　　Yes. Archer passed me to Grundy, but Grundy was offside. The linesman put up his flag and the referee gave Felversham a free kick.

　　And how do you feel about the goalmouth scramble in the dying minutes?

　　There was 2 minutes stoppage time, and Felversham were pushing hard for an equaliser. They were lucky to get a corner kick because the last player to touch me was in fact a Felversham player. Anyway, Felversham took the corner, and two or three players headed me before the goalkeeper caught me. I was glad really, because I didn’t want the match to go to extra time.

　　Why not?

　　Well how would you feel if you had been kicked around a muddy football pitch for 92 minutes?

　　Fair point, thank you Fiona.

　　Note: a cliche is an expression which people use so much that it has become, well, tired. There are several football cliches here. “At the end of the day” means “when all is said and done”. (It is impossible to interview a football player without him saying “at the end of the day” some time in the interview!) “The ball is in the net” means that someone has scored a goal. “A goalmouth scramble” means some exciting football with lots of players just in front of the goal. “The dying minutes of the game” means the last few minutes.