The Winning Shot

"Pheeep! Foul! Free kick, ref!" "All right, all right! Keep that noisy whistling down! You've got football fever!" "What's that? Am I ill?"

- Thomas and Percy

'The Winning Shot is a magazine story.

Plot
Thomas has football fever. At the Main Station yard, he keeps whistling and dreaming about being at a football match. Everyone is excited because of the upcoming Saturday match but Thomas has more reason to be excited than anyone else - he's to collect the visiting players who were coming from the Mainland. As he sets off to the airport he imagines he's steaming down a football pitch, dribbling a ball before his buffers! Thomas takes the visitors to their hotel near the football ground. Soon, Thomas was watching them practice.

On Saturday, Thomas turns up early to take the visiting team to their match against Wellsworth Wanderers. As Thomas approaches the home team's stadium, he sees two people running from the ground. The Wellsworth Wanderers' coach emerges calling for assistance; the two men have stolen the winners cup. The thieves bundle into a car and race off. Luckily, the road runs next to the tracks and Thomas is able to give chase. Soon, they find themselves in the countryside. Terence is on the road ahead. The thieves swerve to avoid him and, wheels screeching, they land in a ditch. In all the confusion, a hay bale falls from Terence's trailer and onto Thomas' line but instead of slowing down, Thomas charges the bale. It flies through the air and lands right in front of the thieves who are making their way across a field on foot. The burglars are so surprised to see the hay bale that they fall over each other. Then the football players arrive and the valuable cup was soon safe and the thieves are handed over to the police. Everyone congratulates Thomas on his great "kick" of the hay bale!

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Terence (does not speak)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (does not speak)
 * James (cameo)

Goofs

 * In the first illustration, James is coloured blue!
 * The way Thomas hits the hay bale is unrealistic. It would not have flown backwards through the air, it would have been either pushed along or shunted onto the side of the line.