FM: A Rookie attempt at FM

[Raven]

As I begin writing this, let me say that I have already completed my second season with FM. I was writing about it on another board, but i've decided to move it here, in hope that maybe somewhere someone will offer up some advice.


I'm not a big soccer fan, in fact, I knew next to nothing about the sport before this dynasty. The only 2 players I knew about before this dynasty began was David Beckham, and Pele. I never played soccer growing up, and have watched maybe 3 minutes of professional soccer in my life. Though I do remember enjoying watching some soccer in '96 or so (World Cup? Summer Olympics?) I forgot by now what it actually was. I do remember though that some South American team lost to the U.S, by scoring on their own goal, and that player was later killed for it in his country. Maybe it was Colombia? I forget.....anyways...

[Raven]

Now my FM experience. I played the CM demo for a few months last year with Kidderminster. Knowing nothing about soccer made things frustrating and I soon quit. My best experience with the game though was the 2D engine, watching the games unfold was an interesting concept. So then this season I decided to give the FM demo a whirl using a low level English Club. I randomly chose Grays Athletic of the Conference South, and finished out the Demo. I then ordered the game, and played the demo again with Grays Athletic. By the time I was just about to finish the demo, my game arrived in the mail.

I plunged right in, and chose to play it out for real with Grays Athletic. Though this may sound redundant, I chose to do so because I was already familiar with the players of that squad, and figured it should make things easier. Boy was I wrong.

Right when I got the full version, they had released the patch. The patch made things more difficult, and my success was much worse than it was with the demo.


Knowing little of FM, I decided to have the following countries play out their games: USA (MLS only), England (Conf North/South and above), Spain (Second Division B and above), Mexico (First Div A and above). In retrospect, I guess I should have only gone with England. Having 4 countries play is really slow on the processing speed, but it's too late now.

[Raven]

I'll be beginning things at Grays Athletic of the English Conference South. Here is a quick breakdown of the English leagues, for those not familiar with them.

England:
Premiere Division
Championship
League One
League Two
Conf. National
Conf. North & Conf. South.

Conferene North & South are two seperate conferences, but at the same level. The 2 conferences do not play each other, but are instead seperate, both getting their own Promotions in to Conference National.

[Raven]

Team: Grays Athletic
Conference: Conference South
Finances: OKAY
Seating: 4500 (300 seated)
Training Grounds: Adequate Facilities
Transfer Budge: 10,799
% of Transfer funds made avail: 40%
Sponsors: 5yr deal at 64.25k
Current Wage Budget: $700,000
Current Wage Total: $719,468


I'd already played 4 of my 6 friendlies.

Results
W 3-2 over Hednesford
T 2-2 Manchester City Reserves
W 6-0 over Macclesfield
L 3-1 Bristol Rovers

Despite winning 6-0 over Macclesfield, two of my players were injured, so I decided to use that to toy with the manager interactions. I figured it would be a nice way to say that Macclesfield's coach allowed his players to play dirty. I didn't want to go overboard, so I just said "I wasn't a big fan of" their coach. 3 of my players responded well, saying they liked my character. I also noticed it dropped my professionalism down from 10 to 9, and bumped my media handling up from 10 to 11.

[Raven]

I didn't keep regular updates of my 1st season, so this quickly jumps a few months later. To anyone interested though, things will get more indepth through my 2nd season on.

I am nearly finished the season with 1 game to go (after owning the game for just 1 week). Right now I am 20 of 22 and facing relegation. I am 1 point behind St. Albans. My current record is 9-21, with 11 draws. I have to win this game, and St. Albans lose or draw. If I draw, I get relegated, beause the tie breaker is goal diff. and I'm way behind them.

My match is against Bishops Stortford, the 10th ranked team in the conference. We tied them 3-3 in our first meeting this season.


22 minutes in, Ricky Dobson commits a foul in the penalty box. Bishops attempts a penalty kick and score to take a 1-0 lead.

At the 25 minute mark, they chip a little pass down the left sideline, and my DR overplays it. They get a 1-on-1 with my goalie to score and take a 2-0 lead.

They score another goal at the 80 minute mark to take a 3-0 lead, and the final score ends 3-0.

It's now official, we've been relegated. The board tells me they are unsatisfied with me. Considering the Conf. North/South is the lowest playabale Conference, I will be fired in the upcoming weeks.

[Raven]

Final Record : W-9 D-11 L-22
Final Rank: 20/22, 38 points. 1 point behind next ranked team.

Goals for: 48, goals allowed 83.

Best player: AML Danny Hayzelden 7.49 rating, 12th in league.

Most Goals: SC Ellis Remy and SC Leroy Griffiths both finished with 10 goals. Tied for 25th in conference.

GK Carl Emberson conceeded 83 goals, most in the league. I really need to upgrade here!

AML Danny Hayzelden finished with 16 assists., good for 3rd in the league. He also finished with 7 MoM awards, T-4th in the conference. Also 4.35 Dribbles per game, 1st in league.

Hayzelden wins the Fans player of the year.

[Desnudo]

That was a quick dynasty. :)

[Raven]

Mid July 2005

They kept telling me my job was secure, but near the end of June, I got sacked.

I've been waiting for a new job to come available in the same conference, but nothing has popped up. Cacareno (Spanish Div B4 - lowest available) offered me a job, but didn't have much to offer. I declined, and now have recived an offer from Real Aviles Industrial (Spanish Div. B1). They've offered 900k for transfers, so I'm going to take the job. They are relegation battlers, with only 4 players under contract, but I think I'll just stick around here until something comes up in the English Conf. South again.

[Raven]

That was a quick dynasty. :)


No kidding! Had I not taken the lowest English Conference, I'd probably get another year to work things out. But I can't play with a non-Conference team, so I have to try my luck somewhere else.

[Raven]

Now a look at the Spanish leagues breakdown, and where I stand.

Spain
First Division
Second Division
Second Division B1 & B2 & B3 & B4


The Second Division's B teams work like the English COnference North/South. All get 1 promotion in to the Second Division. The problem here is that most of these B teams are underdevloped. Many have money to spend, but very few actual players under contract.

[Raven]

Aug 1, 2005

Well this place is a real shit hole. Kinda like the Detroit of Spanish soccer, I guess.

Aviles only had 4 players under contract, with the players total value around 40k. It's nice they've made 900k available for transfers, and allow me a wage bill of 650k (of which I've only used 50k), but noone wants to come and play here!

I've made a ton of transfer bids and loan offers, but all the players are rejecting me. I guess that's what happens to an American manager in Spain.

I've gotten two teams to offer me players I wanted, but both teams are asking for way more than the player is worth (1 is valued at 16k, but the team is asking 123k for him). Jeez.

[Raven]

Aug 15, 2005

Finally, some progress.

I got an Argentinian 22yo striker named Mariano Gerostiza to join me on loan for the year. This guy has a 17 in finishing, and a 9 in longshots. Should be a real improvement over the duds I have on this roster right now.

A few days later, I got another 22yo striker, this time a Spanish kid named Juanfer. Juanfer doesn't look too strong, but he is better than what I had.

[Raven]

Aug 21, 2005.

I keep getting job offers from Spanish teams. Most are a few divisions below my current one, but none are very enticing.

I sent an application to the New England team, but they declined. No English teams have availabilities yet.

I did finally get an interesting job offer today though. A Spanish team named Elgoibar C.D of Spanish B2 division offered a job. Though they aren't anything spectacular, they have a 22 year old striker named David Lizoain. Lizoain is valued at 1.55mill, and would be fun to have on my team, but I'm going to decline and wait for something in England to open up.

[Raven]

Aug 22, 2005.

A 19 yo free agent MC named Sisi joined the club today. We have been waiting over a month to sign him, but he was considering offers from several other teams. We are only paying him 24k per year, but this kid has game.

Sisi has 12 in finishing, long shots and crossing, 16 in heading, 11 in first touch, 10 in passing and tackling. 14 in creativity, 13 in anticipation, 12 in concentration and off the ball, plus a few other qualities that he rates between 9 and 10. I think Sisi will be a solid acquisition.


We'll play our 3rd and final friendly today, then get the season underway shortly.


Aug 24, 2005.

We get another transfer, this one a ML named Raul Parra. He is nothing special, but becomes the 8th player on the roster.

[Raven]

Nov 2, 2005

Well, after 10 games, we are 2-6, with 2 draws. We are borderline relegation, but are keeping our head above water for the moment.

8 goals for, 17 goals against. Our biggest problem is we can't put the biscuit in the basket. Watching the highlights, we just can't get a lot of shots on goal. Of those 8 goals, 5 are from Juanfer. Our other striker, Gorostiza (the Argentinian) isn't doing anything. He has been a real no-show, basically.


We only have 8 players under contract (2 are loaned to us), but the good news is we have 6 guys who have agreed to transfer. They will be joining us on Dec 15th.

In other news, our 18 yo DC Francisco Reglaon has been invited to play for the Spanish U-19s against Holland and Croatia. This is my first experience with one of my guys playing internationally, so I've limited him to 45 minutes. I expect he will get some decent experience there.

Still getting job offers from other Spanish teams, but nothing worth taking. Only 1 English managerial job has come up, but that was in the Premiere league, and I didn't get the job. I expect some English jobs to open up midway through their season, so mid-December should make some possibilities available. Hopefully Aviles can keep things fun until then.

[Raven]

November 16, 2005


Well, I've been waiting all this time for a job offer in the Conference South and nothing has become available. Finally today, an English job is available, this time in Conference North. Leigh RMI, who was last season relegated from Conference National, fired their head coach, and I applied for the position. They've accepted my application, and I immediately quit at Aviles.

I leave Aviles in the bottom of their division 18th of 20, with a record of 2-7 with 2 draws. They aren't in that poor of a position though, as they need just 2 points right now to avoid relegation standing, and they have several players coming in in just a month.

[Raven]

My current stats.

Handling Pressure: 10
Ambition: 10 (not sure how to get this up)
Loyalty: 9
Media Handling: 14
Professionalism: 6
Temperment: 10


Other Stats:
Games played: 62
Wins: 15
Draws: 14
Losses: 33
Goals scored: 70
Goals allowed: 123

[Desnudo]

Very interesting, I've never seen or tried the Spanish lower leagues before. I hope you're able to get a full roster.

[Raven]

More on Leigh RMI

Capacity 7500, (2750 seated)
Finances: okay
Training facilities: good
Transfer Budget: $0
Allowed wages: $600k
Current wages: $656.25k

Looks like I need to trim some fat off of that payroll.

Second thing I noticed was my staff is horrible. My scouted was rated a 9 in judging player talent. He is quickly fired and is now searching for a new job. If there is anything I need, it's accurate information regarding players. He was signed for another year and a half, so I had to bite a 32k bullet on that one. I figure it will be worth it though, I should be able to get a very good scout relatively cheap.

I also have 3 Asst Managers, all of which are pretty bad. I can't fire these guys though, as I'd have to pay out a considerable amount to do so. One is signed to a cheap contract through the end of the season, another has a year and a half on his contract. The third and final one is signed through 2009. All are pretty poor though. I really need to make sure I have a good staff. Paying good money isn't much of a concern, I just want accurate information. I need all the help I can get.

[Raven]

MY first game with Leigh RMI is immediate, and against 2nd ranked Southport. We currently stand 17th/22 with 3 W, 7 L, 1 D.

We pull out a 1-0 victory, on MR Michael Senior's lone goal (3rd of season). He finished with an 8 rating (as many of my starters did), and takes his first MoM award.

A great start to my reign at RMI, and I am hoping things work out here.

[Raven]

Jan 11, 2006

Well things are going well at Leigh RMI. I inherited the team 3-7, 1 draw; 14 goals, 26 against, and ranked 17th/22.

13 games later, we have gone 6-5 (1 a loss in FA Trophy) with 2 draws. 1 of those losses came in the closing seconds, the other was a 1-0 heartbreaker. In those 12 games, we have scored 17 goals, and given up 12. We've also managed to increase our ranking up to 13/22 where we currently stand.

Our goalie, Ian Martin has recorded 5 clean sheets in the past 7 games. In 9 of his 12 league games he has surrendered 1 or fewer goals. I have been very impressed with our defense so far.

11 players have scored goals for us this season. 25 year old Striker Alex Meechan currently leads the team with 8 goals. Should he score 2 more goals, he will pass his record of last season.

[Raven]

February 25th, 2006

Well, we've hit a rough patch. After going a streak where we lost only 5 of 15 games (picking up 22 points), things have made a 180 degree turn. In our past 6 games, we have won just one (against the worst team in our conference), and lost to a couple very good teams, and a couple more mid-tablers.

After spending two games ranked 11th in the Conference we have dropped to 18th, and are currently only 2 positions out of relegation. We need to get things together. Our overall record is 10 W, 17 L, 5 D. The bright spot is there are 3 teams within 1 point of us, and with a win, we are bound to pass at least one of them up.

Granted some of those losses came while key players were injured, or facing suspensions, but that's not a very good excuse. I am still struggling with tactics. I just can't figure out why things aren't going well. Why some guys pass backwards instead of forward. Who should play tight marking. How wide to play the field. What type of passing should I go with (short, direct, long). I guess this is where my ignorance of soccer is most frustrating.

In other news,
I am facing a scary predicament here, as I only have 9 players with protected contracts. 12 guys are up at the end of the year (more if you count my reserves), and I am not really sure who to resign. Our budget is limited to 600k, and we are already some 77k over.


One interesting thing is I went and signed ML Mitchell Cole. Cole was a hot prospect when I was with the Grays, and is just 20 years old and valued at 48k. I signed him on a free transfer, and am hoping he can provide some punch, as well as develop like he is supposed to.

[Raven]

March 17, 2006

Well things are getting ugly at Leigh RMI, as we are struggling to find victories. With just 7 games left to go, we are currently 20th of 22 and facing relegation. We are currently 10-19 with 6 draws, and have received just 5 points in our last 11 matches. The good news is that there are many teams within striking distance, as 6 teams stand within 6 points of us. We need a few big wins, as avoiding relegation is our priority.

Our next match is vs. #4 Droylsden. My goal is to get at least 1 point out of the match. Should we be tied at the half, I'll go defensive and add a 5th defender. I'll be looking to force a draw, if we can't score early.

[Raven]

Well, another 1-0 loss. We gave up the only goal on a header in the 7th minute. At half time, I pulled a defender, and put in a 5th MC, and we really controlled the clock. With less than 2 minutes remaining we had an opportunity to score, but missed our shot. The corner kick was lost, and Droyslden killed the clock to pull out the victory.

[Raven]

Our next match is against 6th ranked Barrow.

We took a blow, losing MR Michael Senior for a week. Senior has scored 4 goals, with 5 assists, in 22 starts this season.

Luckily for us, two players recently agreed to join us on loan, and both are midfielders.

Richie Ryan is one of those players, and could potentially be huge for us down the stretch. Ryan is from Sunderland and valued at 380k. He is an exceptional athlete, and will immediately take Senior's starting spot.

We will look to employ the 3-5-2 tactics that we used last game, hoping to get an early lead. If we take the lead, I expect to switch to a 4-4-2 at halftime.

[Raven]

Another tough loss against Barrow, 2-0. I was really disapointed with three poor shots that I witnessed by our guys. Two of them were easy one-on-ones with the goalie. Both times the goalie got deked, but our strikers couldn't finish and put the ball into the side netting. It was very frustrating, because I really got to see that these guys just may not have the finishing potential that I thought they might.

The third missed attempt was a long shot that went wide. A great pass was made to the top of the box, and our midfielder completely sent it wide. He isn't a guy I expect to score a lot of goals (if any) but good teams get those kinds of goals to find the net, and we just didn't do that today.

The one goal that we did score, was on an impressive header by a 20 year old MC named Ricky Howarth. I haven't been too impressed with Ricky this year, but he is one of those young guys I have my fingers crossed for, hoping he can turn out alright.

Anyway, we are still facing relegation, and I am praying we can pull things out. I really want to have a second year with the team, because I got fired my first go-round with the Grays. I need some stability, and a chance to really learn the game. Playing merry-go-round with teams isn't going to do that.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Raven]

Next up is 8th ranked Gainsborough, whom we lost 1-0 in our last match.

Tactics wise, we played poorly with the 3-5-2 last game, as the opponents held the ball way too much on offense. I'll be trying a modified version this match, to see how that goes.

We released a media comment about our upcoming match, saying we look forward to an easy win over Gainsborough. I'm hoping this will pump our players up a bit, as we really need to get a victory.



We score a quick goal at the 12th minute to go up 1-0. After the throw in, we sent the ball across the field to our attacking ML, who then centered it back to our forward. A one-on-one with the goalie for an easy strike.

Our second goal comes at the 28th minute. We push the ball down the right side, where Michael Senior (MR) crosses the ball in to the box. It deflects off a defender, and ends at the feet of Ben Jackson. Jackson sends it in for his 2nd goal of the game (and 2nd of the season).

At the 38th minute, a cross in to the box deflects off of Jackson, he pushes it back to the defender, who gets it to the left winger. Roscoe then centers it back to Jackson who sends it in for the hattrick!

At the 88th minute, we are fouled in the box. Alex Meechan takes the penalty to score his 9th goal of the season, and put us up 4-0. We win on a 4-0 final.



The victory was huge for us, as it now gives us some room to work with regarding relegation. It's also encouraging to see Jackson out there doing so well. Jackson, by the way, is a player on loan. He has been with us for a while, but has only recently started due to the poor performance by my other strikers. Seeing how well he has played, made me realize his contract expires in the next week, and we are going to pursue him. I'm going to give him one more match before I make an offer, but his 10 form and his hattrick really make me want to get him now.

[Raven]

April 8, 2006

Some bad news. Jackson's loan just expired, and he returns back to his team. I did however make an offer for him. I had a really good defender who wouldn't be returning next year because of salary requests, so I made a trade offer including him for Jackson. I also included my backup goalie in the deal, hoping that would entice them.


Our next match was against 7th ranked Stalybridge. We scored our first goal on a defensive error, and later scored a second goal to take a 2-0 lead. We would win the game 2-0, and improve our league standing.


We started the game with a 3-1-3-1-2, and despite winning, were giving up a lot of shots in the center of the box. Since we were winning 1-0, I pulled a striker and went with a 5-4-1-0, and scored another goal that way. I'll be experimenting a bit more with that in the upcoming matches.

Injuries are killing us though. We are now without our best defender, our best winger, and lost Jackson.


With the two consecutive wins, we've moved ourselves out of relegation, and into 18th/22 place. We've also improved our goal differential from -23 to -17. Our schedule also gets a bit easier, as our final three matches are against the 13th, 19th and 15th ranked teams. Only one team has currently secured relegation, but the 19th ranked opponent (Moor Green) should be a huge win, as that should ensure we finish above them. Leaving only 1 more position for relegation.

Needless to say, I am pretty excited about our next 3 matches.

[Raven]

A tough 2-1 loss to Altrincham. They went up 1-0 in the first half, as a shot bounced off the top bar. It landed right at the feet of their striker, who knocked it in for a goal.

We tied it up 1-1 in the 2nd half. This on a cross from Michell Cole (ML), and headed in by Michael Senior (MR).

Altrincham would find an open man on a corner kick, and retook the lead 2-1. In the waning seconds, we got the ball to Cole in the box, he had a one-on-one with the goalie, but couldn't get it by him.

[Raven]

Next up is Moor Green. We are currently just 1 point ahead of them, and a win guarantees we finish ahead of them in the standings. With just 2 matches to go, this has to be the most important match of the season for us. Moor Green, Gateshead, and Harrogate Town all have 41 points to our 42. So if we win, and either of the other two lose, we are out of relegation.

Luckily for us, all of our injured starters are back for us. We'll be at full strength for the match.

We lose 3-1 to Moor Green. Moor Green pulls 2 points ahead of us Harrogate Town pulled out a 2-1 victory over 3rd ranked Bradford PA, while Gateshead managed a 0-0 draw with 4th ranked Droysden. Go figure!

We head in to our last game in 21/22 place. Tied at 42 points with Gateshead, 2 points behind Harrogate.

Our last game will be against 15th ranked Lancaster, a team we beat earlier in the season. Moor Green and Gateshead will play each other, so things could get sticky for me there, should there be a draw.

The other guys will play:
Moor Green vs Gateshead
Harrogate vs #10 Burscough

[Raven]

A goal on a penalty shot puts Lancaster up 1-0, 12 minutes in and score again at the 32nd minute.

MC Ricky Howard has a wide open shot, but gives it to the goalie just before halftime, and things don't look good going in to the break.

Looking up at the scoreboard, I see Gateshead lead 2-0 over Moor Green, and Harrogate has a 1-0 lead. Things aren't looking good for me right now.

We lose 3-0. Gateshead beat Moor Green, and Harrogate loses. So had we won, we would have been tied for points, but still been relegated due to goal differential.


