Izulde Sieges Soccer: Burgess Hill Rhinos FC (FM 16)

[Izulde]

So I'm back at it - this time playing at a much higher level in the Level 23 database - Mid Sussex Football League Division Six. Why this league? Well, funnily enough, it starts with a Magic: the Gathering card that was a damned powerhouse in Standard in its day:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/siegerhino_zpslhpjgomq.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/siegerhino_zpslhpjgomq.jpg.html)

If I ever build an Abzan commander deck, Siege Rhino will go in for nostalgia sake.

So I was scrolling through the clubs in Level 23 and came on Burgess Hill Rhinos. Their logo?

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/rhinosfc_zpsau0j5dtt.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/rhinosfc_zpsau0j5dtt.jpg.html)

White, black, and green - the exact same colors as Siege Rhino! Clearly, this was meant to be.

So with Luciana Zogbi covers of songs playing on YouTube, I go through the standard empty cupboard start - getting marginally competent staff for this level and work on signing a team.

It takes us all of preseason to put together a roster, but we're ready for our first game (full team breakdown to come later).

@ Fletching (Sommerville Challenge Cup 1st Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Josh England/Edd Richardson (all three DCs)
M: Alfie Cain/Lewis Hook/Palvy Manduakila/Lewis Soraf/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

3-5-2 formation, and of course you know Ahenkorah from previous dynasties. More on that later.

3 - A whole lot of passing that I forgot to write down, but it ended with Joao inside the box finding Theobald for a short distance shot. 1-0

53 - Mickey Greening, a gray guy we signed after first game, replaces Cain after a yellow. Ahenkorah has placed like ass all game, so we switch to 4-5-1 Asymmetrical, with Flynn Tarman the WBL.

69 - I've never used an asymmetrical formation before, but it works out here when Greening's corner kick flies off the header of the defense, and Tarman pops in the mid-range shot. 2-0

A solid opening victory, but when Flynn Tarman's 7.2 is PotM, and you're talking about Tom Thorne and Lewis Hook with 7.1 as our next best guys, you know it's not an overpowering win by any means.

I'll still take it.

[Young Drachma]

Oh England, nice.

[Izulde]

Oh England, nice.

I know, so original. I can't help it - I'm addicted to amateur teams.

[Izulde]

Goalie
Fraser Meldrum - 1/5 (19)

8 or higher in all physical attributes, save Stamina (5). A truckload of double-digit mental attributes, too. Highlighted by 13 Bravery, 12 Strength, 11 Balance of over 10 attributes. Southern Combination Football Premier League (SCFPL) capable, which is... many levels above.

Defenders - Left
No one!

Defenders - Center
Josh England - 4/5 (22) (Isthmian D1S level)
Edd Richardson - 3.5/4 (17) (SCFPL)
Tom Thorne - 2/4 (18) (SCFPL)
Colm Parrott - 1/4 (18) (SCFPL)

England isn't a standout in any attribute, but is solid all-around. The other have definite areas of strength and weakness. Richardson is the most technically accomplished in key areas; Thorne the best physically.

Defenders - Right
Diego Maradona - 1/5 (20) (Brazilian) (Isthmian D1S)

We were denied his work permit application, but he still signed with us anyway. Got a ways to go before he's eligible for citizenship, but that's literally the first time I can recall the game letting us sign someone who got work permit denied. I'm cool with it. Though I'm not sure how to get him the experience for a WP.

Wingback - Left
Flynn Tarman - 1.5/4 (17) (SCFPL)

The hero of our season opening win. My first time with an asymmetrical formation, he's making it work okay. Acceleration/Agility/Pace all 11 or 12.

Midfielder - Left
Alfie Cain - 5/5 (18) (ID1S)
Orlando Joao - 3.5/4 (20) (SCFPL) (Dutch)
Mickey Greening - 0.5 silver/1 (20) (Grey player)

Alfie is God at this level - 14 Flair, 12 Teamwork and Physical attributes that range from 10-13, bar Agility (8) and Stamina (5). Oh, and 11 Crossing. I would love to make him long-term mine.

Midfielder - Center
Lewis Hook - 2.5/4 (16) (SCPFL)
Brady Della Verde - 1/4 (20) (SCPFL) (Grey player)
Lewis Soraf - 1/4 (17) (SCPFL)
Palvy Manduakila - 2 silver/4 (17) (SCPFL)

I actually like Soraf the best out of the best, and by the ratings, Manduakila is better than Della Verde, who is the rare promising looking gray player. No real standouts in this group, but we should still trash everyone.

Midfielder - Right
Maradona - 4/4
Joao - 1/4

Strikers
Alex Theobald - 4.5/4.5 (18) (ID1S)
Edwin Ahenkorah - 2.5/4 (21) (SCPFL) (Dutch)

Y'all remember Ahenkorah from a previous dynasty. Here, I get him from the jump. 11 Heading FTW.

Theobald's 17 Flair is the highest rating on our team in any category - 8 ratings of 11+, including 15 in Teamwork and Natural Fitness. Drool. Plays both Defensive Forward and Poacher, which are the two striker positions in our base 3-5-2.

So obviously we need more bodies. I've been raiding the U-21 rosters of teams higher up the chain on free transfers to put this group together. I expect all of them to be signed away in the offseason, but let's see how far we can get with them.

But I'm lazy and want to get a game in before I have to leave early to run copies of the midterm I spent all night writing, so we won't play smart FM, and instead just roll with the dice.

One of my coaches suggests a 4-1-2-3 DM Wide as a new formation. Err... APPARENTLY some crackhead forgot we don't have DL/DR eligible players.

@ Fletching (5th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Josh England/Edd Richardson (all three DCs)
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Lewis Hook/Palvy Manduakila/Lewis Soraf/Diego Maradona
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

Alfie Cain is out with injury, so we're running a 4-4-2 WB Asymmetrical (L) for this rematch in the same damn road stadium as our first game. Great.

Numerous chances in the first half, but nothing's connecting. Della Verde goes in for an exhausted Hook at half, the role changed to defensive BWM.

60 - Let's start really going for the throat. Cyclonic Rift Overload!

63 - Tarman steals the ball deep in our half and jack-hammers it down the line. An open Joao runs it down and a high ball to Ahenkorah *finally* sees us beat the keeper and we immediately go defensive. Richardson, who is having an ass game (6.2), is yanked for Parrott. Caw caw motherfucker. 1-0

Things are hairy down the stretch, but we eke it out. Our highest player is 7.0 Orlando Joao, the only one to even reach that mark. PotM is the other team's star player, who we've marked tightly both games, and still pulled out a 7.2 here.

Lots of nervousness after this one. Probably a function of so many kids. Hell, we have an 18 year old as our captain (Alex Theobald, who doesn't think he's ready for it, though most of the guys love him as captain.

We were sucking wind at the end of this one. Something to worry about further down on the line, I think. BTW, I'm chuckling at "crowd of 20."

I shouldn't laugh too hard, however.

We've sold five, yes 5, season tickets. Guess their parents don't love them enough to support the team.

[bbgunn]

A Brazilian named Diego Maradona? Wow...

[Izulde]

A Brazilian named Diego Maradona? Wow...

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/maradona_zps5dainxdt.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/maradona_zps5dainxdt.jpg.html)

He's got 689 days to go before English citizenship is a thing, but even at 22/23, he'll be a fantastic player at our level.

Transfer In - DR Keelan Mastouras (17) - From Bath
We finally have another player capable of playing the DR slot, if we decide to use that in any of our formations. Technically weak, but Brave (13) with physical attributes littered with 10+ and the only weakness a 4 Strength.

vs Willingdon Athletic III (8th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Josh England/Edd Richardson (all three DCs)/Keelan Mastouras
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Lewis Hook/Palvy Manduakila/Lewis Soraf (no MR)
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

Alfie Cain is out 5-7 weeks with strained ligaments (just to update that), and Diego Maradona is out 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury (not that he's eligible anyway.

38 - Longball that went in because Meldrum got pulled out of position. Time to start attacking. 0-1

I pull yellow carded Soraf at half for Della Verde.

50 - Parrott in for Richardson, and Mastouras's stupid ass gets a double yellow. :mad:

We played like complete ass. I'm not used to losing at this level, so I tear the team a new asshole.

Transfer In - DC Harry Seal (19)
No physical attribute lower than 8, and he's immediately our best DC. Richardson's butt is going to sit on the bench now after this important upgrade. ID1S level player.

Transfer Out - MC Palvy Manduakila - $2.5k salary
Wow, they're not even waiting for the offseason to raid my guys. Still, Kila was the weakest of our central midfelder starters, so it's not the worst loss by any means.

@ Forest Row II (10th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Josh England/Harry Seal (all three DCs)
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Lewis Hook/Bradley Della Verde/Lewis Soraf/Diego Maradona
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

47 - I'm screaming for an offsides, but don't get it. 0-1

54 - Richardson and Parrott replace the bums England and Seal.

73 - Hook angles up to Soraf for the feed to Theobald. Dribble and fire, and we finally make a damn shot after missing umpteen trillion easy ones. 1-1

This wasn't at all a game we deserved to lose. One thing I may end up doing is just going Overload the whole game, as we seem to play a lot better once we start doing that, based on the previous matches.

I mean, no panic button yet - it's only been 3 games, and even in a 10 team league, we're just 2 points back of an automatic promotion place. I keep having to remind myself we're in Division Six, and not the Division Nine or Ten I usually start at.

[Young Drachma]

LOLz at 5 season tickets

[Izulde]

LOLz at 5 season tickets

Seriously. And our first home game? 19 people showed up. More folks on the pitch than in the stands.

vs AFC Hurst (Sommerville Challenge Cup Second Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Josh England/Harry Seal (all three DCs)
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Mickey Greening/Bradley Della Verde/Lewis Soraf/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

46[ - Joao intercepts a cross-field pass and passes it to Soraf for the longball finding Theobald. Short pass up to the attacking Tarman, and far post cross has unmarked Ahenkorah banking in the shot just before halftime. 1-0

51 - Hook for tired Soraf; Richardson for equal Thorne. We dialed back to Standard at the half, by the way.

82 - Injury to Seal is playable, but we're on a knife's edge. On pops Parrott and we go Defensive to try and close this out.

We played better overall in our draw last time out, but Flynn Tarman snags PotM with his 7.6 rating, and Josh England posts a 7.5. Alex Theobald, who had an 8.3 last game out, rounds out the 7s with a 7.0.

So we're on to the quarterfinals. BTW, Diego Maradona's days aren't going down any, and I'm not sure why. Harry Seal's nasty bruise may keep him out of our next game. Can't wait to get our best player back. Having him knocked out for so long has definitely cramped our style.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - MC Stephan Hamilton-Forbes (22)
Great all-around defensive stats, and he'll immediately become the BWM in whatever setup we use. ID1S level and he blows away the rest of our midfielders in quality level.

@ Ditchling II (6th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Josh England/Harry Seal (all three DCs)
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Lewis Hook (no MR)
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

32 - Playing with a yellow card, Hamilton-Forbes recovers a clearance and hits it up to Joao. Cross to Ahenkorah and the shot's partially deflected by the keeper, but then it slow-rolls to cross the line anyway. 1-0

41 - Poor work on our goal kick sees them head away possession, then beat out our defense to knock it in with ease. 1-1

Richardson replaces the sucktastic England at half.

52 - Mastouras in at DR and Seal sits.

77 - Fucking pathetic. Some switching around to a 1 striker formation, and Greening at ML - I'm tired of Theobald's shit misses. 1-2

Total shitlord performance all around. Unbelievable.

vs Burgess Hill Athletic (Malins Challenge Cup First Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Harry Seal/Keenan Mastouras
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Mickey Greening/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

It's the Battle of Burgess Hill in this cup match.

30 - Short dribble by Mastouras and the longball to Ahenkorah who traps it and banks in a long diagonal goal! Maybe we've finally found a formation that works for us? 1-0

55 - Hamilton-Forbes takes in a loose ball and slams it down the left line for Tarman, who crosses far post as he runs off the pitch. Ahenkorah easily puts away his second score, the first time we've scored more than a goal this season. Worried about the yellow, I sit Hamilton-Forbes for Soraf, who fits in as BWM. 2-0

70 - Theobald laterals to Tarman for the long rope to Greening at the touchline. Cross and Ahenkorah hits the header hat-trick! Richardson replaces tired Thorne now that we're good. 3-0

Finally, the kind of game this team is capable of. Obvs Edwin Ahenkorah walks off with the match ball, hat-tricking his way to a 9.5 Flynn Tarman who has quietly become one of my favorite players in a position I never use, gets an 8.3. Redemption continues for Keelan Mastouras with an ever-present 7.7 - his second strong start after getting red carded in his debut. Harry Seal scored a 7.5, and grey guy Mickey Greening gets a surprise 7.2.

vs Ridgewood (1st)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Elliott Richardson/Josh England
DM: Lewis Hook
M: Mickey Greening/Bradley Della Verde/Lewis Soraf/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

U-21 match too close to this one and a short rest means we have to go with an awkward lineup for the most critical game of the season. Basically, if we want a shot to promote, we have to win here.

14 - Greening on the corner kick, after Ahenkorah's shot is blocked. Theobald rises up, and smashes in the long header! 1-0

20 - Theobald almost does it again, this time on a Della Verde corner, but it smashes off the top bar.

At half, we go to a 3-5-2, with Hamilton-Forbes coming in as an attacking CM to replace Hook's DM.

57 - Bullshit excuse me bounce off the ball. Thorne is yanked for Parrott and we start going for blood. 1-1

63 - Aaaand we're done. Evidently we just can't fucking deal with 3 DCs at the back. They always shit the bed. 1-2

At this point, forget about promotion - now we have to fight just to avoid the drop. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Izulde]

vs Plumpton Athletic II (Mid Sussex Junior Cup First Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Tom Thorne/Harry Seal/Edd Richardson
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Mickey Greening/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

11 - Theobald's sliding tackle dispossesses the defense, and Ahenkorah sends it back to him. Back further to Hamilton-Forbes and the long drop pass drops in front of Ahenkorah, who beats the defense for the angled, difficult shot our Dutchman does so well. 1-0

14 - I thought I put Mastouras in at DR, but I guess not. Works out okay here, as Richardson chases down a clearance and crosses far post right in the perfect spot for Theobald to sink a sitter. 2-0

26 - Tarman throws in to Theobald for the short pass to Greening in the box, and a cross-box ground pass sees Joao sinking his first ever goal for us. Why can't we play like this in league? 3-0

38 - Goal kick finds Joao for a header, then a strip away and running past everyone until a short feed forward to Theobald for the easy 1 on 1 continues the onslaught. 4-0

England in for Thorne at half.

57 - Hamilton-Forbes with the retrieval of a clearance and long-ball down the flank to Greening, the grey guy's centering connecting with Theobald's heels for the sliding hat-trick goal! 5-0

61 - With the match well in hand, Cain is going to make his first official appearance since injury, replacing Greening.

They have a few chances to spoil the shutout late in the game, but don't make any.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/cupblowout_zpsbulwfdks.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/cupblowout_zpsbulwfdks.jpg.html)

This is what complete dominance looks like, y'all.

Transfer In - MC/MR/AMC/AMR Peggy Lokando (26) (Congolese)
You know me and my love of international players. Older than what I'm trying to build here, but he allows us to be even stronger at MR and shift Orlando Joao to a flexible reserve able to spell either him or Alfie Cain. Exceptionally fit (18) with technique (12) unparalleled for this level.

We lost $498 last month, our biggest deficit of the year. Not being able to put butts in the seats is a thing.

Loan In - ST Andrew Folan (21) (From Cheshunt)
Here's our third striker, on loan for the rest of the season. Incredible potential, but right now, he'll be a backup despite 10 Dribbling, 10 Finishing, and 10 Heading.

vs Fairwarp (7th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/Edd Richardson/Keelan Mastouras
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

52 - Lokando moves inside to replace yellow carded Hamilton-Forbes and Joao slots in at MR. [b]Folan[/b pops in at ST for Theobald and switches spots with Ahenkorah

We just can't get anything going all game, and with that tie, we officially hit the drop zone.

[bbgunn]

Are you still recruiting a bunch of tall guys?

[Izulde]

Are you still recruiting a bunch of tall guys?

