April 7th, 2026 – Apperley Bridge Training Ground
Jake arrived at 5:47 AM, thirteen minutes earlier than usual. The training ground sat empty except for the groundskeeper's truck parked beside the main pitch. No lights on in the building yet, just the pale glow of emergency exits visible through glass doors.
He unlocked his office and settled at the desk, pulling his laptop from its case. The system interface loaded automatically—a custom application Paul Robert assumed was tactical analysis software. Jake had never corrected that assumption.
The screen flickered to life, displaying tomorrow's fixture in clean blue text:
BRADFORD CITY vs STRASBOURG
UEFA Europa Conference League Semi-Final (1st Leg)
Valley Parade | 20:00 GMT
Jake clicked the analysis tab. Data streamed across the screen, numbers and percentages painting a picture of what tomorrow might hold.
MATCH PREDICTION:
Bradford Win: 34%
Draw: 28%
Strasbourg Win: 38%