I guess I'll be looking for another job now.

[Raven]

I've resigned from Leigh RMI before I got fired. I basically wanted them to have the opportunity to sign their own players before other teams came and scooped them up.

I'll keep my eyes open for the next English team opening. Something should open up in the next month among the relegated teams.




My current Stas:
Handle Pressure: 10
Ambition: 10
Loyalty: 8
Media Handling: 13
Professionalism: 4
Temper: 7

Games Played: 94
Wins: 24
Losses: 51
Draws: 19
Goals for: 103 (1.1 avg)
Goals Against: 165 (1.8 avg)
Goal Diff: -62

[Raven]

In other news:

Juanfer, Real Aviles, Striker. finished with 16 goals and 4 assists in 33 starts. He is now valued at 150k, I originally purchased him for 6k.

Danny Hayzelden, Grays, AML. Is now valued at 40k.

Ben Jackson, Doncaster Reserves, Striker. Now valued at 28k. He is the guy who scored the hattrick for me with Leigh RMI.

[Raven]

Final Leigh RMI Stats;

Rank: 21st of 22
Wins: 12
Losses: 24
Draws: 6
Goals For/Against/Diff: 47/70/-23
Points: 42 (4 points out of relegation)



AML Andy Roscoe finished 18th in Conf. with an avg 7.35 rating.
SC Alex Meechan and SC Karl Rose tied for 43rd in league with 7 goals apiece.
AML Andy Roscoe finished 2nd with 11 assists.
GK Ian Marin finished 5th with 6 MoMs
MR Michael Senior finished 3rd with 2.64 Dribbles/Gm


Adam Muller of Worksop lead the Conference with 24 goals.

[Desnudo]

February 25th, 2006

Granted some of those losses came while key players were injured, or facing suspensions, but that's not a very good excuse. I am still struggling with tactics. I just can't figure out why things aren't going well. Why some guys pass backwards instead of forward. Who should play tight marking. How wide to play the field. What type of passing should I go with (short, direct, long). I guess this is where my ignorance of soccer is most frustrating.

The manual gives a decent overview of what impact the different tactics settings have. Generally to answer your questions:

If you have creativity set to normal or high, the team will tend to pass the ball around more while moving up the field and before taking shots.

A Slow pace will also mean more passing in your end and the midfield area as the team takes more time to build up the attack. Quick pace means your team transitions from defense to offense as quickly as possible. It can lead to more errors though.

Tight marking can be used if your players have good marking, tackling, determination and work rate stats. However, if you play tight marking your player runs the risk of getting dusted by whoever the player is marking, especially if the opponent is fast and has good technical ratings. It also can cause your formation to lose shape, as players get pulled out of position to get close to the man they're marking.

Passing - Short means lots of ball movement. Not necessarily on the ground, but players will look to options nearby while moving the ball up the pitch. Direct means playing the ball more quickly up the field and looking for more attacking options. Long means players will look to quickly get the ball up to the attackers, often by simply blasting the ball from your end to the other. Direct works well if you are the better side, but it requires the most technical skill. Long is useful if you are playing the counter-attack and have quick forwards. It's the technically easiest type of passing. Short can be useful if you are trying to keep possession.

You also have to consider the level of talent you have available. In the lower leagues it usually makes sense to keep instructions and the tactic simple as the players won't have the necessary skill to implement more complex instructions, e.g. tight marking. For example, I usually use some sort of 4-4-2 with everything on normal and long passing with counter-attacks on when I'm managing a lower league team. Then it comes down to bringing in the right talent to give you the edge. As the talent base grows, you can experiment more with tactical instructions.

Edit: Narrow vs. Wide. Narrow means your formation stays compact and players try to control the middle of the pitch. When you play Wide you are attempting to spread the field and create holes in the opposition's formation for players to run into. It also can create holes in your formation for the opposition's players to run into. If your team is superior wide play can really open a game up. If the other team is superior, narrow play can help you control the game.

[Raven]

Thanks, Desnudo, I'll try to use those tips to figure things out.

Oh, and thanks for reading!

[Raven]

July 8, 2006

After a month and a half of being unemployed, a job finally opens up in England. This one with Stalybridge of Conference North. I've sent my application, and hope I'll get the offer in a few days.

[Raven]

July 30, 2006

Well, it took them 3 weeks, but I finally got the job with Stalybridge.

Aug 1, 2006
We join Stalybridge Celtic. Their stadium is called Bower Fold, has a capacity of 6108 (1200 seated). Training Grounds are good, and finances are okay. Stalybridge finished 5th and 6th in Conf North in the past 2 seasons. Prior to that they spent 7 seasons in the Conference National, before being relegated for the 04/05 season.

Phil Eastwoos was the teams top season goalscorer, scoring 18 last season. Eastwood also set a team record with 9 assists in 04/05.

They are offering 3.5k for transfer funds, making 25% available to me. I am also alloted a 300k/yr wage budget, of which we currently use 225k.

Our Asst Manager is 16 in coaching outfield. Our Physio is a 19 in physiotherapy, and our scout is a 9/9 in judging players ability and potential. I'm happy with everyone except the scout. I'll be looking to replace him in the near future. His contract expires after the season, so I'll probably go ahead and eat his contract, and look for someone else with a 15+ to take over the job.

[Raven]

Aug 1, 2006

Stalybridge went 0-5 with a draw in their 6 friendlies. I join with just 11 days to prepare for our season opener on Aug 12th.

I've placed an advert for a Scout. Hopefully we will get a response soon.

GK Tom Upson
Upson is pretty average, really. He is above 10 in just 3 categories - decisions, determination, and stamina. He conceeded 74 goals in 49 appearances last season, with 8 clean sheets.



Striker
Phil Eastwood will get the first role as striker, and will be our primary playmaker. His 18 goals last season is more than I've seen with any of my previous players. Phil is 28 years old, and valued at 48k.

Our other starting striker position will be split between 20 year old Liam Horsted and 21 year old Damien Hindle. Horsted is valued at 8k, while Hindle is valued at 38k, and is an athlete with strong physical abilities. Hindle is still somewhat raw technically and mentally but has scored 8 and 15 goals in his past 2 seasons with the club. Horsted has scored 6 and 4 goals the past two seasons, but is better in the technical aspects of the game. He is also a pretty solid athlete, and I expect him to outperform Hindle on the pitch.


Midfield and Defense
Midfield and Defense are more difficult decisions, as the only standout I have is MC Kevin Parr. Parr is 16 in finishing and 20 in heading. He will be my 2nd Target man. He is 31 years old and valued at 40k.

[Raven]

Aug 8, 2006

We fire our old scout and hire Ed de Goey of the Netherlands. de Goey is rated 15 in judging ability, and 17 in judging potential. He is a significant upgrade over the 9/9 of our old scout, and comes at the same price of 18k. We fired our old scout, and had to take on 16k of his salary.


We still lack a coach though. We currently have our Asst Manager running the first-team training. Not sure if not having a coach is going to hurt me, so if anyone knows (and is still reading), any advice would be welcome here.

[Raven]

Aug 12, 2006 vs Hednesford

Our first match is against Hednesford Town. We will be without SC Damien Hindle for the next 2 weeks, who was injured in training.

30 minutes into the match, we get an edge as Hednesford midfielder Lee Sherwood is ejected for his 2nd yellow card of the match. We have already controlled the ball 61% of the time thus far, and this should only improve that advantage.

33 minutes in DR Danny Caldecoot sends the ball down the right sideline, where it is picked up by MR Danny Walsh. Walsh runs it in to the corner, and crosses it into the 6 yard box. SC Phil Eastwood slips past the defender, and jumps up to head the ball into the net and put us up 1-0!

We take the 1-0 lead in to the half. We are outshooting Hednesford 6-1, with 2 of our shots on target. We've also controlled the ball 68% of the time in the half.

Nothing too exciting happens in the 2nd half, and we win 1-0. We outshoot 14-7, and control the ball 61% of the time. I would have like to have seen another goal, considering we were a man up for most of the game, but I'll take the win any way I can.

Key Match Notes:
DR Danny Caldecoot (subbed out at 72 minutes) dominates with 15 interceptions.
DC Jon Maloney wins 9 of 11 headers.

[Raven]

Aug 13, 2006

One thing I've learned from my previous seasons with Grays Athletic and Leigh RMI is that I need to be assertive about loaning in players. I've had a tendency to try and stick things out with what I have on my squad before I go looking at other players. I've learned that that's not how you dominate at this level, so a week ago I made loan offers to some 20 players that were transfer listed.

Four of those players have joined me today, and even if they don't start for me, I'll still have that depth to work with. Loaning in are the following players:

DR Shaun Cooper from Rotherham - I liked the way Caldecoot played last game, but Cooper could sub for him quite well, possibly even get the start over him.

AM/F LC Ryan Hutchinson from Stoke - could immediately take over starting AML duties for Derek Duncan, or be a oft used sub off the bench. Hutchinson isn't a strong dribbler, or crosser, but can finish and excels at teamwork. He is also a good passer.

SC Ian Puffer from Droylsden - A 17 in finishing, Puffer will at least fill the void left by injured SC Hindle.

AML James Tandy from Manchester City - valued at 550k, Tandy is exceptional at free kicks and long shots. He will get the start over AML Derek Duncan for the next few weeks.

[SirFozzie]

Aug 8, 2006
We still lack a coach though. We currently have our Asst Manager running the first-team training. Not sure if not having a coach is going to hurt me, so if anyone knows (and is still reading), any advice would be welcome here.

It doesn't HURT, per se, but the more coaches/Asst Managers you have, the better your guys will get trained

[Desnudo]

It doesn't HURT, per se, but the more coaches/Asst Managers you have, the better your guys will get trained

And the better the coaches are at training (coaching). Consider setting up the training yourself. I'm not confident that the asst. manager does a very good job when left on his own.

[Raven]

Aug 15, 2006 vs Harrogate Town

Starting Lineup (left to right):
SC: Eastwood, Horsted
MF: Tandy, Keeling(Def), Parr, Waslh (F)
Def: Wheelding, Malone, Pearce, Caldecoot
GK: Upson

14 minutes in, Harrogate SC Morris dribbles around Wheeling near the right corner. As Tandy and Maloney converge to trap Morris in the corner, Morris crosses the ball in to the box. SC Farrel slips behind Caldecoot and heads it in to put Harrogate up 1-0.

We go in to the half trailing 1-0. We are outshooting Harrogate 6-2 (2 on target), and we've had several good scoring opportunities that we couldn't capitalize on. We've also controlled the ball 55-45%.

At the 54 minute mark, Eastwood is fouled in the box. DC Maloney attempts the penalty kick (sidenote: Maloney is only 7 in penalty kicking, but noone on our team excels here). Maloney fires the penalty kick in to the left corner to tie the game up at 1-1!

61 minutes in, Harrogate gets the ball to the top of the box. AM Williams passes to MC Wright to the left top of the box. Wright passes back to MC Well, who fires a shot. THe shot deflects off of GK Upson. MR Danny Walsh picks it up, but has his clearance kick deflected. It lands by Wells feet and Wells fires it in to put Harrogate up 2-1! Caldecoot failed to pick up the deflected ball, and Wells fired it right past him. That's the second time Caldecoot got beat,so he will be replaced by Cooper.

We lose 2-1, despite outshooting 15-10 (5 on target), and controlling the clock 64%.

[Raven]

Aug 19,2006 vs #7 Alfreton

Our Conference Rank: #13

Starting Lineup will be the same as last match.

7 minutes in we get a great opportunity to score. We push the ball down the right flank, and get a cross in to Eastwood. Eastwood's shot deflects off the goalie, and he picks it backup, he then has an open shot on goal and puts it in to the side netting! Too bad I can only replay goals, I'd love to see what went wrong there.

At the half, we are tied at 0-0. We've out shot them 3-2 (1 on target), and the ball control is 50%. We've had the ball 20% of the time on our offensive part of the field, but just haven't gotten it done. I bring on SC Ian Puffer for Liam Horsted at halftime. Horsted hasn't done anything in 2.5 games, so I want to see how Puffer looks on the pitch.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. We controlled the clock 54%, and outshot them 13-3, but only 5 of our shots were on target.

Record: 1-1-1, Pts: 4

[Raven]

Aug 26, 2006 vs #19 Lancaster

Our Conference Rank: #13

Our starting lineup remains the same.

ML Tandy gets hurt 20 minutes in, so we have to move a D/DM up in his spot. DR Cooper has to come on to play the DL position.

At the half we are being outshot 4-5, and have controlled the clock 47%.

49 minutes in SCHorsted plays the throw in from DML Wheeling. Horsted gives it back to Wheeling. Wheeling dribbles past his man, and lofts a pass to the left post. Eastwood is one-on-one with his defender, and heads it from the top of the box. It finds the back of the net and we take a 1-0 lead!

80 minutes in, Lancaster intercepts a goal kick, and DL McDaid gives it to SC Robinson in the center of the pitch. As DC Pearce goes for the interception, the ball just gets past him, and lands at the feet of AMC Black. Black dribbles forward, and nails one from the top of arc. It gets past GK Upson, and Lancaster tie it up at 1-1.

The match ends in a 1-1 draw. We get outshot 10-12 (5 on target) and controlled the clock 48%. The crushing blow - Phil Eastwood has a damaged shoulder and will miss 2 weeks.

DC Pearce won 9 of 10 tackles.

Record: 1-2-1, Pts: 5

[Raven]

Sept 9, 2006 vs #1 Hyde

Our Rank: # 14

Hyde was promoted to Conference North this year, after not being involved in any conferences the past 2 seasons. They currently stand as the Conf. North leader, going 4-0 with 6 goals, and 2 against. We are one day shy of having a healthy Phli Eastwood back, so will start Damien Hindle in his place. I'll also be trying a new tactic by advancing MC Parr in to the box on offense. I want to give him more opportunities to score with Eastwood out.

9 minutes in DL Wheeling puts the ball up the left sideline. AML Tandy dribbles and passes to SC Hindle just over the halfline. Hindle fakes his man, and pushes it up to Parr. Parr dribbles in to the box one-on-one with the keeper, and blows it by him for his first goal of the season. We lead 1-0.

22 minutes in DR Caldecoot gets the ball and pushes it up to Parr in the center of the pitch. Parr dribbles past his man, and has the goalie charging at him. Parr stops, and chips the ball over the head of the goalie for his second goal of the game. We take a 2-0 lead!

We go in to the half still leading 2-0. We've outshot Hyde 11-6 (9 on target), controlling 47% of the clock. Parr has 5 shots, all on target, and takes a 10 rating in to the half.

89 minutes in, Hyde with the ball. DL Jones sends it down the left sideline to SC Smyth. Smyth dekes Caldecoot, and crosses it in to MC Pearson. Pearson slips past DC Maloney, spins with the ball, and sends it in to the right corner of the net. Our lead slips to 2-1.

Hyde switches to a 2-3-5. I consider subbing in an extra defender to hold the lead, but figure it isn't necessary at this point.

94 minutes in, Hyde win a corner kick, and Kelte sends it in to the near post. MR Hutchinson heads it out, where Kelte picks it back up. Keltie crosses it to the near post to Tolson. Tolson knocks it down, and dribbles past Caldecoot. He loses the ball, and DC Maloney and our GK Upson both charge at it, but McKnight gets there first and knocks it in to tie things up!

Just seconds later, the referee blows the final whistle, and the game is a draw. A tough game to let slip away. I guess I should have put that extra defender in when they switched their formation!!

We outshoot Hyde 25-8 (18 on target). controlling 51% of the clock. I'm really surprised at how many shots we got off, especially without Eastwood.

Kevin Parr wins the MoM award. He completed 46 of 52 passes, 10 key passes. He also shot 11 times, 9 on target, and finished with 2 goals.

Our current record is: 1-3-1, 6 points.

[Raven]

A basic overview of the Stalybridge Celtic Roster:

Pos. Name (Age) - Value - Role - Loan Info.

GoalKeepers:
Tom Upson (20) - 14k - GK Starter
Craig Dootson (27) - 2k - Backup

Defense:
DR Danny Caldecoot (24) - 8k - DR Starter
DR Shaun Cooper (22) - 20k - Sub1 - Loan in from Rotherham
DRC Sam Croft (19) - 10k - Sub2
DLC Gregg Pearce (26) - 24k - DC Starter
DL Liam Powell (20) - 2k - Bench

Defensive Midfield:
D/DM L Anthony Whealing (30) - 8k - DL Starter
D/DM C Darren Bowman (27) - 6k - Bench
D/M C Jon Maloney (21) - 24k - DC Starter
DM C Barrie Keeling (28) - 28k - DMC Starter
DM C Nathan Wharton (27) - 0k - Bench

Midfield/ Attacking Midfield:
ML Derek Duncan (19) - 2k - Bench
ML Adam Roscoe (22) - 0k - Bench
MC Kevin Parr (32) - 24k - MC Starter
MC Chris Melia (21) - 0k - Sub5
AM R Danny Walsh (27) - 2k - AM R Starter
AM R Dean Calcutt (28) - 0k - Bench
AM L James Tandy (22) - 600k - AM L Starter - On Loan from Man. City
AM/F LC Ryan Hutchinson (23) - 14k - Sub3

Strikers
SC Phil Eastwood (28) - 48k - SC Starter
SC Liam Horsted (20) - 8k - SC Platoon Starter
SC Damien Hindle (22) - 36k - SC Platoon Starter
SC Ian Puffer (21) - 12k - Sub

[Raven]

Tactical Changes: Now that Eastwood is back, he will be put back in his starting striker role. I loved the way Parr played last game, he got a ton of shots, and had the ball in the box a lot. I'll keep him advancing in the box, and use him as my playmaker. I'm going to take Eastwood off of Playmaker #1 this game, I think he will get opportunities even without this tag. Although Caldecoot has played fairly well, I've noticed he is always the one who gets scored on; I'll be keeping a close eye on him, as Shaun Cooper is waiting to take his starting spot.




Sept 16, 2006 vs #19 Blyth

Our Rank: 12th

This is Blyth's first season in the Conf. North after being promoted last season. They have won 1, and lost 4. Scoring just 5 goals, and allowing 11. Should be an easy opponent, but I won't be taking them lightly.

30 minutes in, we aren't getting many shots on goal, so I'm swapping Eastwood and Hindle. Eastwood is currently the left striker and Hindle the right, I'll simply switch Easstwood to the right, Hindle to the left side.

At the half, the match remains tied 0-0. We are outshot 3-5 (1 on target), controlling the clock 51%.

Just before the 55th minute, Eastwood is called offsides, awarding Blyth a freekick. Purdin punches the freekick inside the box, where Martin slips past Maloney. Martin heads it in from 25 yards out, and Blyth takes a 1-0 lead. I'm being outshot 4-9, and need to find a way to get some offense going. I sub in Hutchinson for Keeling to try and get some offense going.

At the 64th minute, Tandy advances down the left sideline and sends a cross in to the box. Eastwood leaps, but heads it wide!

We lose 1-0. Controlled the clock 50%, outshot 7-10 (just 2 on target).

Jon Maloney won 10 of 12 headers.

Record: 1-3-2, Pts: 6

[Raven]

Sept 18, 2006

We get our draw for the FA Cup today, and draw Tamworth of the Conference South. Tamworth is currently #5 in the ECS, and should be a tough match for us. The match will be played at home on Sept 30th.

[Raven]

Sept 23, 2006 vs #14 Altrincham

Our Rank: #15

This is Altrincham's 3rd season in the Conf North after spending 19 seasons in Conference National. Altrincham is currently 2-1-3 with 11 goals for and 12 against. We'll go with the same starting lineup, keeping Eastwood on the right side.

11 minutes in, Altrincham with the throw in. Thornley throws it to Wright, who heads it back to Thornley. Thornley dribbles against Maloney, swivels, and crosses one in to the box. Lunt passes Caldecoot, dribbles once, and just before Pearce gets there, fires one past Upson for the goal. Altrincham take a 1-0 lead. Caldecoot again gets beat. I think this has to do with Caldecoot's 4 in anticipation, as he is just slow to break for the ball. I'll be subbing Cooper in for Caldecoot, and will watch him closely to see if he will be the starter for now on.

18 minutes in, we have the ball in Altrincham's box. Thornley clears it and DMC Keeling picks it up. Keeling gives it to AML Tandy. Tandy dribbles once, and passes to the far post, where AMR Walsh is charging in. Eastwood and Walsh converge, Walsh leaps over several defenders and heads it in for his first goal of the season. We are tied 1-1!

29 minutes in, Keeling clears the ball upfield. Cooper picks it up, and sends a great pass down the center of the pitch to a wide open Hindle. Hindle dribbles once, has a man coming at him, dribbles past him. He is one-on-one with the goalie, and skips a shot past him! We take a 2-1 lead.