Not specifically, no. Just bringing guys in from higher level clubs.

@ Newick (Malins Challenge Cup Second Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/Edd Richardson/Keelan Mastouras
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

5 - Theobald passes to Lokando in the box, and the shot is true, but the woodwork denies the ball. It's sitting on the line and a defender quickly gets there and short kicks it out, but it's so short that Theobald is able to walk up to the ball and just tap it in. 1-0

51 - With Tarman so tired, Cain comes in as an AML and Folan will see his first action, spelling the silent Ahenkorah.

62 - We got lucky there, as a goal is disallowed due to offsides. Theobald did a poor job of keeping possession after a takeaway.

The final twenty minutes was two tired teams slogging away at each other. The opposing keeper was exceptional and PotM with a 7.6 - we should have won by more than this. Our end - 7.5 for Stephan Hamilton-Forbes, 7.2 for Lewis Soraf, 7.1s for Alex Theobald and Edd Richardson, and a very underrated 7.0 by Harry Seal, who bailed us out time and time again in the highlights.

Transfer In - GK Matt Bonnett (18) From Enfield
Scrub keeper compared to the rest of the squad (1 silver star/2 gold), but still capable of playing at a far higher level than this. Hoping his poor cap will be enough that other teams won't seek to poach him in the offseason.

Transfer In - GK Dan Hutchins (18) From Lewes
Exciting potential on this hot prospect, and my scouts actually think he's the best keeper right now. Has some worrying physical weaknesses, however, so he'll come off the bench for now. Fraser Meldrum's well-rounded physical attributes have been amazing to watch, and I prioritize those in looking at keepers after seeing that.

Transfer In - DR Kashif Siddiqui (29) (Pakistani)
Why am I bringing in a veteran? Let me count the ways: 1) He's immediately the best player on the whole team, regardless of position. 2) Keelan Mastouras stunk last game. 3) Mr. Siddiqui is currently playing for the Pakistani national team. 4) Isthmian Premier League level talent. And if he sticks around next year, he'll be our team captain.

Transfer In - ST Nico Thongvivat (19)
Excellent physical attributes and some nice technical attributes. The long and short - he blows away every other striker on our squad and will replace Dutchman Edwin Ahenkorah in the lineup.

@ Bolney Rovers (2nd)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/Edd Richardson/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

Can we finally break our endless losing streak here?

9 - Nope. Siddiqui got a yellow in the first two minutes of the game, too. 0-1

17 - Thongvivant is getting pressured, so he kicks it back to Hamilton-Forbes. Forward we go, and Soraf's leaping header knocks the ball into the box for Thongvivant to slam a forceful debut goal that's the most powerful shot I've seen this year. 1-1

30 - Lots of passing in this sequence, with Hamilton-Forbes directing a lot of the traffic. Finally, triple-pressured Lokando wings back to Siddiqui for the booming long ball to the touchline. Lokando's there first, and his fiery short-post hit to Theobald results in a falling down kick-in goal. 2-1

36 - Hamilton-Forbes and Soraf keep swapping the ball until the former gets it to Theobald. Even further left to Tarman, who cracks a highball right into the open space where a completely unmarked Thongvivant strikes his second flairtastic goal. 3-1

55 - Mastouras for Siddiqui; Ahenkorah for Thongvivant for yellow card and tired reasons.

72 - About 5000x we could have added to our lead, but just kept getting unlucky with the goal conspiring against us. Later in the game, Joao feeds it to Theobald, who's immediately pressured. The safety to valve to Tarman and a high, perfectly placed far-post cross despite three defenders clinging to him, has Ahenkorah getting Dutch revenge and a reserve goal, despite our Defensive stance. 4-1

84 - Lokando longball to Ahenkorah. Dribble and far post cross to beating everyone Theobald. Simple, sweet, easy goal. 5-1

Just three players had below a 7.5 on the night and we had 3 with 9.0 or higher - Flynn Tarman, Peggy Lokando, and Alex Theobald - the latter's 9.2 good for PotM.

This is the kind of statement win we needed to put faith in ourselves. We climb out of the drop, with a 2 point safety net, and hopefully we can use this to turn things around the rest of the season.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - DC James Sage (21)
Fantastic at tackling and marking (11), but awful technically everywhere else. Great bravery, decision making, etc. Easily our top central defender and will go in the starting lineup posthaste. ID1S level.

vs Fletching (Mid Sussex Junior Cup 2nd Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

10 - Awfully late offsides call on the goal by Theobald there.

18 - Rare missed tackle by Seal is a giveaway. 0-1

37 - Tarman side pass to Cain and center to Hook over 30 yards out. Lewis H. sees a sightline and cracks the long shot that sings home! The announcers fall all over themselves praising the goal, and rightfully so. 1-1

Although he can't play there, Mastouras replaces Seal at DC.

49 - He was pissed when I chewed out the defense at half, but Tarman cracks a bomb all the way down the pitch to Theobald down in the box. The striker holds up play until he can kick back-center to Thongvivant for the go-ahead goal. The kid dabs in celebration, and I'm grinning. 2-1

59 - Yellow for Cain, so in goes Joao.

No surprise that Lewis Hook's got an 8.6 and PotM. Stephan Hamilton-Forbes records a 7.5, and it's 7.2 each for our starting strikers as we overcome a shit game by the defenders.

vs Newick (2nd)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

23 - Two gorgeous plays, and nothing to show for it early in the match. Then Hamilton-Forbes, who is fast becoming my favorite player on the team, steals the ball and launches a long pass to Thongvivant for the sweet mid-range strike! 1-0

35 - Thongvivant is in the far right corner of the box near the touchline, and upon harassment, sends it back to Lokando. Our Congolese winger sends a sneaky behind the back ground cross pass to Cain, and the keeper is nowhere near in position to stop the easy goal. 2-0

58 - Soraf for Hook; Mastouras for Siddiqui

81 - Devastating injury as Thongvivant is knocked out of the game!!! :( Ahenkorah hops in, and I'm swearing because we have no Physio, because no one wants the job.

8.3 for Alfie Cain and Nico Thongvivant, the former earning PotM. Ever-reliable Stephan Hamilton-Forbes nets a 7.9, and we polevault from 8th to 5th and now find ourselves within striking distance of 2nd - 2 points back. There's a chance for us to walk out with a Year 1 promotion after all, despite the fact that we keep losing money.

Nico Thongvivant is out 5-7 weeks. Not good, not good at all. He really sparked us since arriving, and I'm not at all enthusiastic about missing him.

[Izulde]

vs Jarvis Brook III (Mid Sussex Junior Cup Third Round)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

9 - Ahenkorah and Lokando with the pass exchanges, the Dutchman's in-box shot falling in thanks to an assist from the post. 1-0

49 - A clean, easy lay-ahead into the box for Theobald by Hamilton-Forbes, and the early insurance is there. 2-0

55 - Soraf for Hamilton-Forbes; Mastouras for Sage due to tiredness. Really need to start training Mastouras as a DC.

77 - Beautiful tackle-strip by Hook to get the ball, then the pass to Ahenkorah and out to Siddiqui, who blasts one downfield for Lokando to nab and center. Theobald has a half-step on the defense for his second goal of the half. 3-0

A victory as dominating as the scoreline. 7.5+ guys: Alex Theobald PotM with 8.8, a 7.7 for Alfie Cain, 7.8 for Peggy Lokando, 8.2 for Lewis Hook, 7.6 for Flynn Tarman, and 7.5 by Kashif Siddiqui.

vs Fletching (10th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Keelan Mastouras
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Andrew Folan

Yep, this is the fourth time we've played these guys this season, emerging with a win in all three contests. I smell a trap game. We have a short rest turnaround, so I'm getting a few backup guys starts here.

58 - Total ass by our defense there. Richardson at DR; Ahenkorah for Folan. Ugh. 0-1

84 - Richardson cracks one down to Ahenkorah for the bouncing header into the box. Theobald's first to the ball, and a few dribbles and a shot, and we've the late equalizer. 1-1

Halfway through the season, we're in 7th - 5 points out of the drop, 4 points away from one of the promotion places. We definitely have the talent to promote. Heybridge Swifts fire their manager, and I'm listed as the odds-on favorite to get the job. Not planning on moving, however.

[Izulde]

@ Lindfield IV (Malins Challenge Cup Quarterfinal)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Keelan Mastouras
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Orlando Joao
S: Alex Theobald/Andrew Folan

Short rest ahead again after this got pushed back, and the league is more important. We made a profit of $180 last month, but are still well in the red for the season.

2 - Nice move by Cain to get the ball deep in our half. The sequence caps with Seal jackhammering to Folan in the box. Two dribbles and the angled shot gives our loaned striker his first goal of the year. 1-0

Mastouras's late first yellow nearly costs us, and he's had a shit game anyway, so Richardson steps in for him at half.

58 - Hook swaps for Soraf in an exchange of Lewises.

69 - Sage runs down an errant corner kick and long crosses to Folan to restart the attack. It ends with Folan sending back to Hook for the forward feed and open strike from Joao. They cry offsides despite 3 defenders in front of him. Uh, okay. 2-0

74 - Tarman takes the ball away on our touchline, saving a certain goal. His ensuing longball to Theobald draws a double yellow on the opponents. The game is now ours.

84 - Tarman again with a takeaway, and he ends up the midpoint between a Cain-Tarman-Folan connect the dots goal! 3-0

Obviously 8.8 and PotM for Andrew Folan, but let's give proper shoutout to 8.0s Flynn Tarman and Orlando Joao.

Transfer In - DL/ML Malachi Robinson (20)
Strong tackler with exceptional physical attributes in most categories bar Stamina. Can also be an emergency DR/MR. With this, we may switch to a traditional 4-4-2.

It turns out we had a long break, so I didn't need to use that lineup after all. Oops. Our staff has been raided lately. My back's spasming again, so I'm going to take a break and try to gently stretch it.

[Izulde]

@ Willingdon Athletic III (5th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

45 - Ping-ponging possession before Crain cracks a crater all the way down for Thongvivat to race and dribble in. Seconds before halftime, our teenage hero gives us the lead! 1-0

55 - Soraf for Hook, and Tarman gets a break for the first time in a long time, sitting for Robinson as we switch to a flat 4-4-2.

It's the kind of game where Nico Thongvivant's 8.3 (PotM), Stephan Hamilton-Forbes' 7.4, and Alfie Cain's 7.0 are the highlights.

@ Roffey III (10th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/Edd Richardson/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Lewis Soraf/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

Playing on short rest here, as a couple of postponed games and all our Cup play has us squeezing in these close together. It makes up our last game in hand, and it's a victory I really, really want to get.

4 - Theobald lays it forward on the wing for Tarman, whose cross ends up an actual shot. In the rain, the keeper's hands fumble the ball, and Ahenkorah is first to the punch for the short score. 1-0

Sloppy, sloppy game in the mud. At half, Lokando moves in to replace Hook, who played badly in the first half. Joao at MR, and Folan replaces ineffective Theobald, too.

64 - Joao is forced out with injury, necessitating Robinson as an awkward, emergency MR.

76 - I've been thinking all game it's surprising there's been no PKs awarded yet this season in our games. Sure enough, here it comes... and it's on them! Lokando steps up, the Congolese midfielder faking out the keeper. We can rest easy now. 2-0

Our entire backline, including Fraser Meldrum in the net, had 7.0 or better in this one, highlighted by PotM Harry Seal's 7.7, a 7.6 by Flynn Talman, and 7.5 by Kashif Siddiqui. In fact, while no true super-duper dudes, the whole starting lineup that played all game had 7.0 or higher, with Edwin Ahenkorah representing up front on his 7.5.

Biggest reason I'm excited about this win? We're officially 2nd on goal differential. The bad news: We lose Orlando Joao for a month with an ankle injury. But at least we have Malachi Robinson as a serviceable cover.

[Izulde]

@ Hartfield (Malins Challenge Cup Semi-Final
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

10 - Superlative sliding tackle by Tarman, and he passes it to Cain. The long cross-court pass falls in the path of Thongvivat just outside the box, and the pop feed to Theobald inside nets a goal for our team captain. 1-0

39 - Meldrum's goal kick hits Thongvivant, and he's immediately pressured, so he outlets wing to Cain, who dribbles and far post crosses. Right there is Lokando for our Congolese winger's second goal of the season. 2-0

56 - Lokando, Siddiqui, and Hook keep trading passes in a holding pattern triangle, until the Congolese lays it into the box for by Thongvivant's sure strike. Robinson for Tarman after the score means a flat 4-4-2. 3-0

Dominant outing, as every starter was 7 or better. The 8+ guys are Peggy Lokando (PotM and 9.1), Alfie Cain (8.1), and Nico Thongvivat (9.0). We've booked our finals trip.

A nice note appears in the media the next day:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/greatdefense_zpsojivqrfg.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/greatdefense_zpsojivqrfg.jpg.html)

Ironic, given our backline play to start the year. But that was down to tactics - a three DC setup was terrible. Two DCs and a DR has been brilliant, with intermittent switches to the 4-4-2 flat.

You can also see the root of our financial woes. As an amateur team, we should be making money hand over fist. But we continue to bleed cash because no one is coming to the games, even with our brilliant football. I had better attendance with Keymer & Hassocks.

[b]vs Forest Row II (6th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

33 - We're forced back and back until Hamilton-Forbes outlets to Cain for the push forward to Tarman. Far post cross, and a driving Lokando delivers the goal. 1-0

Soraf replaces yellow-carded Hamilton-Forbes at half.

53 - [b]Hook[/b short-passes to Theobald in the face of three defenders. First touch feed to Thongvivat and the shot is pushed away by the keeper. No worries, as Thongvivat shoots in the rebound. 2-0

58 - Lokando moves inside to replace Hook, Robinson coming off the bench at MR.

75 - Soraf sends it to Tarman for the left-side dribble and perfect pass into the six-yard box between two defenders for Thongvivant to score again. 3-0

We played on short rest and still got 8.1 from Khalif Siddiqui, 8.7 from Flynn Tarman, 7.7 from Peggy Lokando, and a PotM 8.8 by Nico Thongvivat.

vs Ditchling II (4th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Malachi Robinson/Harry Seal/James Sage/Keelan Mastouras
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Edwin Ahenkorah

Our second straight game on short rest neccessitates some lineup changes in what is our biggest match of the year. Not good. Particularly since they beat us earlier in the year.

31 - Sigh. PK. 0-1

Folan and Parrott replace Theobald and Sage at half, and I scream at the team because they're playing like ass.

63 - Double yellow for Seal.

66 - We're done. 0-2

83 - Ahenkorah is knocked out with injury. We switch to a 4-4-1, with Mastouras moving to DC and Siddiqui in at DR.

88 - Soraf receives the full pitch lateral from Cain and passes to Lokando in the box. Dribble, dribble, and the angled shot gives us a faint, faint hope. 1-2

We get a few chances, but can't do it. Honestly, we were set up to fail. The fucking ref called like 6 yellow cards on us and 0 on our opponents, so I can't be too harsh on how the boys stepped up in the second half.

That drops us to 4th, and Edwin Ahenkorah is out 5-6 weeks with a back injury.

[Young Drachma]

Impressed at your discipline. Low level league refs are the worst.

[Izulde]

Impressed at your discipline. Low level league refs are the worst.

Yeah it was just one of those weird fluke games. Usually we get like one yellow per game. Damn low level ref. Oh well, it's all good. Still five games to go, and we're only 1 point + 1 G.D. back of 2nd.

@ AFC Uckfield U21s (Mid Sussex Junior Cup Quarterfinal)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Malachi Robinson/Edd Richardson/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

16 - Ugh. PK.0-1

17 - Robinson steals the ball to start a move and is on the tail end of a long, high wing pass down the flank from Hook. He centers to Thongvivat for the powerful header goal and immediate answer. 1-1

Mastouras fills in for Siddiqui at half, as our Pakistani national is having a shit game.

59 - Lokando heads on the goal kick from Meldrum. The ball bounces into space and rolls into the box. Thongvivat beats everyone to the punch and spears in the fierce diagonal! Soraf slots in for Hamilton-Forbes, who picked up an early yellow. 2-1

Nico Thongvivat's 8.8 and PotM carried this team on his back. Props also to Peggy Lokando for a 7.5, Lewis Hook with a 7.4, and Malachi Robinson's 7.2.

