THE CHALLENGE
Save Three of Five
Jake goes in goal and must save at least three penalties from five proven school footballers.
THE PENALTY SHOOTERS
Mason · Reece · Dylan · Tyler · Connor
“Five penalties. Save three. Simple.”
Five school footballers. Five penalties. One very nervous goalkeeper. Mason Clarke, Reece Morgan, Dylan Harper, Tyler Bennett and Connor Hayes are the boys Jake has to face in one of his challenges.
WHO ARE THE PENALTY SHOOTERS?
Five Shots Between Jake and Victory
Mason Clarke, Reece Morgan, Dylan Harper, Tyler Bennett and Connor Hayes are five school footballers with one useful thing in common: every one of them scored in the previous year's penalty shoot-out against Kingsbrook Academy.
That makes them exactly the wrong five people for Jake to face when his latest challenge puts him in goal. To win, Jake has to save at least three of their five penalties at lunchtime, with Mr Briggs supervising.
Alex studies Ryan's video footage and spots patterns in the boys' penalties. That gives Jake a fighting chance—but remembering the patterns while five footballers are actually taking penalties is another matter.
AT A GLANCE
A Few Things to Know
THE SHOOTERS
Mason · Reece · Dylan · Tyler · Connor
All five scored in the previous year's penalty shoot-out against Kingsbrook Academy.
THE PRESSURE
Every Penalty Matters
Jake has only five chances to make the three saves he needs. One wrong guess could change the whole challenge.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
More Than Bragging Rights
There is a consequence if Jake fails, giving him another reason to desperately want those three saves.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN BOOK NINE
Jake Goes in Goal
Jake is the narrator and central character of the This Is My... series.
FIVE BOYS. FIVE DIFFERENT PENALTIES.
Know Your Opponent
Alex's analysis gives Jake a fighting chance. Each shooter has a habit or pattern Jake can use—provided he remembers it when the ball is on the spot.
PENALTY SHOOTER
Mason Clarke
Mason has a tell: he looks towards the place where he intends to shoot.
PENALTY SHOOTER
Reece Morgan
Reece looks one way and shoots the other. Jake knows the trick—but knowing it and stopping the penalty are very different things.
PENALTY SHOOTER
Dylan Harper
Dylan waits for the goalkeeper to move before choosing where to put his penalty.
PENALTY SHOOTER
Tyler Bennett
Like Reece, Tyler looks one way before sending the ball in the opposite direction.
PENALTY SHOOTER
Connor Hayes
Connor favours the goalkeeper's left. Jake knows the pattern, but he still has to react quickly enough when the shot comes.
FIVE PENALTIES. THREE NEEDED.
Can Jake Save Three?
With Alex's research, Jack keeping track and Mr Briggs supervising, Jake gives himself a genuine chance. But five penalties leave very little room for error, and he still has to make the saves when it matters.
Meet the Rest of the Cast