Just before the half, Parr, Tandy and Hindle pass the ball back and forth, moving it upfield. Parr gets the ball in the box, and is fouled. Maloney on for the penalty kick. Maloney sends it high over the bar! No goal, and we break for the half leading 2-1.

We're outshooting them 6-5 (3 on target), and control the clock 50%.

At the 65 minute mark, DC Sam Croft gets his second appearance, subbing in for Maloney. Croft is a 20 year old defender rated 10//11/11/12 in marking/tackling/positioning/heading.

At 72 minutes, Walsh takes a great feed from Hindle but sends it wide. The ball goes out of play, and we switch our tactics to a slow tempo, determined to hang on to the 2-1 lead by milking the clock. 74 minutes in, Wheeling makes an important challenge in the box, saving the goalie from a one-on-one. At 89 minutes, Tandy takes a nice pass from Parr, but sends it shot over the crossbar.

The game ends and we pull it out 2-1, despite being outshot 10-12 (4 on target). One troubling stat: we only managed to complete 6% of our crosses. We were also called offsides 9 times. We controlled the clock 51%,

Walsh, Parr and Cooper all finish with 8 ratings. Parr winning MoM. Cooper takes the starting DR position from Caldecoot.

Our Record: 2-3-2, Pts: 9

[Raven]

Sept 26, 2006 vs #10 Kettering

Our Rank: #13

Kettering is in their 3rd year in the Conf North after 23 years in the Conference National. They currently hold the same record as ours at 2-3-2, but with a slight +1 goal advantage, to our Even. Steven Hutchinson is their leading goalscorer (4). They will go with a 3-5-2 formation.

6 minutes in, they loft a cross in the box, our goalie Tom Upson is called for a foul, and DC Solkhon attemps the penalty kick. Solkhon blows one by Upson for his first goal of the season, putting Kettering up 1-0.

21 minutes in, Kettering is awarded a freekick. Burgess finds Holyoak alone at the top of the box. Holyoak turns and gives it to Inman to his left. Inman rips a shot past four defenders, it deflects off of Wheeling, and finds the back of the net. Kettering up 2-0.

28 minutes in, Oshitola lays a great pass upfield to Hutchinson. The pass splits between Cooper and Wheeling. GK Upson charges the ball, Hutchinson takes Upson to the outside, and shoots. He scores. 3-0 Kettering.

38 minutes in, Kettering with the throw in. French tosses it to Bell. Bell dribbles once, turns and sends it in to the 6 yard box. Pearce misses the challenge, and the ball goes to Oshitola. Oshitola knocks it in, and Kettering is up 4-0.

AMR Danny Walsh is shown his 2nd yellow card just before the half, and is sent off. We will play with a man down for the remainder of the match.

We go to the half trailing 4-0. Control the clock 44%, and are outshot 3-5 (1 on target). We pull a defender and bring in AM/F Hutchinson. We switch to a 3-1-2-1-2

55 minutes in, Kettering with the ball. Griffiths sends Hutchinson a great pass over the middle. Pearce can't get back fast enough. Hutchinson dribbles, passes to Lynch to his left. Maloney cuts off his inside angle, and Lynch puts it to the left of Upson, Kettering go up 5-0.

58 minutes in, and this one is turning in to an embarassment. Griffiths with the ball, dribbles past Parr, and sends it in to Inman. Inman fires, and deflects off of Cooper. Maloney leaps over Hutchinson and heads it out of the box. Bell collects it at the top of the box and fires one past Hutchinson and Upson for the goal. Kettering up 6-0.

MC Melia and DC Croft sub in to get some PT.

We lose the match 6-0, controlling just 46%, and are outshot 6-13 (1 on target).

Maloney wins 8 of 10 tackles.

Record: 2-3-3, Pts: 9

[Raven]

Sep 26, 2006

We return SC Ian Pulfer to his team, looking to clear up a loan slot. We pursue SC Ben Jackson (scored me a hattrick for Leigh RMI) in hope that he can provide some offensive punch.

AMR Danny Walsh receives a 1 match ban for his red card last match.

AML James Tandy suffers a twisted ankle, and will miss 3 weeks. This will hurt our offense, as Tandy is our best middie.

The 6-0 defeat sets a new Stalybridge record.

[Raven]

Sept 27, 2006

We suffer another injury, as backup SC Liam Horsted twists a knee in training and will miss a week.

Doncaster have accepted our loan offer for SC Ben Jackson, Jackson has played in just 1 game for them this season, serving as a sub. We hope to hear back from Jackson in the next few days.

We now prepare for our upcoming FA Cup match vs Tamworth.

[Raven]

Sept 30, 2006
English FA Cup 2nd Qual Round vs Tamworth

Tamworth is currently the #4 team in the English Conference South. They are in their first year of the English Conference South, after spending the past 3 seasons in the Conference National.

I will be without both starting wingers this game, as Danny Walsh is suspended, and James Tandy is nursing an injury. Derek Duncan will start on the left side, and Dean Calcutt will see his first action on the right side.

27 minutes in, Tamworth sends the ball in to the right corner. Brown goes and gets it, turns and sends a low cross near the far post. Ray slips past Maloney and heads it towards the goal. The ball deflects off of Upson and scores. Tamworth takes a 1-0 lead.

36 minutes in, Parr and Eastwood on a break. Parr gives it up to Eastwood, with the goalie charging, Eastwood takes a shot, and it's deflected by the goalie. Hindle makes a break for the ball and the open goal, but the defender beats Hindle to the ball and clears it out.

At the half, we trail 1-0. We are outshot 4-7 (3 on goal), and control the clock 55%.

62 minutes in, we pull SC Hindle and put in an extra AM. Hutchinson gets the call.

Calcutt is shown his 2nd yellow card at 85 minutes, and we are forced to play a man down. Croft subs in for Cooper who is very tired at just 18%

We lose 1-0 and are knocked out of the FA Cup. Outshot 11-5, and control the clock 50%.

[Raven]

Oct 1, 2006

SC Ben Jackson joins us on loan. I'm interested in seeing if his hattrick was a 1 game fluke, or if he can really be a good striker for us. I've always had problems scoring goals, and this year is no different. Through 8 matches, we've managed just 7 goals, 3rd worst in the league.

Dean Calcutt will serve a 1 match suspension for his 2 yellow cards last match. James Tandy will miss the next match, still nursing his injury.

We don't play until Oct 17th, and have plenty of time to rest up.

[Raven]

In an attempt to toy with tactics a bit, I'm setting both my DR and DL to try through balls often. DR Shaun Cooper is a decent passer (11), while DL Anthony Wheeling is pretty poor (3). Wheeling isn't a good dribble either, so I'm hoping he will get the ball to the offense quickly instead of dribbling with it.

I'm not exactly sure what through balls do, but I think it sends the ball downfield quickly to the strikers when they get the ball. I want to limit this to just these two players so I can see how it works while keeping a close eye on it.

[Raven]

October 17, 2006 vs #10 Barrow

Our Rank: #16

Barrow is 3-2-3, 13 goals for, 11 against. They've finished 3rd, 3rd and 4th in the ECN the past 3 years, and appear to be a good team. Should be a tough match for us.

Starting lineup (left to right):
SC: Ben Jackson, Phil Eastwood
MF: ML Duncan, DMC Wheeling, MC Parr, AMR Walsh
D: DL Wheeling, DC Maloney, DC Pearce, DR Cooper
GK: Upson

We go to the half at 0-0. We are outshot 3-8 (1 on target), and control 47%. We still can't get any offense going.

67 minutes in, still a 0-0 draw. We've managed to get off 7 shots, but 6 are by Ben Jackson, with only 3 on target. Eastwood is still a non-factor, and I've noticed Parr has had difficulties dribbling past defenders.

87 minutes in, Hutchinson and Hindle come on to repalce Duncan and Eastwood. In a last ditch effort to mix things up, we play the pitch narrow to see how that goes for us.

The match finishes a 0-0 draw. We are outshot 7-13 (3 on target) and control 51%.

Jackson finishes with 6 of our 7 shots, 3 on target.
Jon Maloney won 10 of 11 headers.
3 of our defenders, as well as our GK finish with an 8 rating.
Upson wins MoM but completes just 3 of 19 passes. I need him to start finding the other players on his goalkicks.
Hutchinson has been dissapointing, and I think I need to return him and find a strong MR to replace Walsh.

Our Record: 2-4-3, Pts: 10, Goals/GA: 7/13

[Raven]

Oct 18, 2006

We terminate Ryan Hutchinson's loan contract. He just doesn't fit our needs. I've sent my scout to evaluate several MR players, in hope to find someone to give us some offensive punch. We really need someone who can get crosses in to the box, otherwise we continue to limit our chances of creating our own scoring opportunities.


Oct 21, 2006 vs #21 Redbridge

Our Rank: #13

With Tandy back, this is a team we are expected to beat. Redbridge has spent the past 2 seasons in the middle of the Eng Conf South table, and this year finds themselves at the bottom of the ECN table. SC Wayne Vaughn leads the team with 4 goals. Their record is 0-5-3 with 6 goals for, and 14 against. We have only scored one more goal, and allowed one less, but surprisingly are 5 points ahead of them in the standings.

33 minutes in, Cooper takes the free kick from Maloney. Cooper dribbles right, and finds Keeling open in the middle of the pitch. Two defenders collapse towards Keeling, he dribbles right, turns and passes to Parr at the top of the box. Parr dribbles left and fires a shot. He scores! We take a 1-0 lead.

47 minutes in, just before the half, Malone attempts a corner kick. The pass to Tandy, and Tandy is fouled in the box. Tandy steps up for the penalty kick, and finds the left half of the net. We take a 2-0 lead!

We take a 2-0 lead in to the half, outshooting 3-2 (2 on target) with 46% possession.

74 minutes in, Maloney is sent off for his 2nd yellow card. We go with an ultra defensive 5-3-1 . Croft and Bowman replace Walsh and Jackson.

94 minutes in Barrie Keeling is injured, and is carted off the pitch.

We win 2-0, despite being outshot 3-5 (2 on target), and not gettinga single shot in the 2nd half. We control the clock 44%, and completed just 7% of our crosses.

Pearce wins the MoM, winning 8 of 10 headers, 4 key headers. He finishes with an 8 form.

Post match report:
DC Jon Maloney receives a 1 match ban.
MC Barrie Keeling will miss a week with a sprained wrist.

[Raven]

Oct 24, 2006

Salisbury's MR/L Michael Tuohy agrees to join us on loan. Tuohy is a 19 year old middie with 10 in crossing, 13 in dribbling, and 17 in heading. He is also 12 in balance and 15 in stamina. He is expected to immediately challenge MR Danny Walsh for the right winger starting position.

Canvey Island (3rd in English National) make a 2k + 30% bid for DC Liam Powell. Powell is a 21 year old DC who hasn't seen any PT, but is on a cheap 6k contract. He is also willing to resign for 6k, so I decline the deal.

We get our draw for the FA Trophy, and draw Tiverton, a non-conference team. The match will be played Nov 4th.

Oct 28, 2006
Defensive reserve Darren Bowman suffers a wrist injury in training and will miss a week.

[Raven]

Oct 28, 2006 vs #20 Gainsborough

Our Rank: #13

Gainsborough has spent the past 2 seasons in the Conf North, finishing 8th and 16th. This season they are facing relegation at 1-3-6. They've scored 9 and given up 18.

Starting lineup:
FC: Eastwood, Jackson
MF: Tandy, Wharton(DMC), Parr(MC), Tuohy
Def: Wheeling, Pearce, Croft, Cooper
GK: Upson


At the half, things are tied up at 0-0. 6-6 shooting (4 on target) controllling 50%. Eastwood has been fed several passes on the break, but apparantly can't dribble past anyone. I am really getting disapointed in his performances, and may have to criticize him soon. Jackson and Tuohy have looked impressive together, moving the ball downfield.

53 minutes in, Gainsborough with the throw in. Lucas tosses it to Grant. Grant dribbles and draws Tuohy, then passes it back to Lucas. Lucas dribbles forward then centers it in to the crowded box. Dickman heads it past Upson and Gainsborough takes the 1-0 lead.

67 minutes in, I pull a DMC and put in an extra striker. Eastwood gets the ball on the break and gets a great shot on goal. The ball is deflected and Hindle shoots, but has it deflected.

72 minutes in, Jackson brings the ball down the rightside. Eastwood is open near the far post. Jackson dribbles toward the goal. THe defender closes in on Eastwood, and Jackson spots Hindle wide open in front of the goal. Hindle shoots, and its deflected off the keepers fingertips. Eastwood picks it up and fires it past the keeper to level the score 1-1!

86 minutes in, we get the break and get the ball to Tandy on the left. He dribbles forward and finds Eastwood, Eastwood swings it to Hindle all alone. Hindle shoots and his shot is deflected over the goal.

89 minutes in, Upson makes a great save, then blocks the deflected shot! Very close call there.

The match finishes a 1-1 draw, but I really liked the way the team played in the 4-3-3. I think I'd be afraid to play it against a good team, but it could be a good strategy when down. We outshoot 14-13, 7 on target. We increase our crosses completions to 21%, and control 49% of the clock. 7 players finish with an 8 form.

Phil Eastwood completed 22 of 23 passes.
Ben Jackson had 5 runs with the ball.
Jackson, Eastwood and Hindle finished with 8 shots, 6 on target.
Sam Croft won 8 of 10 tackles in his first start of the year.

Our Record: 3-5-3 Pts: 14, GF/GA: 10/14

[Raven]

Oct 31, 2006

James Tandy agrees to remain with the team on loan, this for the duration of the season.

Shaun Cooper declines a loan deal which would keep him with the team for the remainder of the season.

[Raven]

Nov 4, 2006 FA Trophy First Round vs Tiverton

We're hoping to get off to a quick lead, and rest our starters without injury.
We'll start with a 4-3-3 in hopes to get off to a quick start.

30 minutes in, Maloney sends the ball down teh right side for Tuohy. Tuohy dribbles toward the endline, draws two defenders, and sends a cross in the box. Parr and Jackson are there with two defender, Parr gets a head on it and scores! 1-0 lead.

32 minutes in, Hindle gets the ball on a break. The defender knocks it loose, and Eastwood picks it up. Eastwood dribbles toward the goal and draws 2 defenders. He centers the ball in to the 6 yard box where Jackson who is double covered. Jackson leaps and heads it in, we take a 2-0 lead!

42 minutes in, Tiverton with the ball. Wills gets it in the center of the pitch. He dribbles toward the center, and draws Wheeling out of position. He passes teh ball to Owens in the box. Pearce goes for the tackle and misses, Owens advances on the keeper, shots and scores. They cut the lead to 2-1.

We lead 2-1 at the half, outshooting 5-2 (4 on target)

58 minutes in, Tiverton with the throw in. Tweed tosses it to Owens. Owens passes to Harris, but Hindle clears it. Davis picks it up and passes past Tauhy. Cooper and Maloney are out of position leaving Mudge wide open. Mudge shoots and scores tieing it up at 2. Walsh comes on for Hindle.

74 minutes in, Tandy brings the ball up the left side. He spots Jackson on the break, Jackson gets the ball, and dribbles past the defender. He shoots and scores! We take a 3-2 lead! Croft comes in for Pearce, Horsted comes in for Eastwood.

We win on a 3-2 final. We are outshot 8-10, but 6 on target. 8 players finish with 8 form, Parr finishes with 9 form.

Kevin Parr won 9 of 12 headers.
Shaun Cooper had 7 interceptions.
We were called offsides 14 times! jeez.


We are awarded 4k for our win.
DC Greg Pearce has reached his yellow card limit, and must serve a 1 game suspension.

[Raven]

Nov 7, 2006

We get our draw for the 2nd round of the FA Trophy today, and will play Histon on Nov 25th. Histon is a non-Conf team, and should be an easy win.

[Raven]

Nov 7, 2006 vs #13 Burscough

Our Rank: #11 Our highest ranking of the year thus far, and the highest rating I've been in this late in the season with any of my 4 clubs.

Burscough are in their 2nd season in the Conf North, finishing 10th last season. On they year, they are 3-4-4, 10 for and 11 against. SC Mark Byrne leads the club with 5 goals.

1 minute in, Burscough with the ball. Farr dribbles past Tuohy who misses the tackle. Farr lays the cross up from 40 yards out. Connell dives and heads it in for the 1-0 lead.

11 minutes in, Cooper throws the ball in to Jackson. Jackson dishes it off to Tuohy. Tuohy dribbles right and sends a cross in to the box for Parr. Parr slips past two defenders. Parr plays the ball off one hop and sends it in for his 5th goal of the season! 1-1.

25 minutes in, after several fine defensive stands by Tuohy and Cooper on the right side, Jackson gets the ball and advances in to the box. Jackson fires a shot, and its deflected by the keeper. A loose ball behind the goalie, but Eastwood can't get there in time. Scott clears it out for Burscough, but Tandy intercepts in. Tandy passes to Jackson 10 yards out. Jackson heads it in, it deflects off of Howard, and scores! Jackson's 3rd goal of the season! We take a 2-1 lead.

29 minutes in, Burscough with the throw in from their defensive half of the field. Keeling gets over the target, and heads it to Tuohy. Tuohy dribbles forward and sends a pass in to the 6 yard box. Jackson skips past the defender and knocks it in for his 2nd goal of the game! We take a 3-1 lead.

45 minutes in, Burscough with the ball. Farr heads it upfield to Connell. Connell dribbles with Maloney. He beats Maloney, gets to the 6 yard box and shoots. He scores. His second goal of the game. Cuts our lead to 3-2.

We take a 3-2 lead in to the half. We are outshot 3-6, but all 3 shots are on target, and have scored.

75 minutes in, we go a bit more defensive pulling Eastwood and subbing in DMC Wharton. We go to a 4-5-1, Hindle subs in for Jackson, and is the lone striker.

Burscough goes to a 4-2-4

88 minutes in, Byrne leads the 5-on-3 break. He brings the ball in to the box. Upson comes out to cut off his angle. Byrne dribbles Upson and Croft out of position. Byrne passes in front of the goal, where Connell slips past Maloney. Connell scores,, his 3rd goal of the game, and Burscough tie it up at 3.

92 minutes in, Burscough with the ball. Swift brings it up the pitch. He spots Connell just beyond the box. Croft leaps but misses the interception. Connell is alone with the ball behind him. Connell brings it in to the box. The defenders are closing in on him, Connell shoots and score. His 4th goal of the match. Burscough take a 4-3 lead. Unbelievable.

We lose on a 4-3 final. Things went so well, we just couldn't stop Connell. Croft got embarrased, starting for the banned Pearce. We are outshot 9-18 (3 on target)


That was a tough loss for me, but a new lesson was learned. I should have swapped Maloney and Croft early, putting Maloney, the more experienced defender on Connell's side. I also failed to have an extra defender listed as a sub, and instead of going to a 5-4-1, put in the extra DMC. There were several possibilities there, but I assumed the 3-2 lead would hold. It's not the first time I've lost in the closing seconds, but this one will stick with me for a while.

Our Record: 3-5-4, Pts: 14, GF/GA: 13/18

[Raven]

Nov 11, 2006

Shaun Cooper agrees to stay with us on loan for 3 more months.

Derek Duncan signs a contract extension. The youngster stays on at the same price through 2009.

Liam Powell signs a contract extension. The youngster stays on at the same price through 2008.

[Raven]

Nov 15, 2006 vs #12 Bradford PA

Our Rank: #13

52 seconds in, Tuohy and Eastwood with a little give and go. Tuohy lays a cross into the box, but the defender clears it out. Cooper picks it up and spots Keeling at the top of the box. Keeling collects the pass and passes to Parr, who fires it in for the goal. A 1-0 lead! Parr's 6th goal of the season.

25 minutes in, Tandy with the corner. Tandy lays it up in the box and Pearce pops out of the pile. Pearce heads it in for the goal. 2-0.

29 minutes in, Bradford with the ball. Smith passes to Cressey, Cressey dribbles forward, then sends a cross in to the box. Pearce heads it out. Oleksewycz picks it up, and lofts it in to Poole. Poole gains control, Pearce is out of position, due to the header. Poole blows one by Upson. Poole's 10th of the season. We lead 2-1

38 minutes in, Keeling gets hurt. Wharton comes on for him.

We lead 2-1 at the half. Outshooting 3-2, (2 on target).

61 minutes in, Bradford ball, Bailey lays it forward to Poole. Pearce leaves his man to go for the steal. Holmes slips past Pearce, and Poole hits Holmes with the pass. Maloney closes in, Holmes shoots, and Upson with the save. Cooper and Oleksewycz race for the loose ball, Oleksewycz gets there first and knocks it in the open goal to tie it up at 2-2.