@ Ridgewood (6th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Soraf/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

10 - Long throw-in by Tarman to Soraf's head for the topper to Thongvivant, who also uses his dome to knock in the first goal of the game. 1-0

16 - Tarman with another long throw-in. This one finds Theobald's feet, and the ensuing center into the box watches Thongvivat's awkward high kick shot hit the nets. 2-0

66 - Thongvivant chases down a clearance and sends it back to Lokando. Long, far post diagonal cross into space, and thundering Theobald thrusts the power strike home. 3-0

No subs, because every single starter grabbed a 7.0 or higher. Flawless execution in a game we really need. 7.5+ highlights: Peggy Lokando (8.5), Alfie Cain (7.6), PotM again Nico Thongvivat 8.8, and a 7.9 from Alex Theobald.

We temporarily move into 2nd place, as the 4th place squad has a game in hand on us, and would move back up to 2nd with a win in their makeup match. Also, we all but mathematically clinch staying up with four games left in the league season - quite a startling contrast from early in the year, where relegation looked like a real possibility.

@ Ditchling II (Sommerville Challenge Cup Quarterfinal)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Harry Seal/Edd Richarson/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Mickey Greening/Bradley Della Verde/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
AML: Orlando Joao
S: Andrew Folan

This team has given us fits all year, and we've once again got them on a back end of three straight matches close together. Since this is a Cup game, and all those tiredness issues have cropped up, we're going with a backup-heavy lineup and an Asymmetrical 4-4-2 ST (CL) to try and take them off guard.

8 - Knee injury to Folan. He'll play out the half, however.

Theobald replaces Folan at the break.

62 - Hamilton-Forbes in for exhausted Hook.

66 - Now that's just nifty. Theobald gets the ball about midfield, and a series of short passes goes like this: to Hamilton-Forbes, out to Lokando, back to Siddiqui. Our Palestinian national hoofs one all the way down the pitch to Theobald, who kicks the ball up to his knee, pops it up to his head, and bounces a header right over the keeper for the goal! 1-0

Not the prettiest win - Bradley Della Verde picks up PotM with 7.3, but nobody had an awful game, and we finally beat the bugbear that's been gnawing at us all year long.

The very day after he gets the start, Bradley Della Verde whines about lack of PT. Dude, you were a grey player who is lucky to get the PT he has. STFU.

On the good news front, we made a profit of $104, and the board is all "Long may it last." about my reign. The 4th place team who could have jumped us also suffered a shocking 0-2 home loss to the worst squad in the league.

Stephan Hamilton-Forbes, who is one of my favorite players, is picked out for praise by the coaching staff, and he has Vanarama North/South potential now. Whether I stay at this ill-supported club or move on, he's going to be a primary transfer target.

I've been misspelling Brady Della Verde's name all season long, which is probably part of the reason why he's so pissy. Looking at him, I can see why he's mad we've given preference to Lewis Soraf. But then, he strains his calf in the Youth Candidates game and is out 4 weeks. Oops.

Youth Intake
They lose 0-1 to the U-18 squad. We sign the following players:

MC Danny Beale (16)
Good all-around physical attributes and 11 Passing, to say nothing of his elite potential and ready now playing ability make him an obvious choice. Will step in as our new backup MC. Can also play AMC if need be.

AML/AMC/AMR Jamie Edwards (16)
A natural at all three attacking midfield spots and can play MC. My staff isn't high on his potential, but 15 Determination, 18 Teamwork, 14 Work Rate will get you a shot in our program every time.

GK Aaron Allen (16) (American)
Needs to get his stamina and strength up, but otherwise world-class physical attributes for this level, and you know how much I value that. Staff hates his potential, but I think he's better than they think. He was born in West Hartford, CT, and was trained in the US. How he got here, I have no idea. Guess I'll contact Marc to find out.

AMC/ST Simon Shenton (16)
17 Determination, 13 Flair, and stellar physical attributes bar strength, stamina, and jumping. Loyal AF, and a natural DF, which is a position we feature in all three of our tactical setups.

Harry Seal strains his groin in practice and will miss 3-4 weeks.

@ Fairwarp (8th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Edd Richardson/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

Lengthy press conference leading up to this one, because a win mathematically clinches our staying up. We also have a shit ton of injuries right now, particularly at the striker spots, which is putting Simon Shenton in the subs for this one. Edwin Ahenkorah will be back next game, however.

11 - Meldrum is in danger of losing his starting spot after that hot mess. 0-1

16 - Thongvivat is crowded by defenders, so he heads it back to Hook and frees himself for the return pass. A dribble to fake out the keeper, and there's the tie. 1-1

33 - Theobald receives a pass into the box from Hamilton-Forbes, but he's forced back to the touchline by a defender, who promptly tackles him from behind. That should have been the dude's second yellow, but we'll take the PK and Lokando's easy conversion. 2-1

Mastouras replaces the shit Sage at half.

54 - Finally the double yellow for their dude.

60 - You've got to be fucking kidding me. Meldrum is so benched next game. 2-2

69 - Tarman out for Robinson and a 4-4-2 flat.

80 - Hamilton-Forbes intercepts a pass and gets it out to Cain, who holds up while Robinson runs forward on the left flank. Then our multi-purpose reserve takes the ensuing pass and near post crosses to Thongvivat, the left-footed kick catching the keeper by surprise, as he was trailing right to anticipate another angle. 3-2

92 - Cain passes forward to Robinson, who dribbles down the left flank and center crosses to Theobald's head for the last second victory-clinching goal! 4-2

Our defense played like absolute trash all game. Only Khasif Siddiqui came back from a 6.1 to a 6.9 finish once we dropped to the 4-4-2 flat and went defensive after our go-ahead goal. Alex Theobald's 8.8 won PotM, but b]Lewis Hook[/b] was a defensive hero at 8.7, covering up for a lot of backline mistakes. 8.1 for Nico Thongvivat and a masterful 7.4 reserve performance for Malachi Robinson. Incidentally, Fraser Meldrum finished with a 7.0, but may still get benched next time out.

Three games to go, and we're first on goal differential. 3 point cushion on 4th, but 3rd is just 2 points back. It's going to be an exciting race to the finish.

[Izulde]

@ Peacehaven United II (Sommerville Challenge Cup Semi-Final)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Edd Richardson/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

7 - Stylish move capping in Hamilton-Forbes passing to Hook for the threaded needle between two defenders. In space is Theobald, who scores easily. 1-0

23 - Hamilton-Forbes has been everywhere so far, and on this one, he hits the corner kick to Richardson for the left-footed shot. The keeper's off in the middle and doesn't catch the sneak kick until far too late. 2-0

26 - They've given up all pretense of challenging our guys, leading to leisurely dribbling strolls down the pitch by our players. The last saunter is Theobald down the left flank, center cross to Thongvivant for the score. 3-0

38 - Hook longballs to Theobald, and the first touch feed connects with Thongvivat for the distance strike just inside the box. 4-0

54 - With three defenders on him, Theobald lays off to Hook, and the distance shot goes home! As great as our team captain has been, he's also on a yellow and damn near got his second, so I'll pull him for Ahenkorah. Just to be safe. 5-0

70 - Good time to get youth pull Beale his debut, and he comes on for Hook at the latter's request.

73 - Tarman takes a pass, draws the defense, and outlets to Cain. Cross into the box, and Thongvivat has a step on the defense for the angled dribbling away shot. HAT TRICK TIME! 6-0

74 - I'm going to put this Siddiqui own goal down to Hutchins being an inattentive ass. 6-1

86 - Thongvivat drop shots a free kick into the box. Ahenkorah is there first and angles the score behind the back of the keeper. Good first goal since layoff by one of our Dutch players. 7-1

How dominant were we? Every starter other than Dan Hutchins (7.2) had at least an 8.2! Player of the Match is of course the 9.7 Nico Thongvivat with Edd Richardson's 9.2 and Stephan Hamilton-Forbes' 9.1 the other 9+. A 7.0 off the bench for Edwin Ahenkorah as well.

Naturally that game smashes all sorts of records that may take a long time before being broken. And of course, Edwin Ahenkorah gets hurt in a reserves game and will miss another 3-4 weeks.

vs Bolney Rovers (5th)
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Malachi Robinson/Edd Richardson/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook
AM: Peggy Lokando/Jamie Edwards
S: Alex Theobald

We play these guys on back-to-back games and it's another three consecutive games of short-play. So we'll see if we can't surprise them with a 4-3-2-1 Asymmetrical ST (CL) formation.

26 - Siddiqui throws in to Edwards, our youth pull sending a pass to Theobald. He dribbles just inside the box, abruptly stops to throw off the defense, and cracks a beautiful speculative shot between two defenders, a diagonal ray that hits the upper left corner of the net! Cartwheel worthy, indeed. 1-0

28 - Edwards with the runback for the ball and long shot to Hook. He jukes past the defender, dribbles all the way to the touchline and crosses far post where nobody is there. Theobald blazes in to blast his second goal of the game. 2-0

35 - Fucking fluke goal. 2-1

41 - ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! TWO FUCKING FLUKE GOALS?! 2-2

43 - ARE YOU.FUCKINJDFKJSKJSDJFKJKDFJASDLALFJASFA 2-3

54 - Hutchins in Meldrum; Mastouras for Siddiqui. I don't care about the confidence hit - Meldrum has been ass the last few games he's played.

63 - Robinson throws in to Cain, and the cross finds completely unmarked Edwards for the heroic debut goal. 3-3

Goal differential will be enough to keep us in at least second, but holy shit, did we fucking waste some great performances with our assfuckery in the backline.

@ Bolney Rovers (Mid Sussex Junior Challenge Cup Semi-Final)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Edd Richardson/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Orlando Joao/Lewis Soraf/Danny Beale/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

9 - Tarman head-takes the ball, nodding it on to Theobald for the send to Thongvivat. He dribbles all the way into the box, but rather than cross to Theobald, he sends it further to Joao. Our Dutch winger kicks back to Soraf for the high far post counter cross to Thongvivat, a fierce header a nice bit of revenge for last game. 1-0

15 - Siddiqui throws in to Thongvivat, and upon getting the ball back, hits a ray of a cross. Joao has the defense beat by a half-step, and that's good enough to continue pouring on the fury. 2-0

54 - Edwards for Soraf after a yellow - Parrott for Richardson.

55 - Tarman gave away possession cheaply there. 2-1

64 - Tarman tracks down a ball and short laterals to Joao. A boomer sees Theobald get it near the touchline, holding up play to draw the defense on to him. With the opening, near post cross and Thongvivant powers in the insurance header! 3-1

88 - Everyone just kind of stood around there. 3-2

Sure, we won, but it felt like we were lucky to do so. 8.8 for PotM Nico Thongvivat, with Orlando Joao right behind at 8.7. We haven't played well this last couple games.

Huge break as Newick inexplicably draws the worst team at home, 2-2, and the team that should have tied us on goal differential lost to the hated Ditchling II, who are now in 3rd, a single point back of the promotion spots.

Two games left - the absolute worst we can finish is 5th. And literally our biggest match of the year is the very next one. It could very well determine whether we go up or stick around here for another season.

[bbgunn]

Good run here!

[Izulde]

Good run here!

Thanks. :) My natural paranoia fears a late-season swoon that costs us promotion and trophy money, though. We'll see what happens, however.

@ Newick (2nd)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Harry Seal/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

Simple math, here. Win and we all but mathematically punch our ticket to promotion. Draw, and it comes down to the last game. Lose and we need some help to go up. We lost $110 last month, BTW, so in order to turn a profit for the season, we need to win at least one of our three cup games.

40 - What the shit kind of pass out of goal was that, Hutchins?! Fortunately, he makes a superhuman save to cover for his gaffe.

We're playing like trash all the first half, and really should be losing at this point.

49 - Folan subs in for Thongvivat, who is picking the worst time to have his only bad game as a Rhino.

73 - Mastouras on for Sage. I notice Ditchling II is down by 1 at home.

75 - "Andrew Folan would look out of place on a rugby pitch right now!" Well, shit. Kid is pressing too hard, trying to play hero ball.

81 - Willingdon Athletic III is also down by 1, albeit on the road. We're getting that help we need. Now if we can just take advantage.

83 Down 1-2 is Ditchling II.

And we can't break through. Our midfield did everything possible to get us this one, and it was all for naught. Well, maybe not totally...

Ditchling II... Loss!
Willingdon Athletic III... Loss!

It couldn't have gone any better. Willingdon Athletic III is officially out, and Ditchling II is now 2 points back with a pedestrian +5 GD to our +14 and Newick's +11. All we have to do is draw our last game, and we're in.

Roffey III officially drops. Bye, Felicia Pt. 1

It may only be April, but we've already made a huge splash signing for June that we'll talk about when the time comes.

@ AFC Haywards II (Sommerville Challenge Cup Final)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Harry Seal/Colm Parrott/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

The first of three trophy finals. A note about Colm Parrott - he's busted his ass in training all year long, and despite an initial complaint, been patient while he's bided his time. With James Sage producing very uneven performances lately, the bird with the extra T gets his turn.

2 - Putrid defending by Siddiqui there. 0-1

5 - *And* a yellow?! Off goes Siddiqui for Mastouras, the quickest non-injury sub ever.

7 - Defense forcing Hook back? No problem - pretty backheel pass into space, and Theobald excels at beating keepers 1 v 1. 1-1

11 - Cain's corner seeks Seal's cranium, and the crashing header gives him his first ever goal as a Rhino! You're a scorer, Harry! 2-1

16 - Lots of passing in this buildup, the last of it Theobald shorting it back to Tarman. The return pass into the box has Theobald completely unmarked and shooting from almost the exact same angle as his first goal. Talk about a fast reversal of a shit start. 3-1

33 - Hamilton-Forbes intercepts the ball in our box and rockets it all the way down the pitch to Thongvivat. A high, high lateral finds Cain for the flank feed to Tarman. Far post cross, and Lokando has everyone beat by a wide mile to knock in another score. 4-1

47 - Hook wings out to Cain, who drives past the defense and centers to Thongvivat for the easy opening second-half goal. We can punch this one as a guaranteed trophy, y'all. 5-1

69 - Tarman wants a break, so flat 4-4-2 and Robinson we go.

70 - Robinson throws into Hook, and the bouncing long ball lets a completely alone Theobald race untouched for a fiery hat-trick strike! 6-1

Dan Hutchins 7.1 and Khalif Siddiqui a no-rating. Everyone else bar Robinson? 8.1 or higher. The 9+ guys: Peggy Lokando 9.1; Lewis Hook 9.2; PotM Alex Theobald 9.6. And talk about a masterful reserve performance - Keelan Mastouras nailed an 8.9!

Alex Theobald led the Sommerville Challenge Cup in scoring with 6 goals, and Alfie Cain topped the tournament's assists chart with 3. We get $750 for winning, which puts our bank account in the black for the first time this year. A whopping 68 people showed up to watch the Final - easily our biggest crowd of the season.

vs Roffey III (10th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Harry Seal/Colm Parrott/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

Ditchling II won promotion after winning their final match and Newick getting upset by Fletching 1-3. So unless we lose by uh... 6 goals, we're going up, too. A tie or win gives us the title over our archrivals. I've played down the importance of this match, and with a home game against an already relegated team, I'm just going to tell the players to relax and enjoy themselves.

8 - We spend several minutes having to pass, pass, pass because they're putting up a huge wall on defense. Finally, Hamilton-Forbes locates Hook for a box pass into space. Theobald wins the race, and our team captain scores yet another goal. 1-0

18 - Hook's being shadowed, so he wings to Tarman for the far post cross. Thongvivant rises above everyone and heads it in. 2-0

43 - Hamilton-Forbes gives it to Theobald, and a nagging defender nearly steals it, but our captain's able to lay off to Thongvivant, whose strike from just outside the half-circle belts its way home! 3-0

58 - We're all feeling lazy right now - hence this goal. Mastouras for Parrott; Della Verde for Hook. Hope we don't blow this. Guys were looking awfully complacent at half. 3-1

7.8 for Flynn Tarman, 8.9 for PotM Nico Thongvivat, and 8.3 for Alex Theobald. We definitely slacked off in the second half, but even the announcers said this game was over at halftime.

