Mei’s Case of the Vanishing Goalposts
On Saturday morning, the goalposts have disappeared! Time for the Football Detectives.
On Saturday morning, Mei arrived at Oakwood Field with a football under one arm. But something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The goalposts had vanished!
‘Who would steal goalposts?’ said Rani. Mei took out a notebook and magnifying glass. ‘Time for the Football Detectives,’ she said. ‘First, we need clues.’
They looked at the grass. There were two big dents where the goalposts had stood. And next to them, Mei found white paint footprints. ‘Aha,’ she said, writing it down.
‘Perhaps it was a sneaky fox!’ said Rani. Mei shook her head. ‘The tracks go this way,’ she said, pointing at the path. The detectives followed them past the swings and the old oak tree.
They crept up to the little shed behind the pavilion. The door was open a crack. A strange sound came from inside. Scrape, scrape, scrape. Rani gulped. ‘Ready?’ whispered Mei.
They pushed the door open. Inside was Tariq the turtle, the groundskeeper, holding a paintbrush! And there, laid out on the floor, were the goalposts, gleaming with fresh white paint.
‘Surprise!’ said Tariq. ‘The big match is tomorrow. I wanted the goalposts to be sparkling clean.’ Mei burst out laughing. Rani laughed too. The mystery was solved!
They helped Tariq carry the goalposts back to the pitch and set them up. The Football Detectives had solved their first case. ‘And now,’ said Mei, ‘who wants to play?’
The little lesson
When something puzzles you, look for clues and ask questions before you decide.
Let’s talk about it
- Which clue helped the detectives most?
- What do you think the surprise was for?
Finish stories to collect Mei as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Football stories
Rosie Loses a Match
Rosie’s team lost, and Rosie feels like stomping. But there’s a surprise at the end.
Pip’s Last Penalty
The cup final comes down to penalties, and Pip is the very last kicker.
Percy’s Case of the Vanishing Goalposts
On Saturday morning, the goalposts have disappeared! Time for the Football Detectives.
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