86 minutes in, Parr hits Jackson on the break. Jackson lays it up for Eastwood. Eastwood racing against 3 defenders, collects it, dribbles it forward, he shoots and scores! We take a 3-2 lead.

88 minutes in, Tuohy finds Parr in the middle of the pitch. Parr brings it forward and hits Jackson with the pass. Jackson shoots, and its deflected by the keeper. Jackson picks up the loose ball, he shots and scores! ....But the referee calls Jackson offsides! no goal.

89 minutes in, we pull Eastwood for an extra defender. Croft comes in to play sweeper and we go with a 5-4-1

We win on a 3-2 final. Pearce wins the MoM award.

Our Record: 4-5-4, Points: 17, GF/GA: 16/20

[Raven]

Nov 18, 2006 vs #16 Hucknall

The win over Bradford PA, leaves us at #8, my highest ranking ever! We're very excited and are looking to build on that lead by beating Hucknall today.

Keeling's injury was not serious, missing just 3 days. He is tired however, and will miss today's match. Jon Maloney will be pulled from DC to start at DMC, Sam Croft will get the start at DC in his place.

3 minutes in, Maloney lays it in the corner for Eastwood. Eastwood sends a low cross in to the box. Tandy was left unmarked, he picks it up and sends it in! We lead 1-0.

We lead 1-0 at the half.

Hindle and Horsted relieve Eastwood and Jackson at 71 minutes in.

77 minutes in, Hucknall with the freekick. McHugh gives it to Asher. Asher back to McHugh. McHugh sends a cross in the box to Palmer. Palmer gets over Croft and heads it in to tie it up at 1-1.

89 minutes in, Wheeling gives it to Tandy. Tandy leads Hindle. Hindle dribbles to the goal, but his shot hits the side netting.

The match finishes a 1-1 draw. Croft was dissapointing with a 5 rating in his start. He also was the defender to surrender the lone goal.

We still manage to get called offsides 7 times, to Hucknall's 1. I can't figure out how to avoid this. It has to be costing us scoring opportunities.

Our record: 4-6-4, Points: 18, GF/GA: 17/21

[Raven]

I found this Stalybridge logo, the club's crest at their official website.

http://www.stalybridgeceltic.co.uk/images/scfccrest.jpg


I also found a picture of Bower Field, home of Stalybridge Celtic.

http://www.stalybridgeceltic.co.uk/Pictures/Aerial.jpg

[Raven]

Nov 26, 2006 FA Trophy RD 2 vs Histon

still a 0-0 draw after 70 minutes, Histon has gone defensive. Jackson has a slight injury, so I pull him for MR Danny Walsh. We go with a 4-5-1.

The match ends a 0-0 draw. We continue to be drawn offsides more often than our opponent. We draw 8 offsides, Histon 0.

[Raven]

Nov 29, 2006 FA Triphy Rd 2 Replay vs Histon

Tuohy will miss the match due to a minor injury, and Danny Walsh will get the start at AMR

13 minutes in Histon attemps a cross in to the box. LeFondre jumps, but GK Upson is called for holding him. LeFondre will attempt a penalty kick. LeFondre knocks it in, and Histon take a 1-0 lead.

22 minutes in Rose sends a cross in to the far post for Glover. Grover dribbles, then passes to Manuella in front of the goal. Manuella shoots and scores. 2-0 Histon.

44 minutes in. Burrows with the corner. He finds York at the near post. York gets the ball, dribbles and spins. He scores. Several defenders there, but noone could stop him. 3-0 Histon lead.

At the half we trail 3-0. We are being embarassed. Liam Powell and Darren Bowman come on. Keeling and Pearce are done for the match.

47 minutes in, Histon scores again. 4-0.

We lose 4-0, and were completely embarassed by a non-conference team.

[samifan24]

When they named their park "Field" they weren't kidding--that thing's in the middle of nowhere.

I've enjoyed reading your dynasty because I'm considering purchasing FM (have CM4), but I was wondering, do you watch the 2D matches for all your games? The entire game? Do you think you'd enjoy the game far more/less if you did/did not watch the 2D matches? Thanks and good luck!

[Raven]

When they named their park "Field" they weren't kidding--that thing's in the middle of nowhere.

I've enjoyed reading your dynasty because I'm considering purchasing FM (have CM4), but I was wondering, do you watch the 2D matches for all your games? The entire game? Do you think you'd enjoy the game far more/less if you did/did not watch the 2D matches? Thanks and good luck!


By the looks of the picture, it looks like it's in a small town, and in the middle of nowhere. Their official site also showed other pictures of the field and amenities, which basically showed it was a real small place, and not a whole lot of money invested there. The concessions area reminded me more of a High School football team's.

I've watched the 2D match for every single match, every match of every season so far. You have the option of watching the full match, extended (prob 65% of the game), key highlights (maybe 25%), and one more option (goals only,maybe?). I usually toggle between full match and extended, depending on if there are certain things I want to watch, who I am playing, etc...

Coming in to buying the game, I knew absolutely nothing about soccer, so being able to watch the match is certainly what has kept my interest. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to follow what's going on. So yes, I definitely am far more interested because of the 2D match engine. I've played FOF, OOTP and other text games for years, and this is really the first game to keep me interested in solo play. I'm a big baseball and football fan, and was never interested in soccer, so I think that says a lot about the game. I'd imagine if they had the 2D engine in a football game, it would make it far more interesting to me. If you are even the slightest soccer fan, I think you'd love the game. If you are a text sports sim fan that has no interest in soccer, I think you'd still be pretty impressed with the game.

Thanks for reading! Since noone has posted in a while, I thought I was the only one following along. Glad you are enjoying it, and good luck with the game, I'd certainly recommend it.
:)

[Raven]

Dec 6, 2006 vs #4 Hickley

Our Rank: #11
Hinckley is a very good team, and currently ranked #4 in the conference. They are the best team we have played since the 5th match of the season vs then #1 ranked Hyde.
A win today would do wonders for our confidence.

22 minutes in Jermy dribbles past Cooper. He centers the ball, but Maloney heads it out. Jermy picks it back up. He centers it to O'Hara, who shoots past 4 defenders for the goal. Hinckley take a 1-0 lead.

31 minutes in, Lavery to Marriner,back to Lavery. Maloney gets caught out of position on the give and go. Lavery puts it past Upson for the 2-0 lead.

Just before the half, Jackson sets up Keeling with a great pass. Keeling had a one-on-one with the keeper, but misses his shot. Eastwood later gets a good pass on the break, but sends his shot way wide of the goal. We go to the half trailing 2-0.

54 minutes in, Jackson gets the ball in the middle of the pitch. He puts it outside to Tandy. Tandy lays up a beautiful 45 yard cross to Eastwood in the box. Eastwood races two defenders to the ball, and gets there first. He dribbles towards the keeper, shoots and scores! We cut the lead to 2-1.

78 minutes in, Wheeling lays up a pass for Eastwood. Eastwood out-leaps the defender and heads it towards teh goal. It hits the cross bar! Eastwood just missed tieing it up.

86 minutes in, Parr takes a great shot, but it hits the top bar! He just missed tieing it up.

We lost 2-1, and are outshot 15-12. Regardless, we play a tough game against a tough team. Two shots were just inches away from making the match a draw.

Our Record: 4-6-5, Pts: 18

[Raven]

For the first time, we have more losses than wins. We still stand at #14, but are just 5 points out of relegation, as of right now. I think the team has played decently, and probably deserve to be right where they are. We've played some good games against very good teams, and some poor games against mediocre teams. We really need to develop more consistency, and probably need one more good player in the middle.

Eastwood hasn't impressed me much. Despite his 5 goals, I really expected more from him. I've yet to have a player score more than 10 goals, which he is certainly on pace to do, but he has also blown many opportunities. Most notably, he receives teh ball downfield, but just has trouble dribbling (rating: 6) past anyone. His shots on target stand at just 44% currently. His current value is at 52k, and I'm going to consider moving him. Next match I think I'll give Hindle a start, as I want to make sure I have a replacement for Eastwood.

[Raven]

Dec 9, 2006 vs #17 Wakefield & Emley

Our Rank: #14

6 minutes in, Ryan throws in to Cousins. Cousins sends a cross in to the box. Kouadia leaps higher than Parr and heads it in to give Wakefield the 1-0 lead.

We trail 1-0 at the half, and the team doesnt appear to be playing well. 6 starters have a 6 or lower rating.

47 minutes in, Wakefield send it down the right side. Upson comes out of the box and passes to Croft in the box. Croft managed to lose the ball, and Koudia quickly steals it away. He has an open goal and shoots. Upson isn't back yet, the ball goes over Maloney's head and finds the net. Wakefield take a 2-0 lead.

We lose 2-0, in an unimpressive fashion.

Our Record: 4-6-6, Pts: 18

[Raven]

Dec 10, 2006

I recently went through and requested my Asst Coach to make a scouting report of all my players. This was an attempt to get a better assesment of each of them, and a way to free up some salary space, as well as get some extra transfer funds.

Morecambe of Lg 2 make a 2k offer for my backup GK Dootson. Although Upson isn't exactly a great keeper, Dootson hasn't seen any PT all year. I agree to Morecambe's offer, and take the cash.

Dec 11, 2006
Rotherham want 4k for DR Shaun Cooper. Cooper has been on loan with me all season and has played well. We make the offer for Cooper, and await their approval.

Dec 12, 2006
Dootson agrees to the deal with Morecambe, and we receive the $2k

Rotherham agrees to the offer for Cooper, and we make an offer.

[Raven]

Dec 13, 2006 vs #13 Marine

Our Rank: #15

3 minutes in, the team comes out looking good. Tuohy gives it to Eastwood just outside the box. His defender misses the interception, and Eastwood gives it up to Tandy just outside the far post. He dribbles once, and spots Parr wide open at teh 6 yard box. He passes to Parr. Parr shoots and scores! a 1-0 lead.

12 minutes in, Tuohy just misses a goal on the header.

13 minutes in, Marine throw in. Warner throws to a wide open Gray. Gray spots a wideopn Pearman outisde the 6 yard box. Pearman made a great move to get open. He heads it in past Upson to tie it up at 1-1.

34 minutes in, Eastwood chases the ball down in the right corner. He finds Tandy at the far post. Tandy shoots and scores! We take a 2-1 lead.

We take a 2-1 lead in to hte half.

55 minutes in, Marine ball. Warner brings it down the left side. He dribbles past Tuohy. Pearmain makes a break past Pearce and gets open. Warner hits him iwth the pass, Pearmain scores. 2-2 tie.

73 minutes in. Keeling lays it up for Parr in the box. The ball gets over the head of Parr and goes to the keeper. The keeper bobbles it, Parr is there, Parr rips it into the net. We take a 3-2 lead. Parr's 2nd goal of the match!

With 3 minutes to go, we pull Jackson and bring in an extra DMC Bowman.

With just seconds to go, Marine's Pearmain hits Robinson with a beautiful cross, but Robinson's shot sails over the goal!

We win on a 3-2 final. Parr gets MoM and a 9 form for the match.

Record: 5-6-6, Pts: 21

[Raven]

We are having some difficulties signing Cooper. He has agreed to a deal with us, but we are short on cash. We have $3,880 available for transfers. 25% of our revenue are available to us. Im not sure if that means we have 3,880 to spend, or if we have 970. Either way we need to get 4k available to us, and need to sell someone off to do so.
Cooper is valued at 32k and is a steal for us at just 4k.

[Raven]

Dec 16, 2006 vs #8 Northwich

Our Rank: #12

Starting DC Gregg Pearce will miss the match due to a recent concussion. Liam Powell will get the start, as Sam Croft has been unimpressive.

23 minute in, Wallis dribbles past Keeling. Carvill slips past Powell and Wallis hits him with the pass. Carvill shoots, Upson with the save! Wallis picks up the loose ball and knocks it in to give Northwich the 1-0 lead.

28 minutes in, Powell picks up a loose ball. He dribbles to the outside, and attempts a cross in to the box. It deflects off of a defender and goes toward the backline. Eastwood gets there first, spots Jackson at the 6 yard box. Jackson receives the pass and scores! We tie it up at 1-1. Jackson's 5th of the season.

40 minutes in, Jackson hits Parr with a short pass. Parr has a clean shot, but sends it wide!

52 minutes in, Northwich ball. McIntyre finds Wallis at the top of the box. Wallis back to McIntyre, back to Wallis. Powell can't get there in time, and Wallis scores. 2-1 Northwich.

We go man marking with Keeling on Wallis, as Wallis is playing exceptionally well.

86 minutes in, we get a breakaway. Parr gives it to Tandy on the left side. Tandy dribbles forward then hits Jackson in teh 6 yard box. Jackson shoots and scores! Tie game 2-2.

Northwich switch to a 4-2-4

90 minutes in, Northwich on a breakaway. Quayle nails Brayson with a 40 yard pass. Brayson dribbles forward, then gives the ball back to a wide open Quayle in the box. Quayle dribbles once, shoots and scores to take a 3-2 lead.

one minute later the whistle blows and we suffer a 3-2 loss.

Our Record: 5-6-7, Pts: 21

[Raven]

Dec 19, 2006 vs #2 Droylsden

Our Rank: #13

Pearce returns from his injury, but Eastwood will miss the match due to an injury. Hindle will start for Eastwood.

Droylsden have an exceptional midfield lead by DMC Patrick Cregg (value 150k) and MC Chris O'Brien ( value 120k)

Keeling will play tight marking on O"Brien in an attempt to shut him down.

25 minutes in, Tuohy spots Tandy by the far post and hits him with the cross. Tandy dribbles forward then hits Parr with the pass. Parr shoots and scores to take a 1-0 lead!

We take a 1-0 lead in to the half.

48 minutes in, Tandy brings the ball down the left side. He dribbles forward, then sends a cross in to the box for Jackson. Jackson leaps with Lyons and Serrant. Droylsden knocks it in their own goal!! We take a 2-0 lead.

62 minutes in, Serrant with the corner kick. Upson punches it clear. Cronin fires a shot. Upson deflects it, Maloney picks it up. Maloney turns and loses the ball into our goal. Droylsden cut the lead to 2-1.

74 minutes in, we go defensive and pull Ben Jackson for DMC Bowman.

92 minutes in, Droylsden steals the ball and passes upfield smoothly. They get the ball to an open player in the box, but he was called offsides!

We win on a 2-1 final, and I am very pleased. The defense played well, and Keeling did a fine job locking down O'Brien. 6 players finish with 8 form, Parr wins the MoM, Parr and Keeling both finish with a 9 form. Hindle proved he is a long way from replacing Eastwood as he had 6 shots, only 2 on target. I watched at least 3 opportunities where he had good shots on goal, but completely missed the target. Keeling won 9 of 9 tackles.

Our Record: 6-6-7, Pts: 24

[Raven]

Our win over Droylsden snaps their streak of 17 consecutive games without losing.

MC Kevin Parr is 5th in the Conference with a 7.63 avg rating.
DC Gregg Pearce is 22nd with a 7.41
AML James Tandy is 29th with a 7.35
SC Ben Jackson is 52nd with a 7.27

Parr is 8th with 8 goals.
Eastwood is 28th with 5 goals.

Tandy is 4th with 8 assists
Eastwood is 21st with 4

Kevin Parr is 2nd with 5 Man of Matches

Ben Jackson is 3rd with 65% shots on target
Kevin Parr is 7th with 58%

We are 16th with 423 avg attendance, though we set a record low for the season with a 304 draw a few weeks ago.

We are 13th with 25 goals scored
17th with 31 goals conceeded

[SirFozzie]

We are having some difficulties signing Cooper. He has agreed to a deal with us, but we are short on cash. We have $3,880 available for transfers. 25% of our revenue are available to us. Im not sure if that means we have 3,880 to spend, or if we have 970. Either way we need to get 4k available to us, and need to sell someone off to do so.
Cooper is valued at 32k and is a steal for us at just 4k.


You have $3,880 for transfers, and you would be allowed to use 25% of any players you sell (so if you sold a player for 4K, your transfer budget would go up 1K.. the rest to pay debts or in the bank account)

[Raven]

Thanks! If I don't get promoted, and don't request more funds, is it possible the board will increase the % I am allotted next season?

[Raven]

Dec 19, 2006 vs #1 Hornchurch

Our Rank: #12

A big match today vs the #1 ranked Hornchurch. Hornchurch is currently at 46 points (more than I've ever had in one season), and 7 pts ahead of Droylsden for the lead. Their record is 14-4-1, with their only loss coming over a month ago vs Droylsden. They area lead by GK Matthew Reed, a 19 year old valued at 60k. 20 year old SC Charlie Taylor (value 56k) has 15 goals (22 appearances), but will miss the match due to injury. Their other SC Kirk Jackson (value 52k) is 30 years old, but has 13 goals. Hornchurch leads the Conference in goals scored (37) and are the best in goals allowed (just 10). THey are an exceptional team, and will be a tough match.

30 minutes in, it's a defensive match so far. Eastwood gets the ball in the corner, he dribbles then sends a cross to the far post for Tandy. Tandy shoots, but it's wide!

45 minutes in, just seconds before the half, Hornchurch ball. Kirk Jackson dribbles towards the right corner. He centers the ball for Shipp. Shipp attempts a diving header, past Cooper. He scores, and Hornchurch lead 1-0.

We go to the half trailing 1-0.

67 minutes in, Hornchurch ball. Jackson picks up a looseball outside the box. He passes to Caskey. Caskey fires a shot from 35 yards out and scores. Hornchurch lead 2-0.

Hindle and Horsted comeon for Jackson and Eastwood.

We get at least 4 or 5 shots in in the next 20 minutes, but nothing finds the net.

93 minutes in, we are fouled in the box, and Tandy steps up for a penalty kick. Tandy finds the net, and we cut the lead to 2-1.

The whistle blows 30 seconds later, and we lose 2-1.

We played an excellent team, and played them well. No hard feelings about the loss.

Cooper, Pearce, Tandy, Keeling and Horsted all finish with 8 form.


Our Record: 6-6-8, Pts: 24

[Raven]

Dec 28, 2006

Lot's of great things happened to us today. Many of which should guarantee we reach our goal, that being avoiding relegation. I also think todays events will improve our Conference standing, and if lucky enough, get us promoted (ok, that may be a stretch).

First off, Shaun Cooper. Cooper is our starting DR, on loan from Rotherham. He has started 13, and played in 3 other matches for us with an avg rating of 7.19. Valued at 32k, we get Rotherham to agree to a deal which acquires him for 6k. We give Rotherham 2k up front, then 4k when we get Promoted. A win-win situation for us. We offer him 42k thru 2009, and cross our fingers.

Next up, we get Middlesborough of the Premiere Division to loan us GK Ross Turnbull until the end of the season. At 21 years old, Turnbull is valued at 400k, and is a complete upgrade over our current keeper, Upson. Upson is a decent keeper (value 6k), he is even young enough to be of some value some day, but Turnbull blows him away. I really believe Turnbull will help us finish in the top 8, if not higher.

Things don't just end there, as Bolton of the English Premiere Division agree to loan us DR Anthony Errington until the end of the season. Errington, 22 years old, is valued at 1.4million, and is an exceptional athlete all around. It will create a situation where him and Cooper play the same position, but we'll easily work around that. Only problem is I had to delay the transfer deal because of our next situation.

SC Ben Jackson's loan deal ends soon, and I am getting close on my max loans. I agreed to renew Jackson's loan before I saw Errington's deal was accepted. I'd love to keep Jackson around because he scores us goals, but the improvements we make on our defense could justify letting him return, and starting Hindle/Horsted. We'll see what happens here before we can bring in Errington. I'll cross my fingers.

Last thing

[Raven]

Dec 28, 2006 vs #8 Gateshead

Our Rank: #14

We go with our usual starting lineup, except Turnbull gets his first start in goal. He isn't quite match fit yet, but we have Upson ready to sub should he perform poorly.

We go to the half at a 0-0 tie.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. Cooper, Maloney and Pearce, 3 of our 4 defensive line finish with 8 form. Kevin Parr puts up another 9 form, and wins MoM. Cooper finishes with 12 interceptions. Turnbull posts a cleansheet in his debut.

Our Record: 6-7-8 , Pts: 25

[Raven]

OK, the deal for Shaun Cooper isn't working. I guess before I can agree to pay 4k after promotion, I have to have the 4k now. I'll need to figure something else out here. I'll try to offer 4k straight up, and see how that goes.

They agree to the deal, and I make an offer to Cooper. I'll wait for him to agree to the deal, and see whether this works or not.

Ben Jackson denies our loan offer, and will be leaving the team. He finishes with 6 goals and an assist in 16 starts. He also finished with a 7.19 rating. However, things aren't so bad, as Manchester United agree to loan us 22 year old MC David Jones. Jones is valued at 1.45 million, and is an amazing athlete. He will immediately step in to our starting lineup somewhere.