And we officially win Division Six!!! The double is in the bag, and now we have to see if we can garner any more trophies to cap off what has been a dream season - all the more so, because at one point this year, we were in the drop zone.

I'm gonna be honest - although I'm used to steam-rolling in amateur leagues, this one has been pretty damn special for the fightback the team showed, and the tactical adjustments I had to make - talent alone wasn't enough to get this far.

[Izulde]

@ Roffey III (Malins Challenge Cup Final)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Harry Seal/Colm Parrott/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

Lot of people complaining about playing time before this one - always a function of being a successful squad. So with our opponents already relegated and having been beaten by us last game, this is their Super Bowl.

11 - Crossbar saved us there. Should have been a goal for them.

18 - We've been not fantastic the first few minutes, but Hamilton-Forbes connects with Seal on the corner for the header goal, the opposing keeper way to the left and leaving the rest of the net wide open. 1-0

48 - I chewed out our strikers at halftime, but the real story in this one is Parrott continuing his late season form by charging down an interception at midfield and blasting an aerial pass into the box. Thongvivat pops the header -just- over the outstretched arms of the goalie, and it rolls in. 2-0

51 - Ahenkorah replaces Theobald.

71 - Mastouras comes in for tired Parrott

8.1 and PotM for Harry Seal; 7.6 for Lewis Hook; 8.0 for Stephan Hamilton-Forbes, and 7.5 for Nico Thongvivat. A crisp, solid victory to hit the treble. That's another $750 in the bank account.

vs Ridgewood (Mid Sussex Junior Cup Final)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Harry Seal/Colm Parrott/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Stephan Hamilton-Forbes/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Alex Theobald/Nico Thongvivat

This is the toughest Cup final yet in terms of opponent quality and pressure, as the... whatever the four word is, is extraordinarily difficult to achieve. But it's our last match of the season, so all we can do is put everything out there and hope for the best.

23 - Beautiful driving interception by Tarman preludes a fantastic longball just inside the left-hand side of the box for Theobald. Despite repeated shanks and missed easy shots, our team captain crosses here to the six-yard box, where Thongvivant short-kicks with no problem. 1-0

At halftime, Mastouras replaces Seal, who had a bad first 45 and is stressed when I tell the guys not to get complacent, and Robinson slots in for yellow carded Tarman to drop to a flat 4-4-2.

59 - They've spent all their subs already, so we go ahead and take out yellow carded Hook (bullshit card for arguing for a penalty). Della Verde slots in at BWM and Hamilton-Forbes shifts to the support CM role.

68 - And of course Siddiqui gets injured. Fortunately, it's a playable knock, so he'll keep right on going.

85 - That double yellow after Lokando gets hit from behind should just about do it!

And it does! Most full starters are clustered around 7, with Peggy Lokando's 7.2 the high mark for us. Their keeper looked like he was playing the game of his life out there, and he was, putting on a masterful 9.0 in winning PotM. The rest of his team? Not great.

We've pulled off the quadruple!!!!!!!!!

Season review to come later. I just want to savor this magical campaign a bit before the summer raids ruin everything I've built this year.

[Izulde]

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/Y1gkdef_zpsonodwmgu.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/Y1gkdef_zpsonodwmgu.jpg.html)

We were plagued with a degree of inconsistency on the backline, with every single defender having at least one horror of a game. That said, Dan Seal was definitely top shelf, and Colm Parrott established himself as a rising force at the end of the year. No question Dan Hutchins cemented himself as the far superior goalie.

Missing from this list - Flynn Tarman, who was 2nd on the team with 29 appearances (28 starts) and a 7.41 average rating. There's not much chance that Malachi Robinson replaces him with a permanent switch to a flat 4-4-2, provided Tarman stays.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/Y1MF_zpsbmshtnzr.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/Y1MF_zpsbmshtnzr.jpg.html)

No question midfield and striker were the great strengths of the squad, with Nico Thongvivat precisely the absolute glittering star I predicted he would be as our Poacher. Although Stephan Hamilton-Forbes didn't have the highest average rating, he was our single most consistent midfielder and the second player I'd try to commit to a contract along with Thongvivat. Even our depth guys were amazing at the two position groups. I'm fully expecting to see us get absolutely decimated this summer - these players are way too talented to be slumming down this low.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/Y1awards_zps4rnfqtc2.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/Y1awards_zps4rnfqtc2.jpg.html)

Obvious near-sweep by Nico Thongvivat here. The only surprise for me is that Lewis Hook finished third in Fans Player of the Year voting. I genuinely thought it would be Peggy Lokando or Stephan Hamilton-Forbes as the midfielder finishing third. Thongvivat and Alex Theobald, our team captain who the fans absolutely adore, were the obvious #1 and #2.


Manager reputation: 5%
Team reputation: Obscure
Team value: $22K
Average ticket price: $8
Average season ticket price: $113
Season tickets sold: 5
Stadium: 1,000 seats, owned by Council (Clayton Green is the name)
Stadium condition: Good
Field condition: Terrible
Corporate facilities: Basic
Training facilities: Poor
Youth facilities: Basic
Junior coaching: Minimal
Youth recruitment: Limited
Favored Personnel: Nico Thongvivat, Izulde Jestor, Alex Theobald
Bank balance: $1,371
Season profit: $3.48k

Winning 3 trophies netted us $2,250, or almost the entirety of our profit, and definitely is what put us in the black in terms of money in the bank.

Our main uniform sponsor will stay at $2.1k for the next two seasons.

Transfer In - DC/DR Ricardo Viana (29) (Portuguese)
Strong physical attributes, with only Acceleration (6) less than 8. Solid all around mental and technical attributes, with a pleasing 12 Heading and Composure. Can also play DL if he has absolutely has to, and is an unquestioned starting DC next year, provided he sticks around. The downside: His English is only Basic, and we don't have the $15,500 to have him take a year-long intensive language class.

Burgess Hill Rhinos Favored Club
Nico Thongvivat (Player)
Danny Beale (Supporter)

Izulde Jestor Favored Personnel
Stephan Hamilton-Forbes

I love you too, Stephan Hamilton-Forbes. That's huge that our best player has us as a favored club. Hopefully that means he'll stay around.

Croatia wins the European Championship. Their manager quits the day after, his legacy secured.

Transfer In - ST Nyall Gray (18) (Welsh)
Our first real pic player, blessed with great mental attributes, including 14 Teamwork and 13 Work Rate, and an eye-popping 17 Natural Fitness. He replaces Edwin Ahenkorah as our third striker and gives us three high ceiling strikers all under 20 years old. Bright future is bright. He signed after our first friendly.

Summer Raids
Josh England - Non-Contract
Brady Della Verde - $8.5k
----
Alex Theobald - $12.5k
Edd Richardson - $7.5k
Stephan Hamilton-Forbes - $25k :( :( :( :( :(
Colm Parrott - $9k

The names below the --- are players who left following our friendly season. We didn't get hit nearly as bad as I feared we would, although I'm crushed my favorite player left. But it's awfully hard to turn down that kind of bank. Our central defense reserves are looking a little thin now that we lost three guys, including our top two, but we'll be okay.

I already found a replacement for Alex Theobald, and we have sufficient coverage for Stephan Hamilton-Forbes and Brady Della Verde leaving for now, though I'll still look to bolster our central midfield.

Division Five Title Odds
Stones: 1-10
Burgess Hill Rhinos: 5000-1
A bunch of other teams at 5000-1

Only the champions get to promote up. Kashif Siddiqui and Peggy Lokando are tentatively named captain and vice-captain to start the season. The board expects us to clean sweep everything again this year.

Friendlies
We destroy our first two opponents 4-0 and 4-1, then buy our own hype and shit the bed in a 1-2 loss before rebounding to a 4-2 win in the final game, where the reserves nearly blew a 3-0 lead before Edwin Ahenkorah's late insurance goal. Everyone except Fraser Meldrum and James Sage saw minutes just about every game in preseason.

Huge jump in season ticket sales from 5 to 24. That's exactly what I hoped would happen.

Transfer In - ST/MR/AMR Ellis Remy (32) (Montserratian - 4 caps)
Truth be told, Nyall Gray didn't look very good in preseason, so I brought in Remy, who has physical attributes like a boss, and some beautiful physical attributes. Yeah, okay, Limited Skill and all that, but so what? We'll probably change our Defensive Forward role to a Target Man spot now, and his ability to play on the right side means we may see more AMR formations this season. 3.5* as a striker. I set up a tutoring relationship between him and Gray. Initially he's reluctant to it, but then agrees. Keelan Masturous rejects a similar relationship with Kashif Siddiqui, even though the Pakistani international is willing to do it.

vs Bolney Rovers (Sommerville Challenge Cup First Round)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Dan Seal/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Mickey Greening/Peggy Lokando/Danny Beale/Orlando Joao
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

We got hit with a bunch of injuries in the last warmup game - a U-21 match - so we're having to run a really patchwork lineup in the midfield. I'm scared.

16 - Ugh. Lokando gets knocked, but it's playable, so he'll fight through.

17 - Seal pops it forward to Thongvivat in the box. He's surrounded by two defenders and decked. No call, but the ball squirts loose, and Remy is there to put away the debut goal!!! 1-0

36 - What the actual shitfuck?! Now Hutchins gets a knock injury. Ridiculous.

39 - Greening takes the pass on the wing from the midfield and dribbles a bit before crossing the pitch to Joao. The long diagonal just manages to hook at the last second into the net. Fuck you, injuries. Fuck you. 2-0

Edwards replaces Lokando at the half, but Hutchins is still fine.

55 - Knock for Thongvivat! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: But no injury indicator and we've a two goal lead, so play on, bright star.

68 - We switch to our usual 4-4-2 Asymmetrical, with Tarman in for Robinson naturally.

We survive Nico Thongvivat's worst game ever (6.4) on the back of PotM Orlando Joao's 8.4, the Dutchman really coming through. Former gray guy Mickey Greening puts up an 8.3, and just missing the usual benchmark is Ellis Remy with a 7.4 debut and his first goal in over 15 hours of soccer.

The spate of injuries ravaging the midfield continues, and I have to think about what our lineup is going to look like for our first league match.

[Izulde]

@ Wisdom Sports
G: Fraser Meldrum
D: Ricardo Viana/Dan Seal/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Mickey Greening/Jamie Edwards/Danny Beale/Orlando Joao
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

A real Scotch tape lineup here with two of our youth pulls starting at MC and literally zero of our midfield starters healthy enough to suit up as more than a reserve. This is going to be painful.

40 - To be expected. 0-1

I scream at the players at half.

55 - Gray for Thongvivat; Mastouras for Seal

80 - FFS. 0-2

Weird thing was, we didn't play that badly. We just couldn't get shit to fall our way, and they got the lucky breaks, so I'm gentle with them.

Transfer In - DL/WBL/ML/AML/ST Fraser Logan (31) (Scottish)
Can play anywhere on the left side of the pitch and is immediately our best player. Mental attributes for days, and his physical attributes are still quite good. Particularly important since Alfie Cain is still out with injury.

vs Portslade Athletic II (5th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Dan Seal/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan/Lewis Soraf/Danny Beale/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

18 - WTF is with this team? 0-1

22 - Are you fucking shitting me?! 0-2

52 - Gray for Remy; Logan down to DL and Joao in.

82 - Logan cuts a pass into Joao for the feed to Gray, who lays off to Thongvivat, finally breaking the slump of our star striker, who is off to an ice-cold start. 1-2

We're now firmly in last place, and up against the top team in the league. Wish I knew WTF is going on.

[Izulde]

@ East Grinstead United II (1st)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Dan Seal/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan/Lewis Soraf/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

Put in some team instructions to try and maximize the advantages we have over other teams in the league.

7 - Or not. 0-1

50 - Mastouras for Viana; Edwards for Soraf and CM switch.

65 - Whatever.

75 - Thongvivat scores. WGAF. 1-2

93 - Thongvivat with the late equalizer on the rebound after Lokando's header bounces off the post. 2-2

Moves us up to 9th, but once again, we're fighting relegation and way, way underperforming relative to our talent level.

[Izulde]

vs Ridgewood (Sommerville Challenge Cup Second Round)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Ricardo Viana/James Sage/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Alfie Cain/Lewis Soraf/Jamie Edwards/Orlando Joao
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

5 - Long buildup here until the backpass to Sage results in a kick forward to Remy, who slices a pass ahead of everyone. Thongvivat beats the stampede, and though his first shot was denied the post, this one goes in with bouncing help from the crossbar. 1-0

Beale is in for tired Soraf at half.

46 - Cain scoops up the ball inside the box after it was tackled away and passes to Remy to finally get the Montserratanian his second goal of the year. 2-0

63 - Gray subs for Thongvivat

79 - Facial injury to Tarman. Playable, however.

Ellis Remy and Alfie Cain really controlled this game with 8.7 and 8.5 respectively, and Ricardo Viena, despite a small lapse in a clearance, played well the rest of the game and pulled a 7.5.

Looking a lot like season where league was ass but we did well in cup play.

Transfer Out - DC James Sage - $10.5k
AFC Hornchurch's manager came to look at him during our cup game, and was impressed enough that he signed him away. Too bad, as he was about to become a starter.

Transfer Out - DC Harry Seal - $5.5k
Our central defense is just getting hammered right now. We'll have to bring Tom Thorne back up from the reserves.

vs Stones (5th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan/Lewis Soraf/Lewis Hook/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

...Remy is *happy* when I tell him and Thongvivat I'm pissed with their first half finishing?! WTF?

49 - One of their dudes gets his second yellow, so I swap Soraf for Beale and Remy for Gray, go wide, and attack.

72 - Absolute ass defending on the free kick. 0-1

79 - Logan with the longball bomb down the flank for Gray to track down and make the perfect cross to Thongvivat. Header equalizer. 1-1

81 - Hook gets the pass from Robinson, who had to run all the way back to get that loose ball. On to Lokando for the in-box feed to unmarked Thongvivat and we might *finally* have a breakthrough. 2-1

87 - Beale intercepts their throw-in and passes it to Thongvivat who is still hanging in the box. BAM HAT TRICK BABY!!! 3-1

Obvious 9.5 and PotM for Nico Thongvivat and his second half hat trick. Peggy Lokando pulls a 9.0, Fraser Logan and 8.2, Lewis Hook a 7.6, and a sterling 8.1 reserve appearance by Danny Beale that may get him more starts.

That pulls us out of the drop zone and all the way to 6th with 4 points. But we're still so far removed from where we should be it's ridiculous. Still, baby steps. Baby steps. We've seen this room, we've walked this floor.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - MC/DM/AMC Mason Hirst (21)
3 position versatility and considerable upside. Strong all around physical attributes + 10 Passing and Technique and 11 First Touch. Mental attributes are a mixed bag, but does have 14 Teamwork and 12 Work Rate. Instant starter.

Transfer Out - ML Alfie Cain - $15k
Made expendable by the signing of Fraser Logan anyway. Often injured, but capable of brilliance when he could stay healthy.

vs Ditchling II (Stubbins Challenge Cup First Round)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan//Lewis Hook/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

24 - Hirst knocks the ball forward to Lokando, who is immediately pressured by two defenders. The feed into the box, and Thongvivat *just* has the half-step to beat the defender and short-kick it in. 1-0

30 - Remy heads a cleared corner down to Viana in the box, and the goalie trips over himself to defend against a possible Portuguese shot - never mind that he's blanketed by two defenders. The kick back just outside the box, and Remy drifts over to fire a Montserratian missle while the keeper is still getting up. 2-0

Yellow carded and tired is Hook, so Beale steps in at the half.

55 - Lokando with the long, high free kick. Beale again plays super-sub, beating the defense to fire in his first ever Rhinos goal!!!! 3-0

63 - Lokando and Siddiqui keep exchanging passes, trying to build up an attack on the right flank. Finally, Lokando centers, but it takes a rundown by Hirst to get the errant ball. Kick back to Beale for the advancing flare out to Robinson on the wing. Dribble down left flank and cross to unguarded Thongvivat for the ease score. 4-0

68 - Beale gets a yellow, so Lokando moves inside and Joao hops on at MR.

