Nicholas Marjan, known as Niels, was an Asian football-obsessed loner in the modern world. A master of FIFA Career Mode, addicted to YouTube tactics videos, and followed every twist of the transfer window like it was life or death, he lived the beautiful game from behind a screen.
Until the day he died.
And woke up in the late 2000s, in the body of a once-promising young player at a lower-league English club. A player whose career had been cut short by a brutal ACL injury. With his playing career over before it could truly begin, his second life offers no glory on the pitch.
But Niels still has one weapon: his mind.
Armed with future knowledge of football's evolution, and guided by a mysterious, almost cheat-like instinct for scouting raw talent, Niels steps into the world of coaching. As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.
His methods are unorthodox. His instincts, uncanny. And soon, whispers about the "young coach with a gift" begin to spread.
This isn’t the story of a player chasing glory. It’s about someone reborn to change the game from the sidelines. From forgotten training grounds to Europe’s biggest stages, Niels is on a mission, 
not just to win, but to rewrite what it means to lead.
He once dreamed of lifting trophies as a player.
Now, he'll do it as a coach.

Chapter 40: The Fourth Round Clash (Vs. Barnsley Part-II)


FA Cup Fourth Round: Crawley Town vs. Barnsley 


The Broadfield Stadium dressing room pulsed with raw tension at halftime, the score knotted at 1-1, Thiago's 23rd-minute volley matched by Barnsley's hulking striker in the 36th. Niels faced his Crawley Town squad, their faces slick with sweat, boots crusted with January's mud, the roar of 12,800 fans echoing through the concrete walls. The FA Cup Fourth Round battle against a Championship side, two leagues above, had pushed them to the edge, and the second half loomed like a forge that would either temper their dream or shatter it. Niels' post-2010 FIFA memories, a blur of virtual cup shocks, flickered with tense knockout ties, but the details faded, rooting him in this living crucible. Could he guide these League Two underdogs to topple a giant, or would Barnsley's might crush their fragile hope? 


Chapter 40 - The Fourth Round Clash (Vs. Barnsley Part-II)