We also bring in SC Chris Jones of Sunderlan of the English Championship Conference. Jones is a 21 year old valued at 220k. He is rated 20 in finishing and heading. He is clearly a better athlete than Jackson, and should play exceptionally well for us.

[Raven]

So we have now played exactly one half of our Conference matches. Here is a look at the standings to this point.

http://www.rwbl-ootp-online.com/images/Stalybridge_Standings.jpg

[Raven]

Here is a look at our current roster. I modified the image to include players value.

http://www.rwbl-ootp-online.com/images/Stalybridge_Roster.jpg

[Raven]

Dec 30, 2006 vs #19 Hednesford

Our Rank: #14

I'm expecting a big win today against Hednesford. We beat them earlier this year, 1-0 on a Phil Eastwood lone goal. It will be our first match with Jones & Jones in, also our 2nd with Turnbull at keeper. It will be interesting to see whether Parr plays better or worse with all the new talent around him. Though it would be hard to improve on his current 7.6 rating.


The match goes to halftime at 0-0. We are oushooting 7-2, but just haven't found the net yet.

61 minutes in, Hednesford ball. Khan passes to Dodd at the top of the box. Dodd rips a shot, but it's blocked by Turnbull. Haw picks up the loose ball, and passes it to Palmer. D. Jones is there, but can't do anything, as Palmer shoots past Turnbull for the goal. Hednesford take a 1-0 lead.

74 minutes in, Hednesford switch to a 5-3-2.

85 minutes in, Hednesford ball. Haw gives it to Piearce on the break. Maloney goes for the steal, but Piearce balls to Bell. Cooper converges, but Bell fires a shot past Turnbull for the goal. 2-0 Hednesford lead.

We lose 2-0, in what should have been an easy win. We outshot 13-8, with 7 on target. Maloney and Pearce finish with 8 form. Maloney won 10 of 11 tackles, 9 of 10 headers, with 7 interceptions. Pearce won 11 of 13 headers. SC Chris Jones managed just 1 shot, while MC David Jones managed 2.

The loss drops us to #15, and brings Hednesford out of relegation for the time being.

Our Record: 6-7-9, Pts: 25

[Raven]

Dec 31, 2006

The board are unsatisfied with my performance as manager. I am currently 15th in the standings, but expect to improve any day now. With our level of talent, I think it's inevitable. We'll see how it goes.

[Raven]

Jan 1, 2007 vs #17 Harrogate Town

Our Rank: #15

We lost 2-1 in our last match vs Harrogate, with our only goal coming on a penalty kick by Jon Maloney. If we lose to Harrogate, they pass us in the standings, and we can't afford that.

DL Anthony Wheeling is exhausted and in desperate need of rest, so he will sit this match. In 26 appearances, he has a 6.92 avg rating. DR Danny Caldecoot will get the start, despite playing out of position. Should he play poorly, I will swap him out, with Croft going in at DC, and Pearce moving from DC to the left side.

1 minute in, Chris Jones steals a header from Harrogate, and nods the ball to Parr. Parr turns with the ball, and rips a 25 yard shot past the keeper to take a 1-0 lead. It's Parr's 9th league goal, 10th of the year.

14 minutes in, David Jones sends the corner kick in to the box. Harrogate heads it out, but Jones picks it back up. He spots Eastwood alone at the far post, and sends a cross in to the box. Eastwood comes to meet it, leaps over the defender and heads it in! We take a 2-0 lead.

19 minutes in, Parr sends the ball down the left. Chris Jones gets there. He swivels past the defender, and sends a pass in to the box. Eastwood skips past 3 defenders, and meets the ball. Eastwood knocks it in for his 2nd goal of the match. We take a 3-0 lead!

26 minutes in, Harrogate ball. Jackson passes to Shepherd, but David Jones knocks it loose. Wright picks it up and nails Jackson with a pretty pass. Jackson swivels, but looses the ball, where Turnbull knocks it free. Jackson picks it back up, and is left with an easy finish, as Turnbull is still on the ground. Harrogate cut our lead to 3-1.

We go to the half leading 3-1.

At 51 minutes, Eastwood just misses his hattrick as he nails a shot off the top bar!

At 68 minutes, we sub in Keeling for Parr, Hindle for C. Jones, and Croft for Cooper. Although this seriously inhibits our lineup, the players need the rest after just playing the whole match 2 days ago. It's also a good opportunity to get these guys some PT.

72 minutes in, Ross passes to Kelly on the left side. Kelly dribbles around the defender, and spots Jackson in front of goal. He sends up the pass, and Jackson slips past the defenders to head the ball in and cut the lead to 3-2. Jackson's 2nd goal of the match. DMC Keeling gets the call to go tight marking on Jackson.

80 minutes in, Turnbull spots Hindle alone on the counter attack. Hindle blows by his defender, showing some nice dribbling and acceleration. He goes one-on-one with the goalie, but sends it high! Not a great shot, but an impressive move by Hindle. He got some brownie points with me for that one.

We win on a 3-2 final.

Our Record: 7-7-9, Pts: 28

[Raven]

We sign Canadian coach Nick Dasovic. Dasovic becomes the first coach of our staff, in an attempt to improve our younger player. Dasovic is rated 14 in coaching outfield players.

DR Anthony Errington finally joins us on loan, he is valued at 1.45m. I'll have to figure out where to put him, as he plays the same position as Shaun Cooper.

I've also moved many of my players to the reserve squad and want to arrange some friendlies for them. I've forgotten to do that this year, but now is a decent time to do it since I have a coach to train them there.

[Raven]

Damn! major crash. "array out of bounds"

I was literally about to wrap things up, save and hit the sack. I sent my guys to reserve squad, asked my coach to set the reserve lineup, and got the crash. I hadn't saved since Dec 28th.

I'm going to quickly try to get things back to where I should have been, though I can't do anything about the match outcomes. Hopefully I can still get the players to join.

[Raven]

Alright all caught up. Only a slight change as we originally lost to Hednesford and beat Harrogate. Instead we now drew with both teams. We get 2 points, instead of 3.

Parr scored 2 goals, to increase his team lead. DMC Keeling is playing very well when in tight marking vs the opponents best scorer. I like that role for him.

[Raven]

DR Anthony Errington joins us on loan (again).

We sign 2 coaches. Alejandro Gomez, and Antonio Salas. We propose 3 friendlies for the reserve team, and await confirmation. I've proposed matches vs Grays, Leigh RMI and Braintree.

[Raven]

Jan 6, 2006 vs #7 Alfreton

Our Rank: #14

Starting Lineup (left to Right)
GK: Turnbull
D: Errington, Pearce, Maloney, Cooper
MF: Tandy, Parr, D. Jones, Tuohy
SC: C. Jones, Eastwood

16 minutes in, David Jones with the corner. He finds Tuohy in the box. Tuohy shoots and scores! We take a 1-0 lead. Tuohy's 1st goal of the season.

23 minutes in, Eastwood spots Tandy on the left side, and hits him with the pass. Tandy dribbles forward, then psases to Parr. Parr passes to Chris Jones at the top of the box. Chris Jones fires and scores! a 2-0 lead.

47 minutes in, Parr nails a penalty kick, and we take a 3-0 lead. Parr has been on fire lately!

64 minutes in, Parr passes to Tandy on the left side. Tandy dribbles forward and passes up to Parr. Parr to Chris Jones in the box. Chris Jones dribbles forward, shots and scores. A 4-0 lead.

72 minutes in, Hindle and Croft come in for Eastwood and Maloney.

87 minutes in, Mullarkey scores for Alfreton. 4-1 lead.

A big win, almost too easy with all the transfers. We outshoot 16-8. 4 players finish with 8 form, D. Jones and C. Jones both with 9, and Parr with a 10. Parr wins yet another MoM.

Record: 7-9-8, Pts: 30

[Raven]

The win leaves us just 7 points behind a playoff position, but also just 8 points out of relegation.

The board were extremely pleased with our win, and are again satisfied with my performance.

[Raven]

Jan 9, 2006 vs #20 Lancaster

Our Rank: #13

A 0-0 draw at the half, though we've managed to outshoot 8-2, only 2 of our shots are on target.

68 minutes in, David Jones plays the ball down the rightside for Eastwood. Eastwood dribbles forward, then sends a cross in to the box. Chris Jones leaps with the keeper and heads it in for a 1-0 lead!

We win 1-0. 13 interceptions for Cooper.

Our Record: 8-9-8 , Pts: 33

Parr will miss his next match after reaching the yellow card limit.

[Raven]

Jan 13, 2007 vs #4 Hyde

Our Rank: #13

We will play with MC Kevin Parr, as he is suspended for the match. DMC Keeling will get the start.

Our Record: 9-9-8, Pts: 36


We go to the half at 0-0.

85 minutes in, Eastwood dribbles up the right side. He leads Chris Jones on the break. A nice pass by Eastwood. Jones dribbles right by the defender, he shoots and scores! A 1-0 lead. Jones' 5th goal in as many appearances for us.

87 minutes in, Hyde with the ball. They shoot and it's stopped by Turnbull, the keeper. Turnbull sends a high kick straight down the middle for Chris Jones. The ball sails over the head of Jones, and the keeper rushes out of the box to get it. The ball goes over the head of the keeper. It's rolling towards the goal. Jones races with 3 defenders to see who gets there first. The ball just keeps on rolling and finds the back of the net! A fluke goal for Turnbull. We take a 2-0 lead.

89 minutes in, Tuohy dribbles down the right sideline. He dribbles and dekes several defenders. He lays a pass toward the backline for Eastwood. Eastwood gets there, and sends a pass in to the box for Chris Jones. Jones' shot is just wide!

We win on a 2-0 final. Tandy gets the MoM.

[Raven]

The win snaps Hyde's string of 8 matches without a loss.

The win more importantly, puts us in 11th place, just 4 points out of a playoff spot, as 6 teams have between 36 and 38 points, us being the last of the 6. The win also puts us 13 points out of relegation.

I'm really beginning to believe we could possibly make the playoffs. With all our loans in, our team is just as good, if not better than the rest of the league. We still have 16 league games to go, and could potentially even catch #2 Droylsden. Droylsden is 13 pts ahead of us with 49 points, while #1 Hornchurch is 23 pts ahead of us with 59.

The board were very happy with our win over Hyde.

The media begin talking that we may be capable of making a run at the Conference title. With so much of the season still remaining, anything could happen at this point.

[Raven]

Jan 20, 2007 vs #14 Blyth

Our Rank: #12

Parr returns.

8 minutes in, D. Jones sends in a corner kick. He hangs the ball over a crowd of players. The keeper comes out to get it, but Tuohy gets the header to go in! A 1-0 lead.

16 minutes in, Chris Jones to Parr, back to Chris Jones. Jones gives it to Tandy on the left side. Tandy passes back to Parr. Parr gives it to Chris Jones, and Jones rips a shot past the keeper. A 2-0 lead.

39 minutes in David Jones plays a pass upfield to Chris Jones. Chris Jones dribbles, and it's knocked away by the defender. It lands at the feet of Parr. Parr dribbles forward, and fires a shot from 25 yards out. It's in! A 3-0 lead. Parr's 12th league goal of the season.

46 minutes in, Eastwood plays it down the left for Tandy. Tandy dribbles forward and crosses it in to the box. It's cleared out by the defender. Coles nods it back to the keeper, and the keeper is caught off guard. Blyth scored on their own goal! A 4-0 lead.

We take a 4-0 lead in to the half. We pull Tuohy, Eastwood and Errington for Whealing, Wharton and Hindle.

The match ends in a 4-0 win. Parr finishes with another 10 form, and the MoM. 6 players finish with 8 form, D. Jones with a 9.

Our Record: 10-9-8, Pts: 39

The win puts in the 8th rank, just 4 points out of a playoff spot.

[Raven]

Jan 23, 2007

MR Michael Tuohy's loan comes to an end. Tuohy made 19 starts for us, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists, with a 6.94 avg rating. Tuohy leaves valued at 10k. He wasn't a big impact player, but leaves us with an open starting position. Currently the only player we have to fill the void is Danny Walsh. MR is a position we definitely need to address.

[Raven]

At this point, 6 of our 11 starters are loanees. While this isn't something I'd want to do every season, we need to keep the loanees to stay competitive.

At the beginning of the season, my goal was to not get relegated. I'm now beginning to see we are going to do much better than that. In fact, we have a very good shot and making the playoffs, and being very good in the Conference. At the very least, we shouldn't have a problem avoiding relegation now.

My secondary goal is now to get better players on the roster, and keep them there. I'm trying to remove the dead weight, and free up some salary. I'm still working on getting funds to sign Shaun Cooper. At this point I am just $42 short of the $4k I need to transfer him in.

Our other goals are to increase attendance, and increase our salary budget.

Our current average attendance is 476, but those numbers are skewed by 3 big turnouts. We drew over 1000 in 2 league matches - 1 vs #1 Hornchurch, and another vs #21 Redbridge (for some odd reason). Our other big draw was in a cup match, and drew 887. Otherwise, our average draw is more like 320 fans per match. I'm looking to get that number up, as it will increase our revenue significantly.

Our final objective is to increase our salary budget and transfer budget. We're currently alloted 300k per season, with our current roster around 224k. We still have room to work with, but need a lot of starters to fill those holes. Our Transfer budget is $3500 per season, and we definitely would like to get that up significantly.

[Raven]

Jan 27, 2007 vs #7 Barrow

Our Rank #8

This is a big match for us, as it would put us ahead of Barrow.

MC David Jones will miss the match as he is suspended for reaching the yellow card limit.

The match goes to the half at a 0-0 tie.

85 minutes in, Barrow attempts a corner kick. Parr bumps the defender while going up for the header, and gets called for a penalty. Kewley steps up for the penalty kick, with our string of 4 consecutive wins on the line. Kewley fires a kick to the left and Turnbull with the save!

91 minutes in, Walsh sends a pass across the field to Tandy. Tandy gives it to Jones, on to Parr. Parr kicks it out to Tandy. Tandy advances on goal, he fires a shot....but it's blocked! A narrow miss for Tandy.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. Turnbull wins the MoM

Our Record: 10-10-8, Pts: 40.

Hucknall wins, and passes up both us and Barrow in the standings.

[Raven]

Jan 30, 2007 #19 Altrincham

Our Rank: #9

A 0-0 draw at the half.

Just after the half, Eastwood brings the ball down the middle. He passes to Parr, Parr dribbles forward. The defender leaves Chris Jones to advance on Parr, Parr hits Jones with the pass. Jones advances one-on-one with the keeper, he shoots towards the top right corner. He scores! A 1-0 lead.

59 minutes in, ALtrincham ball. Adamsn lays the ball down the left for Matthews. Matthews dribbles, and lofts a beautiful cross in the box. Thornley finds it, swivels and fires. He scores. A 1-1 tie.

92 minutes in, Parr's sliding tackle causes a loose ball. Chris Jones picks it up and dribbles forward. Two defenders close in, he dribbles once and fires a shot from 20 yards out. He scores! A 2-1 lead.

We win on a 2-1 final. It extends our streak to 9 consecutive games without a loss.

Our record: 11-10-8, Pts: 43

Our ranking is now #7

[Raven]

Feb 3, 2007 vs #6 Kettering

Our Rank: #8

Kettering beat us 6-0 last time we played. A win could potentially put us in the 5th spot, and in a playoff position. We are currently 3 points behind #5 Northwich. A Northwich loss and a win by us, combined with us improving our goal diff over theirs puts us ahead of them. Northwich is currently +5 in GD, we are +4.

35 minutes in, Chris Jones goes down with an injury. Hindle comes on in his place.

0-0 at the half.

The match finishes a 0-0 draw. We've now gone 10 straight without a loss.

We've picked up 26 points in the last 14 matches.

Our Record: 11-11-8, Pts: 44

Northwich loses, but Barrow wins, Kettering drops down and Barrow jumps in to the 5th position.

[Raven]

Feb 5, 2007

We finally get enough cash to sign Shaun Cooper. The deal goes through and we have Cooper for 2 years at 36k. His current value is 18k (though it was 32k the second before I purchased him - I stilll haven't figured that out yet), but we get him at 4k. Just in time too, as his loan contract was about to end in the next few days.

My defensive line will be a little rought next game, as both DC Maloney and DC Pearce will be out due to reaching the yellow card limit.

[Raven]

Feb 10, 2007 vs #20 Redbridge

Our Rank: #9

A makeshift defensive line with Shaun Cooper moving from DR to DC, Errington moving from DL to DR. Whealing starts at DL, and Croft at the other DC position. I am most worried about Croft, as he has struggled this season.

6 seconds in, Parr passes to Walsh on the right. Walsh to David Jones, on to Chris Jones. Jones draws the defender and passes to Parr. Parr dribbles forward, he shoots and scores! A 1-0 lead just 16 seconds in to the match!

We lead 1-0 at the half.

66 minutes in, Walsh brings it down the right side. He gives it to Parr, who passes up to Chris Jones in the box. Jones dribbles once and fires a goal past the keeper! A 2-0 lead.

We win on a 2-0 final. Parr another 9 form, and another MoM.

Our Record: 12-11-8 Pts: 47

[Raven]

Feb 17, 2007 vs #17 Bradford PA

Our Rank: #8

A win today could put us as high as #4, but more realistically, will help us climb past a few other teams. We have 47 points, Hucknall and Hyde 48, Kettering 49, and #4 Barrow 50. Hucknall, Hyde, Kettering and Barrow all draw -getting one point, Northwich wins, and jumps in to 6th position.

11 minutes in, Bradford with the ball. Quinn gives it to Pearce in the center of the pitch. Pearce gives it up to Dudley. Dudley dribbles forward, and fires a shot past Cooper and Turnbull. 1-0 Bradford PA.

We go to the half trailing 1-0, and haven't gotten a single shot on goal.

The match finishes in a 1-0 loss, our first loss in 12 matches. We managed 4 shots in the 2nd half, but only 1 on target.

Our Record: 12-11-9, Pts: 47
The loss drops us down to #9,

[Raven]

Feb 20, 2007 vs #22 Gainsborough

Our Rank: #9

7 minutes in, after a series of passes moving the ball around, Walsh gets it on the right side. He gives it to David Jones in the center, then on to Tandy to the left. Tandy centers it in to the box for Chris Jones. Jones with the header.....he scores! A 1-0 lead. Jones' 10th goal in 11 appearances.

25 minutes in, Walsh passes on to Eastwood. Eastwood takes it down the right sideline. He centers to Chris Jones. Jones with the diving header, he scores! A 2-0 lead, and Jones' 2nd of the match.

44 minutes in, Gainsborough ball. Grant brings it down the left-center. Cooper tries to cut off his angle. Grant shoots and scores. He did that all by himself. We lead 2-1.

We take the 2-1 lead to the half.

54 minutes in Aujla gets a red card, and Gainsborough will be forced to play a man down the rest of the match.

Pearce just misses a header goal from a corner kick, at 52 minutes.

Chris Jones just misses his hattrick at 65 minutes.

Eastwood just sends a shot wide at 72 minutes.

72 minutes in, Tandy with the freekick. He passes in to the box to Parr. Parr powers a header in to the net! His 15th of the season, and we take a 3-1 lead.

Hindle comes on for Eastwood, Croft comes in for Cooper. We shift the d-line, as Errington goes to the right side, Croft to the middle and Pearce to the left.

Hindle gets a breakaway at 74 minutes, he impressively dribbles past the defenders, but rips a shot wide. Hindle has looked strong with the ball, but just can't finish.

80 minutes in, David Jones gives the ball to Walsh on the right. Walsh dribbles forward and sends an errant cross in to the box. The defender heads it out. The ball goes to Chris Jones, he fires a shot and it's defelcted off a defender. The ball finds the net, and Jones found his hattrick! A 4-1 lead.

Keeling comes on for Parr.

87 minutes in, Errington brings it down the right. He passes to Chris Jones in the middle. Jones dribbles past two defenders, he shoots and scores again! His 4th of the match. A 5-1 lead.

We win 5-1. C. Jones, D. Jones and Tandy finish with 10 form, Parr finishes with 9 form. C. Jones wins the MoM, obviously.

Our Record: 13-11-9, Pts: 50.

The win puts us in 7th position, 3 points out of a playoff spot, with 9 league games to go.

[Raven]

ML James Tandy sets a Stalybridge record with his 11th assist of the season.

Chris Jones 4 goals sets a new Stalybridge record.

Parr and Chris Jones have 14 and 13 goals, good for 5th and 6th in the Conference. The leader is Gavin Knight of Barow with 18.

[Raven]

Feb 24, 2007 vs #12 Burscough

Our Rank: #7

15 minutes in, Parr fouled in the box. Parr steps up for a penalty kick. He sends it wide.

0-0 at the half.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. David Jones with MoM with 8 form. Parr surprisingly finishes with just a 4 in form. This could hurt his conference lead in rating.