78 - Logan to Remy for the quick backpass to Hirst, who has been engineering passes left and right this drive. It's a first touch feed to Thongvivat in the box, who spears a shot between three defenders for his hat trick! Our star striker has suffered from a slow start this season, but he's been on fire the last few games, picking up his 10th goal of the year here. 5-0

How dazzling was this win? Just two full-time starters scored below an 8, and everyone had at least a 7. And we also had four players with 9+ rating: those being PotM Nico Thongvivat (9.6), Peggy Lokando (9.2), Mason Hirst (9.1 in the best debut I've ever seen in all my FM years), and finally, Ellis Remy with a 9.0. Oh, and Danny Beale with a 7.3 sub showing, despite playing just 23 minutes.

@ Ditchling II (10th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
WBL: Flynn Tarman
M: Fraser Logan//Lewis Hook/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

Short rest for both teams, and I'd love nothing more than to see us whip our personal archrivals again to help push them down further into the drop zone.

Joao for Logan; Beale for Hook at half.

55 - Tarman's throw-in to Beale sets up back and forth before Beale's short pass to Remy. Threaded pass to just outside the box and Tarman drives forward for the cross to Thongvivat, who of course scores the short-range shot. 1-0

61 - Joao cuts to the center to intercept a pass, drives to midfield, and booms one on down to Thongvivat. Our 20 year old hero dribbles into the box, past the defense, and scorches a diagonal in! 2-0

75 - The defense rises up to head the ball away, but Tarman pounces, heads the ball just outside the box, traps it down inside, and fires once he's gained control. The fierce diagonal sinks seamlessly into the net for the kid's first goal of the year. Long live asymmetrical formations! 3-0

87 - Beale out to Joao, who sends it to Thongvivat in the box. This time two defenders on him and they muscle the ball away. But then Remy charges in to show strength of his own, robbing the ball back and cracking the short-range finish! 4-0

Every player who stepped on the pitch for us tonight had a 7.0 or better except Dan Hutchins and only Danny Beale outside of Hutchins had less than a 7.5!!! Ricardo Viena was everywhere tonight for his 8.0. Mason Hirst was again brilliant with an 8.4, as he's fit in flawlessly in the CM Support role in our setups, his rating matched by Ellis Remy. 9.0 for Nico Thongvivat, but Flynn Tarman was just a touch better and PotM with his 9.2.

We jump up to 4th, but are still 6 points out of 1st place. An 18 game season, and we've played 5 so far, or almost 1/3rd.

$1.7k profit last month, and the fans really like Ellis Remy's acquisition. I'm still Untouchable, though I've lost a bit of my earlier sheen because of our early difficulties this year - which is understandable. Still, the promotion and the trophies from last season are keeping me in good shape, and financially it's been an absolute dream for us.

Now if we can just keep our current upward trend going...

[Izulde]

vs Sporting Elite II (5th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan//Lewis Hook/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

13 - Robinson with the throw-in to Remy deep in their territory. He gives it back and Robinson crosses to Thongvivat's high-rise header for the score. 1-0

53 - Beale in for Hook

55 - Bullshit penalty called on Siddiqui, but Hutchins makes the brilliant stop!

67 - Joao replaces Logan

72 - Exceptional intercepting header by Viana, capping a counter that sees Beale out to Robinson on the wing. Our attacking FB just barely manages to stay in-bounds and sends it forward to Thongvivat. The shot's deflected by the keeper, but t goes nowhere, and Thongvivat sinks his own rebound. 2-0

77 - Beale is everywhere here, making passes and a key interception, including a pass to Robinson on the wing again. This time it's short lateral to Joao for the pass to Thongvivat's hat-trick header from just outside the six-yard box! 3-0

90 - They launch a counter on a cleared corner, and it's there dude dribbling untouched all the way down the pitch, but there's Siddiqui one on one challenging him all the way on the left side and winning!!!

Everyone who played except Lewis Hook had at least a 7.0, and all full-times starters racked up 7.2 or higher. 7.5+ standouts: Peggy Lokando (7.9), Mason Hirst (7.8), Malachi Robinson (9.0), and PotM Nico Thongvivat (9.5).

There's an intriguing opening that just came up, but I also kind of want to stay with what I have here and keep building the Rhinos. I'm torn. I'll apply anyway, and see what happens. I'm a 5-4 favorite, next highest being 100-1.

The interview goes well, and Burgess Hills Rhinos refuse to consider spending the money to upgrade the training facilities. We'll see what my potential new club has to offer.

@ Antsy Sports & Social II (5th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan//Lewis Hook/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

12 - We're used to seeing Thongvivat attacking, but in this move, he shifts back to retrieve a ball and lays it forward to Lokando. The Congolese winger dribbles down the right side and crosses far post, where Logan charges forward like the Scottish Highlanders that were his ancestors, hammering home his first ever Rhinos goal! 1-0

17 - Lot of passing, capped by Hook flaring out to Robinson for the far post cross. Thongvivat muscles his way through the defender and the keeper, using his head and the crossbar to force in a score. 2-0

38 - Lokando slams a far post corner, and a whole group of players jump like Kriss Kross. Thorne is the winner and powers in his first ever goal for us!!!! 3-0

45 - Remy is tracked by two defenders, so he lays off to Hirst, who first touches to Thongvivat in the box. Two defenders? No problem getting the seconds before half second goal. 4-0

49 - Lokando's free kick is far post into space, and Thorne, who is having the game of his life, breaks free and sinks the shot! 5-0

72 - Thongvivat steals the ball from the defense and lays off to Remy, setting off a chain in passes ending in a back and forth between Lokando and Siddiqui, our Congolese winger getting the ball near the touchline and crossing near post, where Remy hits the short score. That's a Pakistani, a Congolese, and a Montsterratian triple for that beautiful team goal. I love my international player bias. 6-0

Our lowest player was Dan Hutchins with a 7.2. Next lowest - Ricardo Viana with an 8.6. Easily the most impressive game we've ever played in all my blowout wins in FM. 9+ guys: PotM Tom Thorne with an out of nowhere 9.4, Malachi Robinson with a 9.0, Peggy Lokando with a 9.4, Mason Hirst with a 9.1, Fraser Logan with a 9.2, and Nico Thongvivat with a 9.4.

That victory sets all kinds of records and moves us into 2nd place, but the first place team is a juggernaut, which hasn't lost in 13 straight league games. We're still 4 points behind them, so it's going to be difficult to catch them. Remember, only 1st place goes up in this league.

And then the offer comes. $7k. ...Wot? They won't offer more than $8k, so I walk away.

vs Portslade Athletic II (Mid Sussex Junior Cup Second Round)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan//Lewis Hook/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

12 - Hirst to Logan to Remy in the box, who is immediately gang-tackled by three defenders. The ball comes loose. You know what happens when you focus so much on our weaker striker? That's right - Thongvivat is there first and makes you pay. 1-0

15 - Lokando is knocked out on this rain day with an injury, and Dutchman Joao keeps the international flavor of our right wing going.

32 - Hirst to Logan for the pass into the box. Joao cracks a shot, but the post denies him. The keeper's still getting up when Logan charges down the rebound score into the empty net. 2-0

37 - Hook sprays it to the right wind, where Hirst runs the ball down and short passes in the box to Joao. Ground pass far side to Logan, and the defense tries to clear the ball. Unfortunately, it's right back to Logan and the Scotsman shoots a ball through a ton of traffic that goes goal. 3-0

38 - Robinson bails us out of two certain goals in a row. Shows why I've gone the flat 4-4-2 as our primary lineup this year.

48 - Just before the half ends, we're awarded a cheap penalty. Logan converts with ease for his first-half hat trick!!! Wow, has he come on lately! 4-0

51 - Robinson throw in to Hook and gets it back, then sends it in the box to Thongvivat and the cruising continues. 5-0

64 - Following a yellow card, Hook goes out for Beale.

73 - Robinson on the wing with the cross to Joao, but the counter-cross is headed away. Sadly for them, Logan is in position to get it and cross to Thongvivat, one hat trick hero creating another!! 6-0

Dan Hutchins' 7.4 was the lowest of the full-time starters. Next lowest? Ricardo Viena with an 8.6. 9+ guys: Malachi Robinson with 9.1, Mason Hirst with 9.0, PotM Fraser Logan with 9.7, and 9.6 for Nico Thongvivat, and 9.1 for Ellis Remy. Oh, and an 8.0 for Orlando Joao in relief of Peggy Lokando.

Are you sick of the dominance yet? I'm starting to be, a little, and even if/when the club goes semi-pro, there's not going to be hardly any money. Plus the grind is ugh. We lose Peggy Lokando for 2-3 months with a dislocated shoulder. That hurts - literally.

Small profit last month - just $368. I've also applied for another manager vacancy that looks a lot like this job will once we go semi-pro. Holy shit, or maybe not! When I applied initially, the payroll was $2,200. When I interview, they're willing to offer an $80k payroll!. Basically, they really want to push for title contention.

vs Danehill (10th)
G: Dan Hutchins
D: Malachi Robinson/Ricardo Viana/Tom Thorne/Kashif Siddiqui
M: Fraser Logan//Lewis Hook/Mason Hirst/Orlando Joao
S: Ellis Remy/Nico Thongvivat

25 - You had to know this kind of trap game was coming. 0-1

Gray replaces Thongvivat, who is having a dreadful game; Mastouras for yellow-card Thorne at half.

48 - Robinson throws in to Remy, who passes to Hirst, and his experimental shot cracks off the upright and in for his first ever goal for us!!! I have to say, the opposing goalie has been amazing all game, and even the announcers commented on it at half. We'll take this fluke. 1-1

63 - Remy to Hirst to Gray straight-line, our young Welsh kid savaging a kick just inside the box for his own first Rhinos goal! He breaks into happy tears after that one! 2-1

We were hit with three yellows in the second half, but grind out the comeback win on the back of PotM Mason Hirst, who has yet to put up a bad game for us - 9.0 here. Nyall Gray recorded an 8.2 off the bench, and Malachi Robinson and Ellis Remy each had 7.5s.

More importantly, Montpelier Villa III had their first loss of the season, putting us just a point behind them! I found out afterwards someone was in the stands to watch Nico Thongvivat, which may have accounted for his astonishingly rare ass game.

Unlike the previous job, where my entire staff was willing to move with me and I found roles for all of them, nobody wants to go along to this one. And their staff sucks something awful, so I'll have to get rid of them after I sign. ...If I sign. I'd actually take the $8k if offered to me, as this is a cool team name and logo.

And they're willing to offer me the same $8k deal until the end of the season. Looks like I'm packing my bags and moving!

...Hopefully I don't regret it like every other move up I've ever made.

[Izulde]

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/cheeseman_zpsrqvsqo3h.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/cheeseman_zpsrqvsqo3h.jpg.html)
Cheddar Cheesemen

Of course, a Wisconsin native is the perfect fit for this team! :D The town itself is small - just over 5,700 people. But unlike Burgess Hill, whose area featured a ton of competition, this is the only game in town. Still a poorly supported club - just 7 season tickets sold. Average attendance of 66, though, so some people do show up.

There's only a handful of youth players signed to non-contracts. Evidently no one wants to commit here. It's a seaside town with summer temperatures averaging just below 70, and winter temps in the mid-30s. There's 20 days a year without sunshine. Quite a change from Vegas in a lot of ways.

OTOH, there's an excellent high school here - The Kings of Wessex Academy, and though only one cheddar producer remains (Yep, the cheese is named for this village), it's also a well-known strawberry producer. So at least I'll eat well.

The roster is mostly trash, though I love the look of ST Tate Sheppard, a 17 year old with 10 Finishing and 15 Flair. He's sucked so far, but I think he's been misused, and will be a perfect fit for my Poacher role. There's a ton of gray guys here, so I'll just quickly summarize my first game until we get some of my own players in here (Hint: A Burgess Hills Rhinos raid is coming.

Cheddar plays in the Western League Division One, and they're somehow 6th midway through the season. Top two teams promote and there's no relegation due to not being of the Sussex tree the Level 23 is based on. They're 5 or 6 levels below the Vanarama North/South, so Level 10 or 11 - something like that. Huge jump up.

vs Keynsham Town (13th)
So much gray in the lineup.

34 - Expected. 0-1

43 - Paul Ward, the team captain playing the CM Support role, passes to Cameron Friend, who is an ideal Defensive Forward, and the feed to Sheppard sees the guy I like most on the team score just his second goal of the year. Like I said, clearly mis-used with a 6.22 average rating coming into this one. 1-1

55 - Ward is showing good passing skills this game, and he wings out to Lee Brindley, the DL who has been playing as shit as his prior performances suggest. But this cross to the far post finds Sheppard for a sizzling second goal. 2-1

84 - Oliver Prior, the only signed player not in the lineup, replaces Friend and becomes a Target Man - support.

88 - Are you fucking kidding me?! A fluke goal this late?! 2-2

We could have moved up if not for that bullshit, but I'll take the draw, even though we drop to 7th. Hard luck there. 10+ hours for Tate Sheppard before this goal fest, and he was obvious PotM with 8.8.

Transfer In - DLC Lee Craig (29)
I've been snubbed by every single Burgess Hills Rhino, so I start going after free agents. First up is this veteran with every single Physical attribute 10 or higher. 13 Teamwork, too. Capable of playing at the next level.

Transfer In - DRL/WBLR Curtis Burrows (20)
Capable of playing four defensive spots, and will really address our weakness at DR, which is what cost us the win last game - the gray guy had a 6.1. Will possibly result in our doing a mirror of my old Flynn Tarman formation, since WBR is his best spot. I think he can be a MR as well with training.

Transfer In - DR Luke Jenas (19)
Good mental attributes. Not a standout player in my estimation, but good enough for the next level up as well according to our shit scout.

Transfer In - ML/WBL/DL/AML Connor Leek (20)
Very versatile in that he's able to line up anywhere on the left side of the pitch. A physical specimen who is both fast and strong.

@ Witheridge (6th)
G: Richie McGuiness
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Archie Gritt/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Gray Guy/Paul Ward
AML: Connor Leek
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

So what we have here is a 5-2-3 WB Asymmetrical - AML. Not quite what we did with Flynn Tarman, but hey. At least we've massively improved the talent level on this squad with the rash of signings - some quite cheap.

7 - Hang on to the fucking ball when you get it back, Gritt! 0-1

54 - Prior for Friend; Lee Gough, another youth signing, for Gritt

75 - Ward wings out to Brindley and upon the cross, Sheppard makes a dazzling slide tackle shot into the net!!!! 1-1

Another tough draw. So frustrating, because I feel like we could have easily had 6 points out of these matches rather than just 2.

Transfer In - MC Sam Higgins (18)
Sorely needed talented central midfielder. 12 Passing, 11 First Touch, Technique, Vision, Work Rate, and 15 Teamwork. I predict he'll have a Mason Hirst-style effect on the squad.

Transfer In - GK Gareth Rees (21) (Welsh)
Not the one I most wanted, (Dan Hutchins, I'm looking at you), but 11 Bravery, 10 Decisions, and just all around way better than what we had before.

Transfer In - DC Josh Graham (21) (Welsh)
Great all-around mental attributes and another piece to the puzzle of upgrading our backline.

Transfer In - ML/AML Adam Page (19)
He can also sort of play the right side. Nothing eye-popping about him, though I do like his 14 Teamwork and 10 Work Rate and solid all-around physical attributes.

Transfer In - MC/AMC Billy Frost (20)
This kid is just solid everywhere, and he's a technical attributes god for this level. The very first player I've signed all my shit coaches, who I didn't fire because $$$ are all like Yeah, this is a 1st Division capable guy right now.

I think we'll pretty much go with this crew for now. We still have $35k in the wage budget in case someone spectacular comes along, but I think we're good enough to get to where the board wants us to be at the end of the year.

@ Ashton & Blackwell United (13th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins (no MR)
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

We had a match get postponed at home due to snow, so it's an away gig for what should be our setup for the rest of the year.

55 - Gritt for Graham; Prior for Friend to try and do something to break this stalemate.

A real shot to win towards the end, but Prior weak-sauced the shot. I firmly tell them off in the locker room afterwards - we should have been able to punch through here.

vs Roman Glass St. George (20th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Archie Gritt/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Paul Ward
AML: Adam Page
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

Short turnaround, as this was the snowed out match. Even given a ton of tired players, they played a few days ago as well, so we should be able to finally get a win against one of the league's worst teams.