Our Record: 13-12-9, Pts: 51

Still 3 points out of aplayoff spot. But we need just 6 more points to guarantee we avoid relegation and plenty of time to go with 8 matches remaining.

[Raven]

March 3, 2007 vs #8 Hucknall

Our Rank: #9

36 minutes in, Chris Jones goes down with an injury. Hindle comes on.

38 minutes in, Tandy finds Parr with a low pass over the middle. Parr gives it up to Hindle. Hindle dribbles forward, draws out the keeper and fires! He scores! Hindle finally finds the net. A 1-0 lead.

48 minutes in, David Jones goes down with an injury. Keeling comes on.

61 minutes in, Hucknall ball. Hughes passes up to Summerfield. Summerfield plays up to Palmer. Pearce leaves McSweeney to chase Summerfield, Summerfield passes on to McSweeney. McSweeney dribbles forward, closes in on goal, shoots and scores. A 1-1 tie.

Keeling goes tight marking vs McSweeney.

The match finishes a 1-1 draw.

Our record: 13-13-9, Pts 52

[Raven]

March 10, 2007 vs #3 Hinckley

Our Rank: #8

A big game, as a win helps us get closer to a playoff spot. Hinckley is a good team but will be playing without 5 players due to injuries. They beat us last 2-1. Nathan Lamey leads the team with 21 goals, 17 in Conference.

30 minutes in, Hinckley with teh ball. Jermy dribbles down the left side. Cooper leaves Lewis to advance on Jermy, leaving Lewis open. Jermy gives it up to Lewis, who dribbles towards the goal. Pearce can't get there in time, and Lewis fires on goal. He scores. A 1-0 Hinckley lead.

38 minutes in, Hinckley sends a cross in the box. Turnbull goes up for it, and is called for a foul. Lewis steps up for the penalty kick. Turnbull with the save!

43 minutes in, Hinckley on the breakaway. Lewis fires a shot and Turnbull defelcts it. Dyer picks up the ball and fires a shot on the open goal. He scores. A 2-0 lead for Hinckley.

We trail 2-0 at the half, being outshot 6-5.

70 minutes in, Hinckley with the free kick. Dogbe lofts one up in to the box. Turnbull gets a hand on it, but can't hold it, he scores an own goal. We trail 3-0.

We lose 3-0. Not a good effort today. Tandy finishes with a sub-par 4 form.

Record: 13-13-10 Pts: 52
The loss leaves us 6 pts behind a playoff spot.

[Raven]

An intersting note on AML Richard Evans. Evans joined us on loan a month ago, but hasn't received much PT due to a few injuries. As I look at Evans injury history, he has a history of recurrent knee injuries.

2.13.04 - knee injury - 1 week
5.10.04 - knee injury - 1 week
8.10.05 - knee injury - 1 week
Since then he has suffered 10 more knee injuries, totalling 20 weeks missed.

Due to his failure to get any PT for us, we will return Evans to his team, and pursue another loanee. We will be looking for someone to start at the right wing, as Danny Walsh hasn't been much of a factor since Tuohy left.

[Raven]

Mar 17, 2007 vs #11 Marine

Our Rank: #9

9 minutes in, Cooper plays the ball long for Eastwood. Eastwood gets there, dribbles forward. The keeper closes in on Eastwood. Eastwood centers in to the box. Chris Jones is there, and scores on the open goal! A 1-0 lead.

20 minutes in, Robinson scores for Marine. A 1-1 tie.

32 minutes in, Robinson scores his 2nd goal, this on a pass from Platt. Marine lead 2-1.

43 minutes in, Eastwood is injured, and Hindle subs in.

We trail 2-1 at the half.

47 minutes in, C. Jones is fouled in the box, and we are awarded a penalty kick. Parr steps up for the kick. Parr scores, and we tie it up at 2-2!

63 minutes in, Hindle gest the ball and blows past Culshaw. He dribbles forward, advances on the keeper and shoots. His shot is blocked by the keeper. Chris Jones picks up the deflection and fires on the open goal to take a 3-2 lead.

68 minutes in, Chris Jones flys past several defenders on the breakaway. He dribbles forward, then passes to Tandy wide open on the left side. Tandy moves forward, then passes back to C. Jones in the box. Jones with the diving header....he scores! His Hattrick and a 4-2 lead.

Keeling subs in for Parr. Wheeling comes on for Cooper.

73 minutes in, Walsh crosses in to C. Jones. Jones fires and nails the side pipe! He just misses a 4th goal of the match.

We win 4-2. Chris Jones win MoM with a 10 form.

Our Record: 14-13-10, Pts: 55

Still just 3 points out of a playoff spot

[Raven]

Conf North standings with 5 matches to go. 74 points clinches a playoff at this point

#1 Hornchurch +36, 76 points, clinched playoff, 9 pts clinches conf title
#2 Droylsden +19, 69 pts, 5 pts clinches playoff birth
#3 Hinckley +21, 63 pts,
#4 Northwich +6, 59 pts
#5 Kettering +14, 58 pts
#6 Barrow +8, 58 pts
#7 Hucknall +7, 58 pts
#8 Stalybridge +8, 55 pts
#9 Hyde +6, 55 pts
#10 Alfreton +5, 55 pts

[Raven]

Mar 31, 2007 vs #4 Northwich

Our Rank: #8

A big match today, as Northwich is currently 4 pts ahead of us, and in striking distance. A win puts us just 1 pt behind them.

18 minutes in, Northwich keeper Wilberforce fires a kick that deflects off of C. Jones. The ball rolls a good 15 yards to the goal, but Wilberforce snags it just in time. Jones almost stole a goal there.

Wilberorce immediately dribbles it out, and looks for someone to pass it to. Jones snags the interception, then dribbles one-on-one with the keeper. He fires and scores! A 1-0 lead.

We go to the half with a 1-0 lead. We get 7 shots on goal, and Turnbull makes a couple nice saves.

53 minutes in, Parr launches a pass down the center for Chris Jones on the breakaway. Jones ourtuns the defenders, collects the ball and advances on goal. He dribbles, shoots, he scores! A 2-0 lead.

57 minutes in, Walsh is fouled in the box. Parr steps up for the penalty kick. Parr fires, it's deflected off the keeper, but finds the net! A 3-0 lead.

65 minutes in, Hindle and Keeling replace Eastwood and Parr.

72 minutes in, C. Jones lofts a pass downpitch to Hindle. Hindle beats the defender, he dribbles, pulls the keeper out and fires...its wide! Hindle does it again.

seconds later, Walsh sends the ball down the right for Hindle, Hindle does the same thing. Beats his defenders and fires a shot wide. The kid just can't finish. We really need to work on that.

81 minutes in, C. Jones leads Hindle with another pass. Hindle dribbles down the middle, burns the defenders. He is one-on-one with the keeper, fires and scores! A 4-0 lead.

83 minutes in, Northwich ball. Quayle hit Day down the left with a nice pass. The referee missed the offsides call there! Day receives it, swivels and dribbles past Greg Pearce. He centers it to Quayle, Quayle fires and scores. Quayle's goal becomes his 50th in team history. We lead 4-1

We win 4-1. Parr wins MoM with a 10 form. C. Jones, Walsh and Pearce finish with 9 form.

Our Record: 15-13-10 Pts: 58


Kettering wins, Hucknall and Barrow draw, so we remain in our same position. Though The loss drops Northwich, and Kettering leaps past Northwich, with Barrow moving into the 5th position.

[Raven]

April 7, 2007 vs #15 Wakefield & Emley

Our Rank: 8th

A very, very important match for us, with only 4 remaining. 2 of those 4 are against #2 Droylsden and #1 Hornchurch. Both those teams are tough, so we will need to beat Wakefield & Emley today to keep our hopes alive.

#4 Kettering are in striking distance at 61 pts
#5 Barrow 59 pts
#6 Hucknall 59 pts
#7 Northwich 59 pts
#8 Stalybridge 58 pts

10 minutes in, we get a breakaway. Eastwood brings the ball down. He gives it to Parr. Parr dribbles forward, then fires a shot, but it's deflected by the keeper. The keeper can't hold the wet ball though, and the deflection goes into the 6 yard box. It's picked up by Chris Jones, Jones fires and scores! A 1-0 lead. Jones is on fire!

30 minutes in, Errington intecepts the pass, and gives it up to Tandy. Tandy dribbles up the leftside. He gives it up to Parr. Parr blows past the defender, he is one-on-one with the keeper. He shoots and scores! A 2-0 lead.

We lead 2-0 at the half.

70 minutes in, Walsh passes on to Parr. Parr to Chris Jones. Jones fires a shot from the edge of the box. He scores! His 20th of the season and we take a 3-0 lead.

Hndle on for Eastwood at 73 minutes.

75 minutes in, Errington on the corner kick. He hits Tandy who is wide open. Tandy shoots and scores! A 4-0 lead.

Keeling on for Parr, Whealing on for Errington.

90 minutes in, the keeper brings out the ball for Wakefield. Chris Jones makes a break for it. He intercepts it! Jones one-on-one with the keeper, he dribbles to get the angle. He fires and score! Jones hattrick again. A 5-0 lead.

We win 5-0. Jones 10 form and MoM, Parr 9 form. 7 players finish with 8 form.

Record: 16-13-10, Pts 61

The win puts us in the #5 slot, and in a playoff position! Kettering, Barrow and Hucknall draw, and Northwich loses.

[Desnudo]

Nice, it looks like your season is really on the upswing now.

[Raven]

DR Shaun Cooper goes down with a groin strain in training, and will miss 2 weeks. We'll have to fight off Droylsden without him, but I think we have adequate depth as we can move Errington over and strart Whealing at DL.

Apr 14, 2007 vs #2 Droylsden

Our Rank: #5

5 minutes in, Whealing with the free kick, sends it down the left for Tandy. Tandy over to Parr. Parr passes on to Chris Jones. Jones fires it from the top of the box. He scores! A 1-0 lead.

40 minutes in, Whealing on the freekick. He steps up and fires it. It finds the corner of the net! Whealing scores his 1st of the season. A 2-0 lead.

We lead 2-0 at teh half.

Hindle on for Eastwood, Keeling in for Parr at 81 minutes

84 minutes in, Ian Pulfer dribbles past Whealing and sends a cross in to the box. Purcell with the header, and scores. We lead 2-1.

89 minutes in, Keeling gives it up to Chris Jones. Jones dribbles and passes on to Hindle. Hindle fires a shot from 20 yards out and scores! A 3-1 lead.

We win on a 3-1 final.

Record:17-13-10 Pts: 61

We maintain our #5 position, and are just 2 matches from the playoffs.

[Raven]

Another injury, this one huge, as Chris Jones will miss the next 2 weeks after suffering an injury in training.

Jones has been amazing down the stretch for us scoring 22 goals and 4 assists in just 19 appearances. He has averaged a 7.89 form, and scored 9 goals in his last four matches, 13 in his last eight. Joens has three hattricks, including a 4 goal game in those 8 matches.

It will be especially difficult in our last match of the season, as we face #1 Hornchurch.

[Raven]

Apr 28, 2007 vs #14 Gateshead

Our Rank: #5

We'll play this one without starting DR Cooper and SC Chris Jones. Hindle will get the start for Jones, but is still recovering from a slight injury.

7 minutes in, another injury as MR Danny Walsh has to come out. We bring in Keeling and go with 3 MCs, Keeling as DMC.


29 minutes in, Rapley scores for Gateshead and we are down 1-0.


We trail 1-0 at the half. Hyde is tied 0-0 with Hornchurch, and should they win would bump us out of our playoff spot for the moment.

56 minutes in, Horsed comes in for Hindle. Hindle's injury is still bothering him, and he just isn't in good enough position to be an impact today.

We lose 1-0, and drop out of the playoff spot with 1 match to go.

Record: 17-13-11, Pts: 64

[Raven]

April 29, 2007

Bradford PA Hire our Asst Mgr Gary Luscka. It's not too much of a loss though, as I didn't plan on resigning him anyway.

MR Andy Walsh's injury report is in, and he will miss a week with a damaged shoulder

Another injury, this time as DC Jon Maloney is out a month with strained knee ligaments. Maloney becomes the 4th starter to get hurt this week.


Going in to the last match vs Hornchurch, we have just one shot at making the playoffs. That being a win, plus Barrow and Hyde to fall. Hyde plays #2 Droylsden, Barrow plays # 8 Northwich.

[Raven]

Apr 29, 2007 vs #1 Hornchurch

Our Rank: #7

SC Chris Jones is just 1 day shy of returning from his injury, and at 69%. I think there is a chance (though very slight) we can beat Hornchurch without him, but we could really use his offensive punch. I'm going to give have him the start, and hope he can score early for us.

Keeling will play tight marking on MC Wormull.

14 minutes in, Hornchurch ball, Wormull on the corner. He hits Taylor with the pass, Taylor shoots but it's deflected by Turnbull. Tandy clears it, but it goes right to Brayley. Brayley heads it in to give Hornchurch a 1-0 lead.

26 minutes in, Chris Jones sends a through ball from our defensive half. It's right between the breaking Eastwood and the keeper. The keeper charges out, but it gets past him. Eastwood has the ball. He has an open goal! Eastwood dribbles, he shoots and scores! A 1-1 tie.

28 minutes in, Eastwood brings it down the right side. He passes over the middle to Parr. Parr dribbles the defender out of position, and passes to Chris Jones in the box. Jones dribbles, he fires a low shot in the bottom left corner. It's good! A 2-1 lead.

We go to the half leading 2-1. Hyde and Droylsden are tied at 0-0, and Barrow trails 2-1. So far things are working out just right.

46 minutes in, Hornchurch ball. Sargeant has it on the right side. He passes to Charlie Taylor. Taylor is all alone, he dribbles in to the box. Draws out the keeper, fires and scores. A 2-2 tie.

54 minutes in, Whealing tosses the throw in to Keeling. Keeling sends a pass to the far post from the left side. The ball floats over the keepers head and curves back, he scores! Keeling scores his first goal of the season! What a shot! A 3-2 lead.

73 minutes in, we go defensive. Chris Jones is very tired, and is pulled for Sam Croft. Croft goes in at sweeper. Eastwood is the lone striker.

Looking up at the scoreboard, Hyde and Droylsden still tied at 0-0 and Barrow trails 2-1. If things ended right now, we'd make the playoffs.

81 minutes in, Hornchurch goes to a 4-2-4, they want to knock us out. We go to a slooooooow tempo game.

83 minutes in, we get a breakaway. D. Jones gives it up to Parr. Parr dribbles down the center of the pitch. Gardiner slides and knocks the ball looses. Eastwood gets to the loose ball first, he dribbles on goal. He blows a shot past the keeper, it's in! A 4-2 lead.

86 minutes in, Hornchurch loft a pass in the box. Turnbull comes out, he leaps and punches it loose. But he is called for the foul! Hornchurch get a penalty kick. Seargant zips it past Turnbull and Hornchurch cut the lead to 4-3.

89 minutes in, Hornchurchs Charlie Taylor gets a feed in the box, but Keeling jars it loose!

93 minutes in, Hornchurch bring it down the right side with just seconds remaining. Seargeant sends a cross in the box. It's collected by Cooper. Cooper kicks it back to Turnbull, and scores on his own goal! But the final whistle blew! NO GOAL! We win! I don't know if Turnbull missed that one, or if he already gave up on it because of the whistle. Wow, that was close. We win 4-3

Hyde and Droylsden tie 0-0, and Barrow loses 3-1. That leaves us in the 5th position, and in the playoffs!


Kevin Parr wins the MoM with 9 form. Keeling also finishes with a 9, while Turnbull, Tandy, D. Jones, C.Jones, and Eastwood finish with 8 form.

Our Record: 18-13-11, Pts: 67

[Raven]

Here's how the playoffs work.

The Conference North and Conf South are at the same level. Both promote to the Conference National.

3 teams are demoted from the Conference National. The winner of the Conf North (Hornchurch) gets promoted, the winner of the Conf South (Hendon) gets promoted. That leaves one more team to get promoted. The Conf North #2-#5 go to the playoffs, while so do the Conf South #2-#5. The winner of that 8 team tournament gets promoted to the Conf National. While the three Conf National teams get demoted, 1 each to the Conf North/South, the 3rd to whichever Conf wins the playoff tournament.

Each round of the playoffs consist of 2 legs. Each team gets a home game vs their opponent. If the teams split the games, total goals is the determining factor. If total goals are even, extra times is played in the 2nd leg. If still even, they go to a shootout.

[Raven]

Alright, first off, we give the guys a few days off from training. I don't want anyone else getting hurt before the playoffs. Today is Saturday, so I give the guys Sat and Sun off, as well as Friday, for now.

Playoff Semi Finals
Conf North: Stalybridge vs Droylsden, Hinckley vs Kettering.
Conf South: Cambridge City vs Forest Green, Bishop's Stortford vs Tamworth



We beat Droylsden 3-1 in our last match. Scorers were Hindle, C. Jones and Whealing. Droylsden's lone goal was at the 85th minute by Purcell.

[Raven]

May 5, 2007 Conference North Playoffs Semi-Final Leg 1 vs Droylsden

DC Maloney misses the start, still nursing an injury.
DR Errington starts for Maloney at DC.
MR Walsh takes the bench, as we'll go with DMC Wheeling in his place. We go with 3 MCs, and AML Tandy.

18 minutes in, David Jones sends a corner kick to the far post. Eastwood leaps and heads it, but it goes over the bar.

39 minutes in, Droylsden cross in the box. Kilheeney fires a shot, deflected by Turnbull!

0-0 at the half.

46 minutes in, Droylsden switch to a 4-3-3.

Kilheeny gets two more shots in at the 49th minute, but can't find the net.

53 minutes in, Pearce sends a through ball to Parr. Parr dribbles and fires a shot, but it's deflected by the keeper.

66 minutes in, Hindle comes on for Eastwood.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. We outshoot 9-6, but couldn't get anything to find the net.

[Raven]

Hinckley and Kettering also draw 0-0.

In the Conf South, Cambridge City beats Forest Green 3-1. Tamworth beats Bishop's Stortford 2-1.

May 6, 2007 Conference North Playoffs Semi-Final Leg 2 vs Droylsden

6 minutes in, Parr has the ball in the center of the pitch. He passes down to Tandy on the left. Tandy is all alone down the left side, he dribbles forward and into the box. He spots Chris Jones all alone, he sends the pass to Jones, Jones on the volley. He scores! We take a 1-0 lead.

33 minutes in, Tandy passes over the middle to Parr. Parr dribbles outside, and taps one over to Tandy. Tandy lofts the cross to Chris Jones in the box. Jones fires and scores! A 2-0 lead. Jones' 25th goal of the season.

We lead 2-0 at the half.

74 minutes in, Cooper brings it down the right. He lofts a pass on to Parr. Parr collects, dribbles right, then swings a pass to Chris Jones alone in the box. Jones dribbles once, fires and scores! A 3-0 lead. That's the hattrick for Jones.

Parr and Chris Jones come out. Walsh and Hindle come on. I want to avoid Parr and Jones getting injured, this close to a victory.


We win 3-0. Jones hattrick advances us to the next stage. Jones finishes with 9 form, and MoM.

[Raven]

Kettering beat Hinckley to advance on in the Conf North.

Tamworth and Cambridge City both win to advance in the Conf South.

Danny Walsh suffers an injury, and will be out for 3 weeks.

[Raven]

May 12, 2007 Conf North Playoff Final vs Kettering

This match is at a neutral site, with the winner going on to play the Conf South playoff winner for promotion. No more home and home, so the winner advances.

90 minutes, if tied we play extra time, if still tied, we go to a penalty shootoff.

Kettering are the favorites, and play a 3-5-2.

Walsh and Maloney are still out.

12 minutes in, Kettering ball. Oshitola dribbles down the right side. He sends a cross in the box, it deflects off of Tandy. The cross is headed out by Parr, but right to French. French fires a shot and scores. We trail 1-0.

16 minutes in, Kettering ball. French sends it over to Bell. Bell back to French. French gives it up to Hutchinson. Hutchinson blows past Errington. He fires a shot past Turnbull and scores. We trail 2-0.

36 minutes in, Keeling passes up to Parr. Parr to Chris Jones. Jones advances down the left, blows past several defenders. He fires a shot, it's deflected. Eastwood races over for the loose ball, but it goes out of bounds.


We trail 2-0 at the half. We are outshot 7-3.

69 minutes in, Chris Jones gets injured, and has to be pulled. Hindle comes on for him. Things aren't looking good, and we may have to settle for runners up in the Conference.

We lose 2-0.

[Raven]

Kettering beats Tamworth 3-1, and gets promoted to the Conference National.