11 - Zero effort made in defending that free kick.

12 - Ward longballs it into the box, and I think Sheppard's shot is going to go over.. but it thunders in off the top of the net!! 1-1

25 - WILL YOU FUCKING PLAY DEFENSE, YOU PISS-STAINS?! 1-2

37 - Rare good defensive play as Gritt intercepts and passes to Burrows for the long skim to Ward. He dribbles a bit and short passes to Sheppard in the half-circle. A fuck you strike goes home, and I'm still thrilled AF that I can say I turned that kid's season around. 2-2

Craig and Gough replace Gritt and Graham in defense. I am fucking sick of looking at the 5.9 by Graham.

70 - Gough intercepts and thunders a longball to Friend, who is all alone... and his fucking shot goes off the crossbar!

84 - Friend shot 1 - Post. Friend shot 2 - Post. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

92 - Friend with the wide-open shot as time draws to a close... and HE FUCKING GETS BLOCKED!!! :rant: :rant: :rant:

"x Holds Out For Draw" "X Holds Out For Draw" Getting real fucking sick and tired of seeing that shit, even if we move back up to our original position of 6th. Worse yet, I didn't see a U-18 game in between this and our short rest game AGAIN coming up.

In other news, Burgess Hill Rhinos are still 2nd, now 4 points back after having suffered a loss since I left.

Kinda wish I hadn't, but if I manage to make uh.. cheddar... with Cheddar, it's all good.

[Izulde]

I neglected to mention - Burgess Hills Rhinos' new manager is clearly a crackhead, destroying my beautiful setup with a 4-4-2 Narrow Diamond and bringing in other players.

vs Wellington (14th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Archie Gritt/Lee Gough/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Sam Higgins/Paul Ward
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

Higgins is starting at 73%, because the U-18 game screwed up everything.

6 - Shit free kick defending. 0-1

Craig for Gough; Frost for Higgins at half.

Pathetic. And those title contention spots are looking farther and farther away.

@ Langford (18th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
ST: Oliver Prior/Tate Sheppard

61 - Ward for Frost; Friend for Prior[b]

[b]66 - Graham atones for costing us the game a few matches back by longballing to Sheppard, who dribbles down into the box and fires in our latest lead in a long time. 1-0

86 - Craig blasts a beautiful wing ball to Friend, who short passes to Leek in the box. Ground center to Sheppard, who has to trap it. The keeper moves left, and completely is out of position for my new star poacher's right kick! 2-0

Finally we got our heads out of our asses and Tate Sheppard gets an 8.8 PotM in a sweet win. Connor Leek picks up a 7.7 and Sam Higgins grabs a 7.5.

vs Hengrove (17th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
ST: Oliver Prior/Tate Sheppard

16 - Graham continues his redemption, blasting a clearance down the left flank that Sheppard chases down and dribbles prior to the long center cross to Prior for the crack goal, his 4th of the season and first under me. 1-0

53 - Ward for Higgins; Friend replaces Prior

These aren't pretty wins we're getting now, but they're wins and that's all that matters. Tate Sheppard is PotM with 7.6, the only one even to reach 7.

We lost $2.2k last month, officially dropping our bank balance into the red. Nonetheless, the board is pleased with how I've done - not going hog wild with the money, and keeping us up in our original position.

@ Portishead (16th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
AML: Adam Page
ST: Oliver Prior/Tate Sheppard

A couple of illnesses on the team mean a wonky lineup in this one, with no DR and a 4-3-3 Asymmetrical.

15 - Total crossbar save.

19 - Frost's long free kick bounces in the box, and Sheppard gets there before it goes out, striking in the improbable diagonal! 1-0

40 - How the fuck do you have four defenders on a guy and he still scores?! 1-1

42 - How the fuck do you have a net so wide open, you literally just have pass it in and shank the shot, Craig?!

53 - Frost has an open field until he passes to Sheppard just outside the half-circle. Immediate hassle, so he kicks it into the half-circle, whereupon Prior cracks the long-range shot he so loves and nails it! It's another shit game by Graham, so I'll try Ward there. 2-1

PotM with an 8.2 is Oliver Prior, only one other guy even reaching 7. For most of the day it was looking like we might move up, but late goals by the 5th and 4th place teams kept us down.

30 games in the books, 10 more to go. We're 1 point behind 4th, 6 points behind 2nd, 8 points behind 1st. A run up to the promotion places seems awfully unlikely, but you never know what can happen. Conversely, we're a full 9 points up on the 10th place finish the Cheesemen (typoed in the database as Cheesmen, much to my bemused annoyance) had last season under the guy who got fired before I came on.

vs Oldland Abbotonians (2nd)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Paul Ward/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
ST: Oliver Prior/Tate Sheppard

Lee Craig is out with injury, so Ward, who I think my coaches are badly underestimating, gets the start. This match right here is the one that determines whether we're contenders or pretenders this year.

63 - Friend for Prior; Gritt for Graham. Been a very even match so far.

71 - They've owned the second half in all honesty. 0-1

81 - Pretenders. 0-2

Luke Jenas (5.9) really shit on this game. But truthfully, everyone was lousy, and we weren't ready for this one.

@ Warminster (3rd)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
ST: Oliver Prior/Tate Sheppard

61 - Friend for Prior; Burrows drops to DR and Page comes in as MR as we switch to a 4-4-2.

88 - Frost boots the long ball ahead for Friend, who dribbles into the box and strikes home a shocking late goal! 1-0

We suddenly turned it on after going to the flat 4-4-2, and Billy Frost is PotM, leading a cadre of 7s with a 7.9. Cameron Friend had the clutch sub goal and 7.1 in a win we frankly did nothing at all to deserve.

I set up a mentoring relationship between Lee Craig and Paul Ward

Transfer Out - Oliver Prior- Non-Contract
A devastating blow. We may have to look at single striker setups now, as the board is reluctant to lay out huge cash sums, even though we're just under $35k under budget.

[Izulde]

vs Almondsbury UWE (8th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins/Adam Page
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

We'll only go one striker if we're forced to. For now, the flat 4-4-2. We're facing off against a team that has a manager making his debut.

35 - It's clear it's going to take these guys a bit yet in the passing to get used to each other. But Higgins forwards to Friend for the box feed to Page. Our newly minted starting MR dribbles in and strikes the diagonal for his first ever Cheeseman goal! Shut up about offsides, dumbasses. He was clearly onsides. 1-0

60 - Jenas in for Burrows, who is having a shit game. We just can't get a DR to play well at all.

70 - Ward replaces Higgins

74 - Any time a long shot like that goes in, it's the keeper fucking up. 1-1

Another bitter draw in a tenure filled with too many of them. We should have won.

Youth Candidates 6 U-18s 4[/b]
A goals fest in the tryout match. YCer Owen Rawlins had a hat trick and 9.5, and Stuart Trego capped a 9.0, as did YC team captain Ryan Ferrell. Both defenses were complete trash as you might suspect.

[u]Youth Signings
MR/AMR Stuart Trego
DM/MC/AMC Mark Reynolds (20 Flair!!!!)
MC/AMC/ST Paddy Griffiths
DC/DM/MC Jim Williams (My assman was crazy about this kid - 19 Bravery)
ST Aaron Gibson (Garbage physical attributes, but 15 Finishing and 16 Flair is always going to catch my attention)

@ Chippenham Park (1st)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins/Adam Page
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

3 - BS penalty on Craig, but Rees saves smooth as peanut butter.

25 - Higgins sends it to down Page for the pop cross far post. Friend waits for it to fall, then high step kicks the score in. 1-0

37 - It's the Higgins-Page-Friend connection again, only this time the suddenly hot striker has to trap the ball and bring it down before firing away. 2-0

67 - Gibson replaces Sheppard and we switch to a 4-1-3-2 DM by putting Williams in with Frost getting a break.. Let's see how our two most ready youth pulls do.

71 - Whew! Disallowed goal.

72 - Sigh. 2-1

75 - Burrows makes a stellar interception and flicks on to Page, who flips a long ball screaming into the box. Gibson wins the race and centers to Friend for the hat trick I never expected. 3-1

91 - Shit shit shit. Page is knocked off. Jenas at DR; Burrows moved to WBR.

9.5 and PotM for Cameron Friend. Adam Page was on his way to a 7.5+ game before he got hurt. Well how about that? We knock off the top team in the league (leading by 8 points coming into this one) on their own turf, delaying what most figure is a sure coronation.

We've also just proven we can literally beat anybody in this league. No excuses for next season (barring raids, of course, because for some fucking reason, I can't offer part-time contracts).

[Izulde]

vs Chard (20th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Jim Williams/Sam Higgins
AMC: Billy Frost
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

Trying something a little different, since Adam Page is out with injury.

Jenas goes in for sucky Burrows; Gibson for Sheppard. We're stinking out there, and I tell them off.

51 - Graham is first to a loose ball and hammers it all the way down the right flank into space. Gibson beats out everyone and dribbles before crossing to an open Frost for Billy Boy's first cheesy goal! 1-0

74 - Frost has been everywhere this second half, and on this one, he intercepts and starts a move that has Leek getting the ball from Higgins, but the left wing cross misses everyone. No problem, as Frost races his ass off to get it and near post pass to Friend for the insurance goal! 2-0

A bunch of 7+ by the end, with Billy Frost having a breakthrough 8.4 PotM outing, the next highest Lee Brindley with 7.3. That win moves us up to 4th, 4 points out of 2nd place with 5 games to go.

Transfer In - MR Nathan Haynes (21)
Transfer pickup. Very raw right now, but does have 15 Teamwork and 11 Work Rate. My staff bags on him, but the fans are absolutely thrilled with him. I'll throw him in the starting lineup and see how he does.

@ Chipping Sodbury (13th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Sam Higgins/Nathan Haynes
AMC: Billy Frost
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

48 - Gibson is on for Friend; Jenas for Burrows

58 - Brindley intercepts and gets the ball to Gibson, who quickly lays off to Sheppard. I'm thinking he'll go right wing, but he confuses everyone by going left out to Leek instead - dangerous, given the defenders. Fortunately, no one is there, and the far post right cross is to completely alone Haynes for the debut goal! No offsides called!!! 1-0

70 - Leek chases down a longball on the left touchline, and once again, Haynes is isolated on the right wing (You think they'd learn to watch the back door). This time, the shot is deflected, but Sheppard is just fast enough to get there first to sink the rebound and end his scoring drought. 2-0

84 - Higgins takes down a clearance and passes to Frost, who shorts it to Sheppard. With a bubble of three defenders, none getting close or challenging, he dribbles into the box and calmly slots away his second goal. 3-0

We were ass in the first half, but came alive in the second. So much so that Tate Sheppard (8.8 and PotM), Billy Frost (8.2), and Nathan Haynes (8.7) all broke the 8 barrier and all full-time starters bar the keeper put up at least a 7.2. The fans even gave us a standing ovation.

Still 4 points out of 2nd, but just 1 point behind 3rd. Chippenham Palace has all but secured promotion at this point, with a healthy 10 point lead on 3rd with 3-4 games to go. It's just a question of who joins them - Cribbs (65 points), Oldland Abbotonians (62 points) or us (61 points).

The bad news is we can't directly affect our chances in the remaining 4 games. The good news is, all our remaining matches are against teams below us in the table.

vs Bishop Sutton (7th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Sam Higgins/Nathan Haynes
AMC: Billy Frost
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

13 - Ugh. 0-1

36 - Frost on a cleared corner shoots it across the pitch to Leek for the pass inbox to Higgins. Pass forward to Friend bounces off the striker, but he gets it back and fires it in. 1-1

58 - Page for Haynes; Jenas for Burrows as we continue to struggle finding decent play out of DR.

77 - YOU FUCKING COCKNOBBLER JENAS!!!! DON'T FUCKING GIVE UP A FUCKING PK!!! 1-2

That's it. Our season is over. :( :( :( 7 points out with 3 games left :( :( :( We need to sweep and Cribbs to lose along the way. Chippenham Park officially clinches promotion.

Some bright news amidst the gloom, however: I officially sign a one year contract extension, raising my pay another $1k to $9k. Job security and a little more money FTW. I also get a 15% pay increase if we promote.

@ Devizes (21st)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Sam Higgins/Nathan Haynes
AMC: Billy Frost
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

4 - Higgins with the clearance pickup and into the box to Leek. Pressure from defenders, so he outlets to Brindley for the express delivery to the six yard box, where Friend puts it away. 1-0

8 - Well fucking deserved red card on that dude for spiking Friend from behind!

9 - Frost to Higgins just outside the box, and a pop pass by the latter to Haynes, whose experimental long box shot falls in. 2-0

13 - Giving up a shorthand goal is stupid. 2-1

18 - WTF IS THIS BULLSHIT?! 2-2

49 - Gibson replaces Tate; the usual Jenas for Burrows merry-go-round.

perjgyiopegipnopidfnhosenioe54kln 54olhtoerthy348909oreihgodfghoefho9aryhg90aergy90arye9gywrother90y9retywoht0ogy90gye90ghgy90

FUCK THIS GAME AND FUCK ALLOWING TWO FUCKIGN SHORTHANDED GAOLS!!!!!!

Nathan Haynes is lost for 3 months to a groin muscle tear. Fitting for how we fucking collapsed at the end of the season.

vs Welton Rovers (9th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

49 - Sheppard is haunted by two defenders on the right wing, so valve pass to Burrows for the near post hit to Friend's head for the score. 1-0

61 - Williams supplants Higgins; Page turns over Leek

We eke out a win behind Burrows' 8.3 PotM. Not that it matters. Cribbs wins and gains automatic promotion. They've been on fire to close the season out.

@ Caine (13th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Lee Brindley/Lee Craig/Josh Graham/Luke Jenas
WBR: Curtis Burrows
M: Connor Leek/Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
ST: Cameron Friend/Tate Sheppard

1 - WTFE. 0-1

52 - Williams for Craig; Gibson for Sheppard

56 - Friend gets a longball and shorts it to Leek. Feed to Gibson and our youth pull's first ever goal, as the keeper just stands there like he's given up on the season too. 1-1

And so we finish 4th. Lack of consistency was a problem all half long. Burgess Hills Rhinos won the league by 3 points, by the way, as Montpelier Villa III collapsed down the stretch.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/cheesegkdefY1_zpsd3ihq5sm.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/cheesegkdefY1_zpsd3ihq5sm.jpg.html)

Our backline was maddeningly inconsistent, and we never could stabilize a good DR at all. Gareth Rees was a bit of an ass to deal with as a keeper, too.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/cheesemfstY1_zpsdyke4pey.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/cheesemfstY1_zpsdyke4pey.jpg.html)

Our strikers were wayyy inconsistent as well. In short, there's nobody on this team I wouldn't mind seeing leave in the offseason. Aaron Gibson will get a shot to start next year.

Cut
Paul Ward - Disappointing
Lee Gough - Sucked
Luke Jenas - Sucked
Archie Gritt - Sucked
Cameron Friend - Inconsistent
Lee Brindley - Inconsistent
Josh Graham - Highest paid player on the team didn't deliver
Adam Page - Not worth it
Lee Craig - Old and doesn't fit in our tactical setup

I'm also getting to let the entire staff's contracts expire, so I can usher in some decent evaluators and coaches.

Tate Sheppard is Fans Player of the Year with 44% of the vote, followed by Connor Leek[/b (24%) and [b]Sam Higgins20%. Sheppard is Young Player of the Season, Higgins the Signing of the Season.

Connor Leek is named Captain after Paul Ward is cut, Gareth Rees the new Vice-Captain.

The board was very pleased with my performance, and raved about Sam Higgins. Top trainees were Connor Leek, Gareth Rees, and Sam Higgins.


Club Value: $18k
Average Ticket Price: $8
Season Ticket Price: $128
Season Ticket Holders: 7
Average Attendance: 70 (Went up after I came on board)
Loss: $20k

After those cuts, we have about $57k in the wage budget - plenty of room with which to make a splash.

Transfer In - MR/AMR Roy Horgan (22)
Could end up a starter on the right side - is more technically polished than Nathan Haynes, although needs to work on his Teamwork and Work Rate. It'll be an interesting battle between the two.