[Raven]

Stalybridge Final Stats 06/07

Record: 18-13-11
Points: 67
Rank: #5 Conference North
Goals For: 70
Goals Against: 52
GD: +18

Transfer Budget (Season): $3,506
% of Transfer Funds available: 25%
Sponsors: 2yr deal at $22.5k/season (expires 2006)

Final Income: $177,056 (last season: $260,132)
Final Expend: $410,612 (last season: $414,038)
Profit/Loss: -$233,555 (last season: -$153,905)

Current Balance: -$586,486

Total Wage Budget (Allowed): $300k
Total Wage Budge (Current): $235,750

Stadium Capacity: 6108 (1200 seated)
Training Ground: Good facilities
Finances: OK

Conference Standings:
Avg Attendance: 14th, 460
Goals: #2 70
Goals Against:


Player stats:
Avg Rating Conf North
Chris Jones #1 7.87
David Jones #2 7.84
Kevin Parr #3 7.83
Gregg Pearce #10 7.45
James Tandy #22 7.32
Ross Turnbull #32 7.28


Goals
Chris Jones #1 26 goals
Kevin Parr #6 17 goals


Assists
James Tandy T#1 14
Kevin Parr T#3 13
Phil Eastwood T#13 9

Man of Match
Kevin Parr #1 12

Dribbles Per Game
James Tandy #2 3.15

[Raven]

News:
We get a new sponsorship deal, this at $64.7k for the next 3 seasons. Up from $22.5k last season, it is a significant upgrade.

Transfer Budget drops from 3506 to 3118, not what I was looking for. Still at 25% of funds made available.

Wage budget allowed is at 280k, down from 300k of last season. Again another bite in the ass, but I guess I need to get us out of debt before they will start giving me money.

I request more funds for transfers, but am denied by the board.

[Raven]

Final Team analysis:

Goal Keeper

Ross Turnbull (loan)- Turnbull played very well for us after joining in the 2nd half. In 25 appearances, 21 conceeded, 10 clean sheets. I'd love to have a keeper of his stature, but we can't afford him. Valued at 420k.

Tom Upson - Our real keeper. He played mediocre, and often dissapointing for us. 24 appearances, 40 conceeded. At just 21, he has room for improvement, but won't play anywhere beyond this level. We could use a long-term upgrade here. Value 6k



Defenders

DR Shaun Cooper - Played well for us. 40 (3) appearances, avg rating just above 7.2. Purchased for $4k, our only real transfer of the season. He should continue to be a good player for us, and I am happy with starting him at DR. Value 10k

DR Anthony Errington (loan)- Very good young player, played out of position at DL for us. He is highly valued, and will return to his team soon. 22 appearances, 2 assists. Good offensive player for a fullback. Value 1.25million

DRC Sam Croft - A youngster with a good upside. Croft struggled at times this season, but is only 20. Has a lot to learn, but could potentially start in a year or two. Value 10k

DLC Gregg Pearce - The 27 year old is our defensive star, and captain of the team. Pearce will continue to be our main defensive cog. 46 app, 1 goal, 7.41 rating. Value 28k

DC Liam Powell - 21 years old, and a serviceable backup for now. He could get better, but probably won't be as good as Croft. 3 caps for the Wales National team. 1(2) appearances. Needs work, will probably be loaned out. value 2k

D DML Anthony Wheeling - 34(3) appearances. Played mostly at DL, though had significant time at DMC. 1 goal, 3 assists, 6.95 avg. He will play as an important starter/backup role, as he is usually the first guy off the bench. Value 14k

D DMC Darren Bowman - adios. Hopefully I can get 2k for him. 0(6) appearances, but age 28 and contract is up.

D MC Jon Maloney - At 22, Maloney played significant time for us this season, and played well. 43 apps, 1 goal, 7.05 rating. All games at DC. He will be a cog next to Pearce at starting fullback. Value 18k

DM C Barrie Keeling - Lil used at the beginning of the season, Keeling stepped it up for us, and got significant time in the 2nd half, after Tuohy left. He played well in tight marking vs the oppositions best middie. 28(7) apps, 1 goal, 3 assists. His lone goal was a fluke, but significant in the win vs Hornchurch in the last match of the season. Keeling should play the same role next season. Value 28k

DMC Nathan Wharton -little value with both Whealing and Keeling on the team. looking to get 2k for him. 1(3) apps. value 0

Midfield

ML Derek Duncan - little used youngster. has a good upside, though he won't ever be very offensive. 3(2) apps. We'll see what we can do with him. Value 2k

ML Adam Roscoe - rarely used. not much of a player, but on a cheap contract value 0.

MC Kevin Parr - the MAN. Parr was outstanding for us when we were mediocre, and even better when we were good. 48 apps, 18 goals, 13 assists, 13 MoMs. 7.71 rating avg. Too bad he is 32. Will be a focal point of our offense for next season. Value 32k

MC David Jones (loan) - way out of our league, but was a nice loan. 23 apps, 3 assists, 7.74 avg rating. Value 750k

AMR Danny Walsh - Adios. 28 years old, 25(3) apps, 1 goal, 3 assists, 7.07 avg rating. Though Walsh played decently according to his form, he just isn't the kind of winger I like. He can't cross, and isn't a good dribbler, nor is he good at setting pieces. His contract expires, and he won't be back. Value 0.

AMR Dean Calcutt - Similar to Walsh. 28 years old, but little upside. His contract expires and he won't be back. 1 app. 0 value

AM L James Tandy (loan) - Was very good for us this season, but has to return soon. He is also out of our league, and probably won't be back. 44apps, 5 goals, 15 assists. 7.30 avg form. value 650k

SC Phil Eastwood - Our main offensive threat until the loanees came in. Eastwood is a good striker, but sometimes struggles finishing. I'd like to see him score more often, and become a better dribbler. I'd look to sell him off, but would only get to keep 25% of his return, so probably isn't worth it. At 29, he has probably reached his peak. 46 apps, 7 goals, 10 assists. Goal scoring down from 18 the previous season, but still probably our best offensive threat after Parr. Value 44k

SC Liam Horsted - Just 21, and has an upside, but probably won't be too effective as a threat. 5(5) apps, 1 assist. It would be nice if he could play a significant role as a backup to the first team, but I don't expect too much from him. value 10k

SC Chris Jones (loan) - an absolute monster on the pitch. 21 years old, 23 apps, 26 goals5 assists, 5 MoM. Won the scoring title, in just over half the season. 7.87 form, 74% of shots on target. If I could keep him all season, he could set unbelieveable records down here. I'll make a bid to bring him back next season. Started valued at 160k, but dropped to 130k one month before season ended. His strong finish raised to the current value 260k.

SC Damien Hindle - this 22 year old kid is close to being pretty good. Watching him play, he always get a strong move on the defender, oft burning them behind. He dribbles well, has good speed, but just can't finish. He will be our 3rd scoring option behind Parr and Eastwood, but needs to finish his shots!! I can't emphasize that enough. 9(18) apps, 4 goals, 3 assists. Value 20k

[Raven]

Offseason:

We bring in 2 new coaches.
Dennis van den Berg is a very good coach, who joins us thru 2011. He is 17 in coaching both keepers and outfield. 16 with youngsters, 17 in motivating

Dean Wilkins joins us thru 2009. 16 in coaching OF. 17 working with youngsters.



Transfers out:
2k for Nathan Wharton
2k for Darren Bowman
2k for Dean Calcutt

Transfers in:
31 year old MRC Neil Champion joins us. Neil is a veteran player, but comes cheap. He gets a 8k contract, and will serve as a reserve. Value 4k

AM RC Andrew Quinn is 27. He is rated 15 in crossing, and is a good team player who has great stamina. Quinn doesn't look like a scoring threat, but should be a good ball distrubutor. He replaced Walsh on the right side. Value 44k, contract 28k per year.

AM RC Niall Inman is 29, and the biggest signing of the offseason. He is 15 in crossing, 11 in dribbling and 12 at corners. He is valued at 36k, and signs to a 52k per year contract.

[Raven]

A new season, a new strategy. We'll be using the friendlies as a way to experiment with tactics. This team doesn't have much firepower on offense, so we'll go with a more defensive approach. We'll be looking to upgrade through loans, especially at striker, where Hindle probably won't be much of an impact. We'd also like to find someone to help Upson in goal.

[Raven]

We bring in one final transfer, this one MRL Ian Johnson. Value 4k

We get Chris Jones back on loan. Jones agreed to stay with us for the entire year, and will be our main scoring threat this season.

[Raven]

Aug 11, 2007 vs Hucknall

The season opener ends in a 0-0 draw. 2 minutes before the match ends, DR Shaun Cooper goes down with an injury which requires him carted off the pitch.

Cooper's injury results are in. It's a torn groin muscle, and will cost him 2 months.

The media approach me and ask if Cooper will be missed.

Our 2 backup defenders are both youngsters with little experience so I respond "Shaun's a big player for us - we will miss him"

[Raven]

Aug 18, 2007 vs Hednesford

We take a 3-0 loss, and were completely dominated on the pitch.

[Raven]

Aug 25 , 2007 vs Wakefield & Emley

We lose 4-1. Barrie Keeling scored our lone goal. Naill Inman missed a penalty kick.

Wakefield SC Robert Pell scored a hattrick.

We really need to tighten up our tactics. 3 matches, and just 1 point, 1 goal for us.

[Raven]

We send our scout Ed de Goey out to search for young talent in England. We're hoping he can come back with a few names that could turn out to be promising young players.

We also send out requests for a handful of keepers. Our intent is to bring in someone who can stay with us the whole season. Our current keeper, Tom Upson, just isn't cutting it, and isn't a long term answer.

[Raven]

We bring in a slew of young talent. Some decent, some not.

MC Steve Green on a 6k contract. Green is a 19 year old middie who is a very good passer (15), has tremendous bravery (20), very agile (17) and is a tremendous jumper (19). Green probably won't get a whole lot of PT this season, but could provide a good alternative to Kevin Parr in the future. Green is valued at 2k currently

DR Tony McMahon, value 16k.

DR Martin Edwards, value 6k

AM L Brian Lyons, value 4k

DR Steve Moss, value 12k.

GK John Moody value 0

MR Steve Day value 0

MC Kevin Price value 2k

[Raven]

Sept 8 vs Workington


A 1-0 loss to Workington. Through 4 matches, we've managed to scored just 1 goal.

[Raven]

Sept 20, vs Hinckley

We beat Hinckley 1-0. Two of their players were sent off with red cards, many others collected yellows.
Chris Jones scored our lone goal. Kevin Parr missed a penalty kick.

[Raven]

Sep 22, 2007 vs Hyde

Another 1-0 loss. Our lack of offense is really showing. Kevin Parr just isn't the same player as last year, his form is way down. Our middies aren't skilled enough to get scoring opportunities, and our strikers just aren't executing.

[Raven]

Sept 25, 2007 vs Guiseley

A big match today, as Guiseley is ranked #22 in the Conference, and we are #20. A win should put us out of relegation, and prove we aren't as bad as we have been playing.

We give Guiseley a shelacking. Kevin Parr comes out of nowhere to score an amazing 5 goals! Phil Eastwood also adds a goal, and we win 6-0.

[Raven]

Sept 29, 2007 FA Cup Round 2 vs Vauxhall Motors

We're looking for a strong performance in the Cup to earn some extra cash.

We win 2-0. Kevin Parr and Chris Jones score goals.

The win nets us $6k

[Raven]

We continue to sign a slew of young talent, occassionally finding a quality player at a very cheap price.

Our wage budget mysteriously jumped up from 280k to 320k. Our transfer % also jumps from 25% to 35%. I didn't get any notification of these changes, they just happened. Strange, but I'm glad to take them.

[Raven]

Oct 13, 2007 FA Cup Round 3 vs Staines

Staines is a non-Conference team, so should be an easy win.

A 4-0 win, and we advance on to the next round. Kevin Parr scored 2 more goals, Chris Jones scores on a penalty kick, and Phil Eastwood caps it off with another goal.

The win nets us $8k

[Raven]

Oct 16, 2007 vs Grantham

Grantham is ranked #3 in the Conference.

A 2-1 win, as Jones and Eastwood score for us.

The win ,moves us closer to the middle of the table, at #15. More importantly, it moves us a whole 6 points out of relegation.

[Raven]

Oct 20, 2007 vs Burscough

The match ends in a 2-2 draw. We had a 2-0 lead early, but Burscough played well and are a tough team.

Kevin Parr and Phil Eastwood were the scorers. Eastwood's goal was on a beautiful cross by right winger Ricci Dolan.

[Raven]

Oct 27, 2007 FA Cup Round 4 vs Marine

Marine is another Conference North team, so should be a quality opponent.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. 1157 come out to watch it, so we get a considerable chunk of change in gate receipts.

[Raven]

Oct 31, 2007 FA Cup Round 4 Replay vs Marine

Eastwood will miss the match due to a damaged shoulder. Hindle will get the start at striker in his place.

We take a 2-1 loss, despite a great effort. Down 1-0, Damien Hindle scored to tie things up. The match goes to overtime, where Marine squeaked one by the keeper Upson. Upson played outstanding, but couldn't stop it. Damien Hindle later ripped a shot that bounced off the pipe, just missing tieing it up.

We are knocked out of the FA Cup in Round 4.

[Raven]

Nov 3, 2007 FA Trophy Round 1 vs Staines

We get a good draw in Round 1, playing Staines, who we already beat once in the FA Cup.

Eastwood is still out, nursing his injury.


Hindle again nails the pipe with a shot, just missing a goal. Staines scores at the 91st minute to win 1-0.

We are immediately knocked out of the FA Trophy in Round 1.

[Raven]

Nov 6, 2007 vs Ashton Utd

Ends in a 1-1 draw. Chris Jones scores our lone goal on a penalty kick.

[Raven]

Nov 14, 2007 vs Worksop

We lose 3-2. Eastwood scored both goals, both on assists by Corbett.

Upson's string of strong performances comes to an end.

We loan in Ross Turnbull, the GK that lead us to the playoffs last season. Turnbull will take over Upson's spot at starting keeper.

[Raven]

Nov 17 vs Blyth

Blyth is ranked #20 in the Conf, to our #18. We need to start winning now if we have any hope of making the playoffs.

We take a 1-0 loss.

[Raven]

Nov 27, 2007 vs #3 Gateshead

This will be a tough match for us as DC Sam Croft and DMC Barrie Keeling are out serving a suspension. We will also be without MC Kevin Parr (2 months), DR Tony McMahon and backup DM Anthony Whealing, all with injuries.

We go with a 5-2-1-2 to help out defensively to make up for the loss of Parr and Keeling. The match actually ends up quite exciting.

Ross Turnbull gets called for a penalty in the box, and Gateshead scores to take a 1-0 lead. We tie it up on a Ricci Dolan goal, but it's called back as the ref called him offsides. We then tie it up on a penalty kick by Phil Eastwood. Damien Hindle scores to put us up 2-1.

A terribly stupid play by Turnbull costs us a win at the 89th minute. He collects the ball in the box, then looks around for an open lane. Somehow he manages to drop the ball all alone. The striker runs in, steals and in knocks it in.

Match ends in a 2-2 draw.





Dec 5, 2007 vs #8 Harrogate Town

We go with a 5-2-1-2

Chris Jones scores on a penalty kick in the 79th minute, and we win 1-0. The 5 defenders played well, and this is a tactic I will be strongly considering.




Dec 8, 2007 vs #5 Southport

We go with a 5-1-2-2, with 2 attacking midfielders.

Chris Jones scores early on a penalty kick to take the 1-0 lead.
Ricci Dolan adds a goal, and we win 2-0.

The win puts us in 15th position, just 6 points behind #5 Southport.

[Raven]

Our GK Tom Upson joins our Conf. rival Hyde on loan. We won't get promoted with Upson in goal right now, but he has shown some promise this year - raising his value from 8k up to 24k, now to his current 16k. We chose Hyde because they are missing their keeper for 4 more weeks, and should give Upson the starts.



Dec 12, 2007 vs #10 Marine

We've already played Marine twice this season, both in the FA cup. We tied 0-0, then lost 2-1. This will be a good test to evaluate our 5-1-2-2 formation.

Ricci Dolan scores at the 88th minute, but it's called back for offsides.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw.



Dec 15, 2007 vs #13 Droylsden

We win 1-0 on a Chris Jones goal, putting us just 3 points out of the #5 slot.
The win takes us to 5 straight games without a loss.




Dec 18, 2007 vs #20 Northwich

The match ends in a 1-1 draw.



Dec 22, 2007 vs #5 Bradford PA

The match ends 1-0, with Chris Jones scoring again. Andrew Quinn finishes with a perfect 10 form.

The win moves us up to #12, just 2 points behind a playoff spot.

[Raven]

Kevin Parr announces he will be retiring at the end of the season.


Dec 26, 2007 vs #19 Alfreton

Damien Hindle and Ricci Dolan add a goal each, and we win 2-0.

The win moves us up to #8, just 2 points behind Marine. It also stretches our streak to 7 straight without a loss.





Dec 29, 2007 vs #1 Altrincham

No time to waste, as we have just 3 days rest before another match.

The match ends in a 1-0 loss. Altrincham were very good - at least better than us today. Our streak comes to an end.

[Raven]

Jan 1, 2008 vs #4 Hucknall

We lose 2-0.



Jan 5, 2008 vs #2 Wakefield & Emley

We win 2-0, as both Chris Jones and Ian Johnson score. Jones goal was his first match back from injury. JOhnson's goal was his first of the season.


Jan 8, 2008 vs #9 Workington

Chris Jones scores a hattrick and we win 3-1.


Jan 19, 2008 vs #2 Hinckley

Kevin Parr finally returns from injury after missing 12 matches. He will be a sub until he is match fit.

The match ends in a 2-2 draw. Chris Jones scores both our goals, one on a penalty.

[Raven]

Jan 23, 2008 vs Hednesford


A 0-0 draw in a very slow game. We manage just 3 shots, Hednesford was held to 0 shots on goal.




Jan 26, 2008 vs Hyde

Another 0-0 draw.


We are in 10th now, just 4 points behind the #5 spot.

[Raven]

Since we have switched to 5 defenders, we have allowed just 7 goals in our last 14 matches, but managed to score just 15. We've also been held scoreless in 2 straight,and 4 of our last 7.

While that doesn't put us in a terribly bad position, it shows we still lack real firepower in the offensive half of the pitch. If things don't improve, we'll be looking to strengthen our attack in the offseason.


Jan 29, 2008 vs Guiseley

We win 3-0, as defender Jon Maloney, MC Ricci Dolan and FC Damien Hindle each add goals.

The win was even more impressive as Dolan and Hindle subbed on together at 63 minutes, and played very well together. Dolan, Hindle and Eastwood combined for 2 goals and 2 assists, and played very fluid together.


The win moves us up to #9, just 2 points behind Hucknall at #5






With the transfer deadline tonight, we engage in talks all day over acquiring young GK Dave Harrison from Grantham. Grantham insists on 35% of Harrison's next sale, and no matter what we offer, they won't accept any less. We finally agree to terms with Grantham, but fail to find an agreement on a contract with Harrison. The deal falls through. Interestingly enough, we play Grantham and Harrison the next day.

Feb 2, 2008 vs Grantham

Paul Corbett finds Chris Jones twice within twenty minutes, and Jones scores both goals. We win 2-0. The win puts us in 4th place, just 2 points behind the #2 spot, and 11 pts behind #1 Altrincham. More importantly, we are now in a playoff position with 13 matches remaining in the season.





Following the highlight of our win over Grantham, we get a shocker. GK Ross Turnbull's loan has expired, and has chosen not to renew his loan with us. This leaves us with Upson as our lone keeper, and we immediately rush out in search of another loanee.



Feb 9, 2005 vs #14 Marine

We face off again with our rivals Marine. We've already faced them three times this season (twice in FA Cup), and lost once, and drew twice. Two of those matches ended in a 0-0 draw; the other in a 2-1 loss. Needless to say, we haven't had much scoring success against them, but will however get another a shot to try out our new formation on them. It will be a good test to compare our old formation vs our new.


The match ends in a 2-0 win. Jones and Eastwood each score a goal. Jones had a second goal called back for being offsides. Most impressive was the performance by GK Tom Upson. Upson made 8 saves, 2 on penalty kicks. He finishes with a 9 form and the MoM. The win keeps us at #4, just 1 point behind #2 Gateshead. We also close to just 10 pts behind #1 Altrincham.

[Raven]

Feb 16, 2008 vs #19 Burscough

A nice turnout, as 668 come out to watch us play today. Surprising since we have only averaged about 330 all season.

We win 2-0. The first goal was on a freak play where Burscough scored an own goal. The second came off a nice play by Dolan and Corbett. They passed back and forth several times to draw teh defenders out of position. Finally Dolan advanced and knocked it in for the score.

The win moves us up to the #2 spot. Just 10 points behind Altrincham. We are also +14 in GD, and have shutout our opponents in 6 straight. The 5 defenders things is working out very well.

[Raven]

So our 668 home attendance draw last match was the best I've seen in the regular season for us. I'm wondering if it is because were were ranked so high in the Conference, and it will be interesting to see if we can continue that type of draw. It would certainly help get us out of debt, and could help us accomplish some other things financially.

We are currently #2 in the ECN. Tied in points with Bradford PA, but just slightly behind in our GD. With just 11 matches to go, things are getting exciting.

We've asked Kevin Parr to reconsider retirement. Although Ricci Dolan has done well at MC, we don't have the depth to replace Parr at the moment.



Feb 19, 2008 vs #18 Ashton Utd

Left Winger Paul Corbett will miss the match due to injury.

We win 4-0. Chris Jones scored 2 goals,Eastwood and Quinn each added another.

Bradford PA also win, but we pass them in GD, and move into #2. Just 8 points behind #1 Altrincham.

We draw 444 fans. Not as high as last game, but over 100 more than our usual.


Feb 23, 2006 vs #10 Worksop

Kevin Parr announces he is concrete on his plans for retirement after the season.

Worksop take a 1-0 lead. But Corbett and Chris Jones work the defense out of position just after the half. As teh defenders close in on Jones, he taps it up to Kevin Parr. Parr fires in the goal to tie it up at 1-1. At 58 minutes, Worksop regain the lead, capitalizing on a penalty kick. At about 88 minutes, I have given up on us scoring, and go to get a soda. I come back only to find the game is over, and we managed to draw. At the 92nd minute, Cooper plays the ball back to the keeper Upson. Upson then sends a through ball over everyones head. Chris Jones runs it down, and fires a goal past the keeper to tie it up at 2-2.

Seconds later, Worksop kickoff, and the whistle blows. Apparantly Jones scores just in the knick of time!

The draw leaves us at #2, just 8 pts behind Altrincham with 9 matches to go, including a match vs Altrincham.


March 1, 2008 vs #21 Blyth

Chris Jones will miss the match, out due to a 1 match suspension.

Without Jones, Eastwood is injured early in the 1st half. Blyth takes a 2-0 lead, but Kevin Parr scores to make it 2-1. We fail to generate any more offense from there, and lose 2-1.

The loss drops us to #4, 1 pt behind Bradford PA and Gateshead.

The loss snaps our streak of 11 straight without a loss.






We make a transfer offer for Chris Jones.

[Raven]

8 matches to go in the regular season. Our goal last season was just to not get relegated. We far outperformed that, making it to the playoffs and winning in the first round.

Our goal this year is to actually get promoted. I'm dieing to have the opportunity to increase payroll, bring in better players, have my reserves and U-18s play their own schedule, and see just how I do against tougher opposition. All in all, I think I am just ready to move up a notch, and see what else is in the game that I haven't gotten to see yet.


March 8, 2008 vs #8 Harrogate Town

Phil Eastwood will miss the match due to injury. Damien Hindle will start in his place.

441 attendance.

Damien Hindle and Chris Jones each score, and we win 2-0.

AML Paul Corbett has been playing very well, but his conditioning doesn't look very strong. He gets tired very quickly, and lately has required a sub about 65 minutes in.

Chris Jones goal is his 49th in his 2 seasons with us.



Jones finally settles on a deal, and transfers in.

Mar 15, 2008 vs #6 Gateshead

An important match, as Gateshead is a quality opponent. A loss would allow them to pass us in the standings, and bump us out of the playoffs for now. A win helps cement our position.

Parr and Dolan each score a goal, and we win 2-0. Chris Jones misses a penalty kick.

We move up to #2, just 7 points behind #1 Altrincham.


Starting DC Jon Maloney suffers an injury that will put him out of action for 4 weeks.
Starting AMR Andrew Quinn suffers an injury that will put him out of action for 2 weeks.



Mar 22, 2008 vs #10 Droylsden

730 in attendance


The match ends in a 0-0 draw, with Chris Jones being injured. Hopefully it isn't anything serious.


Mar 29, 2008 vs #4 Southport

Gregg Pearce suffers a minor injury, and will be out for 3 days. He joins Quinn and Maloney missing the match.

Chris Jones scores twice, Kevin Parr adds a goal, but we draw 3-3

Lee Mulvaney was outstanding for Southport.


We stand at #2, with 4 matches to go. Also just 8 points behind Altrincham, and still get to play them. If we beat Altrincham, we have a shot at catching them. If not, and we lose, we guarantee they finish ahead of us in the standings.

[Raven]

Apr 5, 2008 vs #5 Bradford PA


Chris Jones and Anthony Whealing each score a goal, and we win 2-0.

The win leaves us at #2, just 6 pts back, and 3 to go. The matchup with Altrincham will be huge.



Apr 12, 2008 vs #8 Alfreton

592 in attendance.

Anthony Whealing, Chris Jones, Kevin Parr and Ricci Dolan each score a goal and we win 4-1.

Whealing's goal becomes his 2nd in 2 matches. A starter least season, Whealing has been mostly a fill-in starter this season as Sam Croft's emergence, combined with the acquisition of Tony McMahon has decreased his value to the team.

Altrincham beats Bradford PA, so we remain 6 points out of #1. Our win guarantees a playoff spot.

Just 2 matches to go, including the match with Altrincham, and we stand 6 points behind them. We will need to beat them, and win our next match, and they would need to lose thier upcoming match, for us to win the Conference.

[Raven]

Apr 19, 2008 vs #18 Northwich

DC Greg Pearce will miss the match due to injury, but Jon Maloney returns and will start for him.

We win 1-0 on a Chris Jones goal.

Altrincham lose 1-0, and we stand just 3 pts behind. We currently have a +23 GD though, and should we win, I believe we win the Conference outright.



Apr 26, 2008 vs #1 Altrincham

The season finale, 778 in attendance.

Kevin Parr gets injured half-way through the first half, and Ricci Dolan has to come on.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw, and ALtrincham finish #1, us #2. We'll have to win the playoffs to get the Promotion.

[Raven]

AML Paul Corbett suffers an inury that will cause him to miss a week.


May 1, 2008 vs Bradford PA - Playoff SemiFinal 1st Leg

Both Kevin Parr and Paul Corbett will miss the match.

We lose 1-0.



May 1, 2008 vs Bradford PA - Playoff SemiFinal 2nd Leg


1389 in attendance.

Bradford PA jump out to an early 1-0 lead, but Ricci Dolan and Chris Jones each score a goal to put us up 2-1 at the half.

Bradford's Robert Gallagher is sent off in the 2nd half, receiving two yellow cards. Up a man, Phil Eastwood foolishly commits two fouls, and is also sent off.

No goals in the second half. Since the series is tied at 2 goals apiece, this one goes to overtime.

Ricci Dolan and Andrew Quinn each add a goal in overtime, and we win 4-1. The win adances us to the next round.


Eastwood's red-card forces him to miss the next round.

Hinckley wins and will be our opponent in the Conference North final.




The Conf North finals were where we lost last season, and we hope to surpass that result.



May 10, 2008 vs Hinckley - Conference North Finals

FC Phil Eastwood and DR Tony McMahon will miss the match.

Chris Jones scores an early goal, but Hinkley tie it up. We go to the half at 1-1.

Tied at 1-1, this one goes to overtime.

Still tied at 1-1, this one will go to penalty kicks to decide the Conference North champ.

I'm a little nervous about this, as I don't know exactly how it works. I'm assuming each of my starters get one penalty kick, and Hinckley the same.

No substitutions allowed at this point.

This one deserves a post of it's own......

[Raven]

English Conference North Finals - Penalty shootout.


First up Stalybridge Chris Jones (29 goals). Jones fires and scores!
First up for Hinckley Nathan Lamey (33 gls). Lamey fires and scores.
1-1

Second Up Stalybridge Kevin Parr (14 goals). Parr scores!
for Hinckley George Jermy ( 2 goals). He scores.
2-2.

Third Up Stalybridge Jon Maloney (1 goal). Sends it wide!
for Hinckley Gareth Gallagher (13 goals). He misses.
2-2

Fourth Up Stalybridge Andrew Quinn (2 goals) He scores!
for Hinckley Adam Willis (0 goals) He scores!
3-3

Fifth Up Stalybridge Ian Johnson (1 goal) He misses!
for Hinckley Holmshaw (0 goals) if he scores, Hinckley wins. He misses.
3-3

Sixth Up Stalybridge Shaun Cooper (0 goals). Waaaay wide.
for Hinckley Comyn-Platt (0 goals). Over the bar!
3-3

Seventh Up Stalybridge Sam Croft (0 goals). Saved by the keeper!
for Hinckley Marriner (3 goals). He puts is past Upson, and Hinckley win.

Our season comes to an end.

[SirFozzie]

Congrats! :D

[Raven]

Thanks, Fozz. So close, yet couldn't quite pull it out. Second year in a row we went to the Conf North finals, but lost. Next year we'll be gunning to win the Conf outright.

By the way, thanks for the tips. The scouting help that you gave me helped me land several talented young players. One of those players, AML Paul Corbett was exceptionally good, and started most of the season for me. He also lead the team with 14 (or so) assists.

[Raven]

The Chairman calls me in to his office and announces the team will not be allowed any transfer budget this season. Despite our success the past two seasons, the team is still losing a significant amount of money. I assume they only way this team is going to make money is to get promoted. That is our absolute goal this season.




Kevin Parr finally retires.

[Raven]

July 2009

Our friendlies for the season

Our matches are all at home and all quality opponents.

1. Stoke of the English Championship Division
2. Nottingham Forest of the Premiere Division draws over 6k. The highest I have seen us ever draw.
3. Weymouth of the Conf. National.
4. Hendon of Conf National
5. Hereford United of English League Two


We draw with Weymouth, but lose all other matches.

In 5 friendlies we manage to bring in over 57k, just over 33% of last years revenue. The match with Nottingham Forest really helped us out here, and we hope to have a decent year financially.

[Raven]

We continue to sign a lot of talented young players. Much thanks to Sir Foz, as his idea really helped me land some young studs here.




Aug 9, 2008 vs Grantham

A 2-0 loss.


Aug 12, 2008 vs Southport

Another loss, this time 1-0.

[Raven]

Aug 16, 2008 vs Hucknall

We lose 1-0, and need to start tweaking our tactics.

[Raven]

We tweak our tactics a bit, let's see how this works out. We've always started the season slow, so I am not too worried about our 0-3 record.

Aug 23, 2008 vs Burscough

The match ends in a 1-1 draw. Chris Jones the lone scorer.

[Raven]

Sep 6, 2008 vs Marine

Greg Pearce is out with an injury.

Maloney and Quinn get injured, and we lose 4-1. Jones again the lone scorer.


Ross McDonald, Marine's manager taunts us to the press. McDonald basically says for a Promotion contender, we sure didn't show it on the pitch. He also said if we have any hopes of making it to the Conference National, that we better be a better team on the pitch.

I respond by telling McDonald that I was confident in our promotion opportunity. We are always slow starters, and 0-1-4 start doesn't scare me (yet).


The media is beginning to ride keeper Tom Upson, claiming his lack of concentration is killing the squad. Upson has allowed 8 goals in our 5 matches thus far.

A couple of our guys, including Chris Jones and Tony McMahon, are becoming skeptical about the teams bid for promotion, following the comments by McDonald. We need to step things up now, before our morale gets out of control.




Sept 13, 2008 vs Alfreton

In an effort to boost morale, we talk a little trash to Alfreton. We are struggling, and morale is generally very poor around the clubhouse. We need a spark to pick these guys up.

After the comment, we have 3 Goods, 1 OK, 5 Poors, and 9 very poors. I want to compare that after the match.

We lose 1-0. Hindle got a few shots off, but still lacks the scoring punch. Neither he nor Eastwood are very effective in our offense. I think we need to pursue a lefty striker.

After the match, morale drops to 1 Good, 5 Poor, and 12 very poor.


19 year old starting AML Paul Corbell breaks his ankle and will be out 5 months. A very tough loss which will only make things more difficult at this point.

[Raven]

Now with a record of 0-1-5, we sit with just 1 point, and in dead last (22/22). We are 11 points behind #1 Worksop, and things are not looking too good at this point.

We've also scored just 2 goals all season, and our starting AML is out for 5 months. Morale is low everywhere.


Sep 20, 2008 vs #18 Blyth

Jason Goodwin will get his first start as GK.

The match ends in a 0-0 draw. A huge match for the team, as it should really help our morale. Goodwin played very well in goal.

Andrew Quinn was sent off with a red card and will miss the next match.

Morale pre-game: 1 sup, 1 good, 5 poor, 13 very poor
Morale post-game: 1 sup, 1 good, 6 poor, 12 very poor.

Only a slight effect on one guys morale, but maybe with a few more points, we can turn these guys around.

Sep 23, 2008 vs Wakefield & Emley

We lose 1-0, despite playing very well. Even the announcers begin to notice the low confidence of the Stalybridge team.



Morale pre-game: 1 sup, 1 good, 6 poor, 12 very poor.
Morale post-game: 1 very good, 1 good, 2 poor, 16 very poor (fading fast)

Sept 27, 2008 FA CUP Rd 2 vs Bromley

Chris Jones has a stormer, scoring 4 goals. Ricci DOlan adds a goal, and we win 5-0.

Morale pre-game: 1 very good, 1 good, 2 poor, 16 very poor
Morale post-game: 12 superb, 2 good, 1 ok, 1 poor, 4 very poor.

a huge swing in momentum for us. Hopefully this can carry over in to our regular season.

[Raven]

We loan in probably my favorite player ever, Danny Hayzelden. Danny is a AML that played for us with the Grays. He was a great crosser for us, and really helped define my definition of a winger. With Corbett out, Danny should get some significant PT. He'll immediately jump in to our starting lineup, despite being valued at only 8k.

Oct 11, 2008 FA CUP Rd 3 vs Solihull

Trailing 1-0 at the half, Danny Hayzelden makes his debut. 5 minutes later, he finds Chris Jones and we tie it up 1-1. At the 85 minute mark, Hayzelden and Jones connect again, and we win 2-1. That's why I love the guy. He just makes things happen.

Hindle proved he is not starting worthy. Not only did he get beat on several breaks, he completely botched several crosses, and missed open players. I need to find a replacement as both him and Eastwood aren't capable scorers.



Oct 14, 2008 vs Gateshead


Chris Jones scores 2 and Eastwood adds another, as we win 3-1. Both Jones and Hayzelden miss a PK. The win moves us out of the cellar and up to #21.

[Raven]

Oct 18, 2008 vs Harrogate Town

A 1-0 win on a Phil Eastwood goal.

A chest injury will cause Hayzelden to miss the next 2 weeks.

Oct 25, 2008 vs FA CUP 4th Qual. Round vs Canvey Island

Before the match I praise Eastwood's recent performances. Though he has only played at 7 form across the board. I am hoping to improve his morale.

Eastwood scores a hattrick (2 on penalties). Jones and Hindle add a goal each, and we win 5-0.

The fans also acknowledge Eastwood, and his morale skyrockets from poor to good.


Oct 29, 2008 vs Hednesford

We take a 1-0 lead on a PK by Jones, but Hednesford find the net twice in the 2nd half. We lose 2-1.

[Raven]

Nov 1, 2008 FA Trophy Rd 1 vs Worcester City

We are upset in a 3-0 loss. Worcester looked very good, and controlled the ball for much of the match.

A quick end to our FA Trophy run, as we lose in our first match. We never seem to play well in this tournament for some reason.




Nov 4, 2008 vs #1 Bradford PA

We sign SC Bas Savange on a free transfer. Savage is a lefty striker who has better all round ratings than Eastwood. We are hoping he compliments Jones well, and adds a needed punch on offense.

We lose 2-0. One of the goals on a penalty kick. THe offense looked very bad, and the midfield failed to contain the ball.



Nov 8, 2008 FA Cup Rd 1 vs Hitchin

The match ends in a 0-0 draw and will need to be replayed.

Nov 12, 2008 vs Harrow

A 3-0 win as Dolan, Savage and Quinn each score.


Nov 15, 2008 vs Hyde

A 1-1 draw. Hayzelden scores.

[Raven]

Nov 19, 2008 vs Hitchin FA CUP 1st Round replay

The match ends in a 3-1 loss, and our FA Cup ride comes to an end.

[Raven]

Nov 22, 2008 vs Vauxhall Motors

A 1-1 draw, as Bas Savage scores our lone goal.


Nov 25, 2008 vs Droylsden

We lose 2-0. The team is really struggling, and we need to do something about our offense. I think our biggest weakness at this point is we need a better MC. Dolan isn't bad, but he lacks any real strengths, and doesn't really have an influence on the pitch.

[Raven]

After a 2-2 draw with Worskop, and a 1-0 loss to Leigh RMI, the board finall put their foot down. Their patience is running thin, and my job is on the line. Rumor has it if we don't win our next match, I will be out of a job.


We beat Hinckley 2-1. Jones scores both goals, one on a penalty.

We lose 2-0 to Workington, but somehow I still have a job.

[Raven]

We beat Leek Town 2-0 to wrap up the first half of the season. Both goals were scored after we went with a 3-1-3-3 formation. hmmm.......

[Raven]

The pressure is now on. After 21 league matches, we've only managed to score 20 points. We've scored just 18 goals and given up 26. Injuries have hampered us all season, but after finishing runner up in the Conf last season, you'd think we'd be at least mid-table.

After every game, we've been trying to fine-tune our tactics.



Jan 1 vs Grantham ends in a 1-1 draw. Our only goal comes on a Ben Allen Penalty kick.


Jan 6 vs Hucknall ends in a 0-0 draw.

[Raven]

We lose 1-0 to Burscough (#22) on a penalty kick. Where's the offense?

[Raven]

After the Burscough loss, we lose 3 straight to Southport, Marine and Alfreton.

We then bring in a few players on loan, including AML James Tandy, and a couple strikers.
We also switch to a 3-5-2, and things really take off from there. Bas Savage gets red hot, scoring 5 goals in 8 matches. Chris Jones also adds 4 goals, including a hattrick, in 6 matches.

Our current streak is at 8 straight without a loss, and includes 5 wins and 3 draws. The streak pulls us out of the cellar, and into 19th position. Just 1 out of relegation, but we manage to stay up 4 points on #20 Vauxhall Motors. We are also now just 4 points behind #11 Hyde.

Though the playoff picture doesn't look promising, with 8 matches to go, we are just 13 points out of playoff contention.

[Raven]

After beating Vauxhall Motors, we follow that up with 2 losses to Droylsden and Worksop.

The last loss eliminates us from the playoff race. Although our strong run over the past week probably saved my job, I had to start thinking about the future.

I sent a few applications in, and get a call back from Notts Co. of English League 2. The interview went well and I was offered the position. After thinking long and hard about it, I decided to accept the position at Notts County.

[Raven]

It was a tough decision to leave Stalybridge. I was there for just over 3 seasons, beginning mid-way through in the 05/06 season. In 06/07, we went to the playoffs, and in 07/08 we went all the way to the Conference North finals before losing. This season was a struggle, and made the transition even harder because I had really acquired some good talent for Stalybridge. Chris Jones and Bas Savage were very good strikers there, while guys like Sam Croft, Greg Pearce and Jon Maloney were solid defenders.

I also got to develop their system, and brought in a ton of young talent. Included there are solid DMC Ben Allen and young MC Ricci Dolan.


The main reason for leaving though is because I really wanted to experience more of the game. If I stayed in the Conf North, I wouldn't be able to play any Reserve squad, or U-18 matches, and didn't really get the full "minors" system feel of the game. Conf North also lacks the media attention of the higher conferences, and therefore was limiting my experiece with the game.

Although Notts may not be the best decision for me, I am pretty sure moving up a few levels was the right move. It also allows me some breathing room, so if I get demoted, I can still play in the Conf National, and not worry about automatically getting fired (well at least I hope not).

[Raven]

We start out on a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient. Our lone goal came early on a penalty kick, and we held on, despite having two players sent off with red cards.

I immedaitely begin offering new contracts to cut our payroll. We are currently 500k over budget, and our top player DMC is a free agent at the end of the season.

[Raven]

Our next two matches end in draws, including a 1-1 tie with #2 Chesterfield.


So far, we have managed to trim 180k off of our payroll. We are still 320k over, but have two players leaving at the end of that season that will free up a total of 220k.

[Raven]

We wrap up our season in Notts County. After 6 matches, we win 3, and draw 3.

Despite the strong finish, we remain in 18th position the whole time.

We're still struggling to retain the services of 21 year old DM C Gary Rowe. He is valued at 1m, and wants 300k/yr, but the club will only allow us to offer him 170k. If we can't sign him by June 15th, we'll need to try and transfer him before his contract expires on June 30th.