Transfer In - WBL/ML/AML Omarr Austin (17)
One very strong possibility - he starts at ML and we move Connor Leek to DL. Has Flair for days (17), and could suit in very well there. An experiment worth considering. Was a player we nabbed from Tooting & Mitcham and Ithsmian D1 team.

Transfer In - ST Carl Harris (17) - From Maidenhead
Huge name steal from a Vanarama North/South squad. Scored 3 goals and had a PotM award in 9 games with Melksham on loan in the Western Premier last season. Really excited - physical attributes aren't much to write home about, but he's got strong technical and mentals for this level, including 16 Bravery and 14 Teamwork.

I'm linked to the job at Tamworth, which is dropping down to Vanarama North/South after relegating. Nice to be mentioned, but I want to keep building what I'm working on here. Board wasn't pleased that I didn't outright reject the job.

Transfer In - DR Emmanuel Mensah (18)
Was on the street and his Physicals are off the chain - Lots of 12+ there, including 12 Stamina and 13 Pace. I feel like we got a steal here, and can now move Curtis Burrows to a 4 position backup role.

I'm briefly tempted by a retirement to move up, but I just can't pull the trigger.

Transfer In - DR/WBR Chris Ross (17)
An intriguing, high mentals player. Strictly a depth backup at the moment, however. Bath was quite happy to get rid of him.

Promotion Odds
Cheddar: 1-5
Wells: 1-2 (Relegation)
Welton Rovers: 4-6 (Relegation)
Almondsbury UWE: 25-1

Gee, nothing like pressure, folks. We still don't have a second DC and no one will sign with us. On top of it, in our second friendly, Mark Reynolds, who has been playing DM in our weird setup, is out 4-5 weeks with a foot injury.

Blargh.

[Izulde]

As if our defense wasn't already Swiss cheese, Jim Williams sustains a chest injury in our third friendly that knocks him out for 4-5 weeks. We're trying desperately to sign anybody, anybody at all.

Transfer In - DC/MC Tom Rowerbotham (23)
Finally, a body we can stick in at DC. Great physical attributes, but his technical skills need a lot of honing.

Transfer In - DLC Ryan Talbot (21)
Spent way too much money for him, but that's how crying out for players we were. He'll start even when Jim Williams is healthy again, which goes to show how bad our DC shape is right now.

Sweet moment: Beating the team I considered leaving for 2-0, when we switch to a flat 4-4-2 that will likely be our primary formation this season.

@ Caine
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowerbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Conner Leek/Billy Frost/Paddy Griffiths/Nathan Haynes
S: Aaron Gibson/Carl Harris

Bit of a controversy brewing at MR and one of the ST spots. Only reason Sam Higgins isn't playing is because we got caught with our pants down managing health levels and he's tired.

29 - We're shit at defending set pieces. 0-1

Just before half, Frost is knocked out of the game, and Haynes is injured too. The bullshit is incredible with injuries. Higgins comes on and then at half, it's Horgan for Haynes

67 - JFHRC. Now Mensah is hurt with a playable injury.

What a shitfest of an opener.

Billy Frost - 4-5 weeks
Nathan Haynes - 2-3 weeks

Just fucking great.

vs Devizes (8th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Connor Leek/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Curtis Burrows
M: Sam Higgins/Paddy Griffiths
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

Three straight short rest league games to start the year is fucking bullshit, especially with all our fucking injuries.

5 - Their defender is feeling Sheppard's footsteps on the sideline, so he attempts to lateral it to his keeper. Only problem is, Harris gets there first and puts it away. 1-0

9 - ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS GOD DAMNED FUCKING BULLSHIT?! LEEK OFF WITH INJURY! Burrows flips to DL and Ross comes in at DR.

25 - Ross throws into Horgan, who stops and long balls all the way down the middle of the pitch, just ahead of Harris for the dribble and fireball into the box, netting his second goal. 2-0

57 - Sheppard steals the ball on the throw-in, plots his move, and wings to Burrows. Crackerjack shot lands at Harris's feet in the box, and *bam* HAT TRICK TIME! 3-0

69 - Don't you assholes dare blow this.

72 - Trego, another of last year's youth pulls, goes in for Horgan. It's the only sub we can reasonably make at this point, even though everyone is sucking wind out there.

Obviously Carl Harris got a 9.5 and PotM, but Omarr Austin was impressive at AML, netting a 7.9. Third star goes to Sam Higgins with a 7.4. To be fair, they had two of their players go off with injuries, too. So it's been a rough season start for a lot of teams.

GOD DAMN IT! WE LOSE OUR TEAM CAPTAIN FOR A WHOLE FUCKING YEAR?!?! FUCK THISODGSGHASOHGO9HGOHAEHOGOHWTRAWOHTAWHFGAOGHOAHGAOHFGASHFGASHGASHGOASHRGOAHGISHVOASFGA

BRB SMASHING THE EVERLIVING FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKING KEYBOARD

[Izulde]

@ Oldland Abbotonians (9th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Sam Higgins/Paddy Griffiths
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Aaron Gibson/Tate Sheppard

We're running a lot of guys at 70s energy level simply because we've been so devastated by injuries and have four straight games on short rest. Nothing else we can do.

19 - Rowbotham intercepts and gives to Austin. On to Gibson and then to Sheppard just inside the box for the longish score, even though they're crying offsides. 1-0

20 - And of course the immediate pegback due to Talbot's fuck up.

Switching from the 4-2-4 to a 3-1-2-4 DM Wide at half, with Reynolds as the DM, Talbot out.

62 - Trego in for Horgan

82 - Griffiths with the gorgeous 25 yard free kick goal for his first ever score!!!! Time to live dangerously and spend third sub, with Ross on for Mensah. Just hope we can survive. 2-1

87 - Long buildup and constant passing around that culminates in Austin driving the ball through a defender to pass into box space. Gibson's the first one there, and he angles a shot in to guarantee our win!!! 3-1

8.2 and PotM for Paddy Griffiths, and matching 7.6s for Aaron Gibson and Tate Sheppard. I'm thankful we survived this without further injuries, and that we pulled out the victory with a stellar second half performance. Langford and Portishead have started off with 3 straight wins, so we're behind the pace, but it's a long, long season.

@ Witheridge (13th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Sam Higgins/Mark Reynolds
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

32 - Free kick lined up just out the box on the right side.. and Harris belts the shot in!!! Wow, that was soo pretty. 1-0

55 - Williams comes in for Rowbotham; Griffiths for Higgins

81 - Gorgeous sliding tackle by Griffiths to stop an attack. Horgan picks up the loose ball and plays a pretty pass forward for Sheppard, who is decked in the box, drawing a penalty. The keeper deflects Austin's shot, but the kid puts away his own rebound!!! 2-0

90 - Horgan's cross is deflected, but he runs forward to get it back and cross again, and this time, Harris's shot catches the keeper going the other way, locking this one up. 3-0

All full-time starters scored 7 or higher, the obvious leader Carl Harris with a PotM 8.8. Also breaking 7.5+ was Emmanuel Mensah, with 7.7.

vs Bishop's Sutton (4th)
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Jim Williams/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Sam Higgins/Paddy Griffiths
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

Staff keeps wanting me to do a 4-1-3-2 DM Wide formation, but that's expected for this level in every save I run, I've noticed. I really like our 4-2-4 I forced in due to injuries.

Oh, some side notes I forgot to mention last time: Cameron Friend and Tate Sheppard are favored personnel, but obviously I let Friend go. Here's how the All-Time Best 11 Cheesemen looks after last season:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/cheesemenalltimeY1_zpskxlubgxm.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/cheesemenalltimeY1_zpskxlubgxm.jpg.html)

Clearly they ran that most of last year before I came and started shifting things around. We'll also see large changes after this year - provided I'm still here, of course. :D

We need to find another ML/AML because Omarr Austin keeps getting run into the ground, and we're without Connor Leek for a whole year.

56 - Haynes in for Horgan; Sheppard for Gibson, and we switch to a flat 4-4-2.

58 - Austin sends it forward to Harris, who immediately has two defenders draping him, so he kicks back to Austin for the backfoot far cross to Haynes. Forward into the box, and *BAM* super-sub goal! 1-0

Sam Higgins was our most vital player last year, and he gets PotM here with a 7.9. Just missing the 7.5 mark was Emmanuel Mensah with a 7.4. Key off the bench is naturally Nathan Haynes with the game-winning goal for a 7.3. Exactly the kind of not great, but workmanlike win you need sometimes.

With the victory, we temporarily move into 1st (Langford has a game in hand on us), and a cool stat pops up: Tom Rowbotham leads the league in interceptions with 72 - 9 more than the second place guy. Clearly, a huge pickup this offseason, and someone who is already stabilizing what was a problem area for us last season.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - DLC Jon Beeden (25)
I opened up the wallet for this guy - $100 p/a, because of his 12 Tackling, great mental attributes including 13 Bravery, 15 Teamwork and 12 Work Rate. Although not an ideal attacking FB, he still represents an overall upgrade.

vs Portland United (10th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Paddy Griffiths/Mark Reynolds
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Tate Sheppard/Aaron Gibson

So many short turnaround games. It's something we're used to by now, however.

11 - Reynolds wings it out to Mensah, and the cross is cleared. But not cleared enough, as Horgan's in position to pounce and hammer his first ever Cheeseman goal in the upper corner of the net! 1-0

23 - A suspect penalty tagged to Mensah, but Rees saves it, continuing to show why he's paid the biggest bucks on the team at $140 p/a.

Williams replaces Rowbotham and Frost makes his first appearance back from injury at the half, subbing for Griffiths.

49 - Sensational interception by Beeden, and it sets off a continuous triangle of passes between him, Frost, and Austin. Finally, Frost lays off to Reynolds for the pass to Horgan. He feeds to Gibson just outside the half-circle, and our youth striker's audacious shot sings home! 2-0

Aaron Gibson was PotM with 8.2, but it's Roy Horgan's 7.7 the announcers kept talking about. 7.6 for Emmanuel Mensah, and 7.2 for Billy Frost off the bench. Not a bad 7.0 debut for Jon Beeden, either.

Minor injury to Mark Reynolds in a U-18 game the day after this, so he'll be out on yet another short rest league game.

@ Roman Glass St. George (14th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Jim Williams/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Sam Higgins/Paddy Griffiths
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

This has trap game written all over it.

47 - Gibson in for Sheppard

71 - Talbot on for Williams

81 - Griffiths goes out, so we have to get creative, moving Austin to MC, Mensah to WBR, and putting Ross in at DR.

Should we, could we have won that game? Yeah - even the announcers said so. But I'll take that draw, given all the tiredness and injury issues that cropped up. We lose Paddy Griffiths for a month, continuing our health problems in the middle of the pitch.

On the plus side, we're still in 1st, game in hand caveat applying, and the six games unbeaten is a new Cheddar record.

vs Chinnor (FA Vase First Qualifying Round)
D: Jon Beeden/Ryan Talbot/Jim Williams/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Omarr Austin/Tom Rowbotham/Billy Frost/Nathan Haynes
S: Aaron Gibson/Tate Sheppard

We're Fluid in this formation, which is awesome. Not awesome: Still a lot of tired guys, and the short rest thing is going to continue for this entire month. We lost $5.03k last month, but the board is still very pleased with me, even though they're still salty about letting Josh Graham go.

33 - We build up an attack on the right flank after Mensah's throw-in deep in our half. Haynes jackhammers it all the way down into the box, where Gibson takes advantage of a keeper too far out to power it behind him. 1-0

b]40[/b] - Rowbotham has been pleasantly effective in the BWM CM role, and he directs the action here. For his finisher, he wings out to Austin, who crosses far post. Someone, Haynes I think, falls to distract the defense, and Sheppard takes advantage to kick in the short goal, causing the stands to erupt in glee. 2-0

Higgins goes in for exhausted Rowbotham at half.

69 - Burrows comes on for Beeden

Despite the scoreline, this wasn't a particularly impressive win beyond Aaron Gibson's PotM 8.3. Just everyone more or less having a solid game. What's exciting is, we pocket $1.01k for the win. The soothing sound of cup money.

vs Witheridge (Western Les Phillips Cup First Round)
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Jim Williams/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/Sam Higgins
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Aaron Gibson/Carl Harris

Cheddar's never made it out of the first round, so it'd be nice to get it, even on the short rest we're dealing with.

17 - That was a particularly bad piece of defending. 0-1

39 - Gibson gets it on the wing and sends it into the box, where Harris nails the short post goal. 1-1

44 - Mensah throws into Higgins and gets it back, then questionably far crosses into the box that should have been intercepted. Nevermind because Austin, who has been crying for a break, fights exhaustion to slam the go-ahead goal! 2-1

Frost steps in for tired, yellow-carded Reynolds at half.

58 - Horgan is being chased by the defense, so he outlets back to Mensah. Wing out right side to Frost, and he plays a beautiful high ball to Gibson in the box for the insurance score. 3-1

63 - Bad backpass by the defense has Gibson getting it back in the box. Kickback to charging Austin for the in-box cross to Horgan. The shot's deflected, but Harris is there for the rebound. 4-1

85 - Austin is decked in the box, and we're awarded the PK. Frost coolly chills the keeper, and the rout will be official. 5-1

Everyone other than our goalie who was in at the end of the game had a 7.2 or better. Highlights: Billy Frost with a 7.7 in 45 minutes, a real catalyst in our second-half surge, Emmanuel Mensah with an 8.4, Sam Higgins with 8.3 - ditto Aaron Gibson, 9.0s from Carl Harris and Roy Horgan, and a PotM, 9.1 from Omarr Austin!

Transfer In - ML/AML/ST Gregg Crane (16)
A transfer we netted from Northwich, his physical attributes are beautiful, with only a 4 strength the worry - otherwise it's 8, 9, and then double digits everywhere. I quite like having players with Flair, and he's got that at 14. My staff likes him better than Omarr Austin because he's a physical specimen, but Austin is a better crosser and has even more flair at 17.

No prize money here, which I figured since it's a regional trophy. Was hoping, though.

[Izulde]

Testing this out on my new Surface Pro 4. The pen is already going to be epic for taking screenshots - even easier than on desktop. First thing I notice is the default resolution is way too high - I can't see anything. Setting to Windowed mode and 200% zoom fixes things nicely, however.

Simming speed seems comparable to my desktop, but wow is the drag-drop painfully slow on the redraw. Guess I'll be using the drop-down boxes when I'm on the laplet/taptop. Scared to see how the 3D will perform now.

vs Chard (13th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jim Williams/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/Tom Rowbotham
AM: Gregg Crane/Ryan Horgan
S: Tate Sheppard/Carl Harris

[b]21 - Williams has the free kick and opts to kick back to start a stylish movement, ending with Williams to Sheppard in the box, and then a high ball way out to Crane on the touchline. He near post crosses to Harris for the score, and the 3D is playing seamlessly - right on par with my desktop. Replays might even be slightly faster. 1-0

24 - Talbot with the stellar interception and pop passes to Harris just outside the box. He laterals to Sheppard for the pass into space in the box, and Crane charges in for the diagonal debut goal! Debut assist, debut goal! The replay is actually faster than on my desktop, I think, though I do notice some slight flickering at the beginning of the replay. 2-0

27 - Mensah intercepts a clearance and gets it to Harris for the pass to Crane. He goes wide left out to Beeden and the far post cross to Horgan untouched for the score. Assist, goal, assist of assist. What a debut! 3-0

Frost replaces Reynolds at the half, and the midfielders switch spots.

All starters bar Emmanuel Mensah netted a 7.0 or better. Hell of a debut for Gregg Crane - 8.2 and PotM. That's not only his Cheeseman debut; it's his straight up professional one. Wow! A 7.5 for Roy Horgan in the bargain. On balance re: the SP4, this is going to be exactly what's ordered for traveling, but it's a touch uncomfortable on the lap long-term, I believe. So a flat surface will be a necessity for long-term plays.

@ Langford (8th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Jim Williams/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
AM: Gregg Crane/Ryan Horgan
S: Aaron Gibson/Carl Harris

Paste is quite finicky on here. It doesn't show up when I try to paste with the touchpad for some reason, and the stylus takes a bit of finagling to get the menu to show up. Perhaps a wireless mouse will address this issue.

20 - That was weird. There was an own goal on them, but it showed another sequence before the replay of the OG. 1-0

36 - We got away with one there. Thanks, crossbar!

42 - Field turned ash gray for a second there.

52 - Frost is having an uncharacteristically bad game for him. His long ball to Gibson is headed away. Fortunately, Harris header-intercepts right back to Gibson, and receives the in-box feed. He continues right on marching up to the keeper before hitting a taunting shot. Another thing I noticed - the replays on SP4 are shorter than the desktop. Time for Frost to take a seat, and Reynolds to replace him. 2-0

80 - Reynolds intercepts and gives it to Crane for the longball into the box right at Gibson, who crosses far post to Harris for the latter's 10th goal of the season. Clearly, we're going to be smashing the dual 11 goals scored by Cameron Friend and Tate Sheppard during all of last year. 3-0

Good, strong win. 8.8 and PotM for Carl Harris, 8.7 for Aaron Gibson, 8.0 for Gregg Crane, who is having a Mason Hirst type effect, and 7.7 for Roy Horgan.

That's enough for a first test, I think. My SP4 did run very warm to hot during the FM test, but never super hot, so it appears to handle it and Edge with 4 tabs open just dandy.

[Izulde]

vs Wells (8th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis BurrowsJim Williams/Tom Rowbotham/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Omarr Austin//Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds/Nathan Haynes
S: Aaron Gibson/Tate Sheppard

Jon Beeden picked up a concussion and is out for roughly 2 weeks.

47 - We should be up by 2 or 3 goals - instead, we allow one seconds before half. 0-1

51 - Harris for Gibson and Talbot for Williams

55 - Frost's corner is cleared, but the goalie's in la-la land, allowing Sheppard to strike a long, long header into the net. Can't believe that mental slip-up. 1-1

78 - Talbot makes a driving interception, setting up a pretty play capping in Haynes to Reynolds to Sheppard and then to Harris in the box for the sensational super-sub score. 2-1

It's the kind of game where Tate Sheppard's 7.4 is good enough for PotM, though Carl Harris, who just got praised in the press, picked up a 7.1 off the bench. Our defense stunk the whole game until about the last 20-25 minutes. Emmanuel Mensah may be on his way to sitting out next one.

There's a news story afterward about how changing from our 4-2-4 Wide to a flat 4-4-2 ended our streak of shutouts in league play at six, so some might think our primary formation more solid, but as long as we're winning, no one's going to complain. Also, a couple managers were in the stands - one to watch Jim Williams, who played like ass.

I'm mentioned in another manager vacancy that intrigues. They're in the drop zone and are expecting a top half finish, with a payroll over double what I've got here. But I'm not really seeing a compelling reason to move up. Not when I've got Cheddar humming.

@ Portishead (8th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Jim Williams/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Tom Rowbotham/Sam Higgins
AM: Gregg Crane/Ryan Horgan
S: Aaron Gibson/Carl Harris

2 - Rowbotham's corner finds Williams' feet, and his short shot sits on the line. A defender and the keeper go in to get it, but it's so crowded, no one can clear it, and Williams nudges it over for his first professional goal! 1-0

17 - Mensah makes the interception and a couple passes later, Horgan has it and is driving all the way down the right flank into the box, where he fires off the diagonal in the net. These guys came in really tired, because they haven't built up the depth and rotation we have, and it's clearly draining them. 2-0

Williams is sitting on a yellow, so I move Rowbotham down to DC and put Reynolds in at MC.

56[ - Sheppard steps in for Gibson

64 - Awful defense. They should have scored easily there.

67 - Burrows runs forward to catch a clearance just outside the box and laterals to Higgins for the box feed to unmarked Sheppard. Two step dribble, and POW! 3-0

8.4 for Roy Horgan, 8.5 for PotM Sam Higgins 7.9 for Curtis Burrows, and of course the 7.1 bench outing from Tate Sheppard. There's a bunch of teams with 1 and 2 games in hand on us, but we're still blowing away the league with a 10 point cushion and a +19 GD - second place having just +8 GD. Even if the teams with 2 games win both, we're still with a 4 point edge.

Chelmsford once again wants me. How did that go last time? ...the team started off the last few games of the year sucking. I started building my roster and we started off okay, but then the wheels completely fell off and I quit to coach a new amateur team. The Clarets were also my third team in that dynasty, and would be my third here - following the same amateur to semipro to semipro jump. Of other note - they're second to last in the league and expect to make the playoffs :lol: :lol:

Scrolling through that dynasty, I built up that Amateur team for success, then jumped to a new semi-pro team that I won a league title with and was doing well early in the next up, but then we lost, fell to 4th, and I got bored like I usually do with FM at some point and quit.

So yeah, as TEMPTING as it is to try and reverse the errors of history, let's s not do that. While I've gotten really good at building up lower teams and setting them for years of dominance, I'd actually like to try staying somewhere for at least 3 seasons.

6 wins in a row, 12 unbeaten, is a new record for the Cheddar Cheesemen in this universe.

Transfer In - ST Connah Hughes (19) (Welsh)
Slow for a striker, but he's got some interesting technical abilities (11 Dribbling, 12 First Touch) and pretty darn strong mentally, including 15 Teamwork. In terms of pure skill and overall talent, he's our best striker, and can play pretty much any role in our current setups well. Definitely going to be an interesting one to look at in our system - really needs to improve his finishing, however. We'll try him as a starter anyway, and see how he does.

[Izulde]

vs Chipping Sodbury (21st)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Jim Williams/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Tom Rowbotham/Sam Higgins
AM: Gregg Crane/Ryan Horgan
S: Aaron Gibson/Carl Harris

21 - We're awarded a penalty on a corner, and I'm stunned at the call. Gibson takes full advantage of the gift. 1-0

24 - They've got a great counter going, but then they make a stupid long cross with no one around. Rees short kicks it to Williams for the hoof to Gibson. The pass goes by three defenders to Harris in the box, and he dribbles until he finds his spot and puts it away. 2-0

42 - Rowbotham with the interception, and a series of passes later, Burrows has it on the wing for the long ball down the left flank to Crane. Center to Harris and the hapless goalie's dive can do no more than graze the ball with his fingertips. 3-0

43 - That was just sloppy defending. 3-1

Switch to flat 4-4-2 and Haynes on for Horgan at half.

76 - Crossbar robbed them. Mensah is getting benched next game.

8.0 for Tom Rowbotham 7.5 for Aaron Gibson, and naturally 8.9 for PotM Carl Harris.

@ Pickering (FA Vase Second Qualifying Round)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jim Williams/Ryan Talbot/Curtis Burrows
M: Mark Reynolds/Billy Frost
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Tate Sheppard/Connah Hughes

Apologies to Roy Horgan for the constant misspelling of his name in the lineup the last several games.

20 - Our defense got caught napping on the counterattack there. 0-1

55 - Rowbotham for Talbot; Ross for [b]Burrows[b/]; Crane in for Sheppard at ST.

73 - Although knocked and in a new role, Crane intercepts and passes to Hughes, who outlets to Horgan and runs forward for the giveback. The Welsh kid's long strike is deflected, but wounded Crane is a god damn Karate Kid, kicking the rebound in by hobbling there first! 1-1

92 - We damned near lost this on a free kick, but we get a merciful offsides call to preserve the draw.

I give them credit for fighting back for the draw, but we also lose Gregg Crane for 6-8 weeks.

Just $1.32k loss last month, and the board is officially delighted with me.

@ Keynsham (Western League Wes Phillips Cup Second Round)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis BurrowsJim Williams/Tom Rowbotham/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Omarr Austin//Billy Frost/Sam Higgins/Nathan Haynes
S: Aaron Gibson/Carl Harris

51 - Sheppard replaces Harris; Reynolds swaps out for Rowbotham and we switch to a 3-1-4-2 DM setup.

64 - Higgins and Frost tag team to strip the ball away on a cleared corner, and Frost centers back to Reynolds. Swing out to Austin and center to Haynes, who is hiding behind a wall of players. His sneak shot sinks home! 1-0

Nathan Haynes is natural PotM with a 7.9 rating, but overall, we didn't play that great this game. Our strikers combined had their worst outing of the season by far, and we were lucky to win and advance.

To date, Carl Harris has the most league PotM awards with 4.

@ Ashton & Blackwell United (18th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/Sam Higgins
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Connah Hughes

47 - 25 yard free kick goal right before half. Ugh. 0-1

54 - Gibson on for Harris; Frost in for Higgins.

It's our first loss in 11 league games, and the first time we've been shut out since our league draw. We're still okay, though - even if the 2nd place team with a game in hand wins the makeup game, we're still 4 points clear of 2nd, and 7 points ahead of 3rd. So we've built in the kind of cushion that can withstand a couple upset losses here and there.

[Izulde]

vs Pickering (FA Vase Second Qualifying Round Replay)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Connah Hughes

28 - Frost's corner is far post to Talbot, who outjumps three defenders to nod it down to Rowbotham. First ever score for the defender, as he kicks it between the keeper's legs! 1-0

51 - Ugh. Griffiths in for Hughes; Reynolds on for Frost. Bad, bad games up front. 1-1

54 - Playable injury to Harris

On to extra time with a do-nothing second half.

110 - Horgan ground passes out on the right wing to Mensah, who overcame a horrid first half to step up as the game went on. He far post crosses to a crowd of five jerseys, and Higgins rises up to knock in the header for his own first ever Cheeseman goal! 2-1

114 - Wide open net and he overshoots it. We got lucky there.

120 - Two seconds before the fucking whistle blows, and they tie it up. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: 2-2

Omarr Austin misses the first PK, and everyone else hits. They win 5-4 on PKs, in a loss that shouldn't have ever fucking happened.

Our defense played brilliantly - this was down to shitty keeping by Gareth Rees and our strikers continuing to stink like shit. It continues a cold run by the boys up front I'm not sure how to solve.

This loss really chaps my ass, and will for a while. Everyone's frustrated at the defeat and early exit from the big money cup.

[Izulde]

vs Wellington (8th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jim Williams/Tom Rowbotham/Chris Ross
M: Omarr Austin/Paddy Griffiths/Billy Frost/Nathan Haynes
S: Tate Sheppard/Connah Hughes

We need to get out of this funk we're in.

29 - Oh, look. Our defense is playing like shitlords. 0-1

42 - Booming Frost free kick finds Austin in the box. He hesitates to find the right spot, and puts it away. 1-1

55 - We switch to a 3-1-4-2 DM with Burrows in for Ross[b/] and [b]Reynolds moving to DM, swapping out Rowbotham

60 - Missed tackle by Williams. The nightmare continues. 1-2

Somewhere there's a good team. We need to get back to it.

@ Hengrove (20th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

38 - JFC. 0-1

51 - Talbot overcomes an asstacular first half to intercept and pass to Frost. On to Horgan for the beautiful pop into space that Harris gets to and finally, with that searing shot, we have a striker goal for the first time in forever. 1-1

58 - Time for the 3-1-4-2 DM Wide as Talbot jogs off for Reynolds. Actually, make that 4-1-3-2 WBL Asymmetrical, as Austin is yanked for Burrows as a WBL.

We should have won this game. So many damn chances and so many wasted shots. We just can't stop tripping over our own dicks.

@ Almondsbury UWE (9th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Ryan Talbot/Curtis Burrows
M: Billy Frost/Sam Higgins
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

Morale is starting to tank now because we just can't find our way to a win.

16 - Frost's corner is cleared, but Harris gets it and kicks it right into the back of a defender. It bounces off, and Austin spears it through traffic and into the net! 1-0

32 - Fuck that bad bar bounce. 1-1

35 - Frost shoots it out to Burrows, who is in for yellow-card suspended Mensah. The high ball far post cross is good for a Harris head smash into the net. 2-1

38 - ...Yeah. Our central defenders screw the pooch. Last year all over again. 2-2

52 - Talbot's out for Reynolds as we go to the DM formation, and Hughes jumps in for Sheppard

Hard luck draw - we should have won this game.

Chris Ross was released on a free before this game, and after the match, the board announces sales to transfer budget are down to 5% due to the debt levels. Might be time to start think about moving on.

Nothing appeals of the current openings, however.

Transfer Out - MC Sam Higgins - $4.8k
You knew it had to happen at some point, but this is very disappointing - losing one of our most reliable players.

The board is uber concerned about the loss of money and wants to see player sales. I'm thinking more and more of bailing as a result. Even if we go up, we'll still have to do it with a decreased budget.

vs Warminster (15th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Curtis Burrows
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Billy Frost/Jim Williams
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

3 - Burrows gets it on the right wing parallel to the box and near crosses to Harris just inside the six yard box. The shot's deflected, but Harris puts away his own rebound. 1-0

19 - Austin is being haunted, so he short kick-backs to Beeden for the power aerial cross to isolated Sheppard far post, and he knocks in the header. Changing to a new formation has apparently woken up the offense. 2-0

46 - Two defenders are charging Horgan, so he passes down the flank to Burrows for the center Sheppard and a much-needed third score. Nothing is safe at this point, IMO. 3-0

71 - Williams to DM; Griffiths at MC, and Hughes replaces Harris at striker.

73 - Had to happen at some point. 3-1

90 - Hughes gets the loose ball in the half-circle and is surrounded by two defenders. No problem, as he cracks the 20 yarder between a defender's legs and into the net for his first ever Cheeseman goal! Fucking finally! 4-1

And finally too, the win, anchored by Curtis Burrows' 8.0, Jim Williams with a 7.5, Mark Reynolds with a 7.9 before subbed off, 8.1 by Billy Frost, PotM Tate Sheppard with an 8.8, and a massive 8.0 reserve showing by Connah Hughes. Oh, and 7.6 for Carl Harris.

The damage has been done, however. Just a 3 point cushion and goal differential on the teams below us, and our biggest match of the year is up next against the 2nd place squad.

[Izulde]

vs Welton Rovers (2nd)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Billy Frost/Jim Williams
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

Absolutely critical game at this juncture of the season. We really need to win this one.

19 - Shocked by bad D? Me either. 0-1

26 - They just miss awarding us a penalty, but a foul just outside the box has Frost dropping the free kick inside to Sheppard for the easy equalizer. 1-1

36 - Mensah is really starting to piss me off. 1-2

46 - Just before half, Mensah throws in to Reynolds for the far post high ball that Austin snags and puts away past the unready keeper. 2-2

48 - Fucking giving up a hat trick. Fucking stupid. 2-3

49 - Enough of this shit. Burrows and Talbot in for Mensah and Rowbotham

What a complete shitfest of a game.

Transfer In - MR/AMR Liam Harris (20)
A huge shot in the arm to our right flank and so large an upgrade it's stupid. Mediocre physically, and not a true standout anywhere, but he's got stellar technical skills for this level.

We've dropped to a 3 way tie for 1st, leading only because of goal differential. Emmanuel Mensah is pissed when I chew him out for his lackluster form. Welcome to the bench, buddy.

@ Westbury (15th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Ryan Talbot/Curtis Burrows
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Billy Frost/Jim Williams
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

44 - Williams is being faced by three defenders just outside the box, so he lays off to Frost for the feed to Carl Harris. Easy score, and fuck the whiners about offsides. 1-0

60 - Williams moves to DM, Griffiths on at MC. Hughes slots in for Sheppard at S.

62 - WHO THE FUCK WERE YOU AIMING AT WITH THAT PASS, CARL HARRIS?! 1-1/B]

[B]64 - AND NOW A FUCKING OWN GOAL BY REES?!?! 1-2

We didn't deserve to lose that one at all, and now we fall to 2nd.

@ Ashton & Blackwell United (Western League Les Phillips Cup Third Round
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Jim Williams/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

28 - Sheppard steals the ball in our half and dribbles, before playing it down the right flank for Reynolds. A couple passes later, Frost gives to Burrows, who passes to the touchline for Austin. Pass to Frost in the box, two dribbles, and the surprise shot goes home! 1-0

49 - HANG ON TO THE FUCKING BALL, REES, YOU SHITSTAIN! 0-1

51 - Their own keeper drops the ball, and Harris is first to put it away. Meanwhile, Talbot for Williams, Griffiths for Reynolds as we try to close out a fucking win. 2-1

54 - Beautiful run-down of an enemy throw-in by Griffiths and kick back to Rees to restart a move. Griffiths is also the one who wings to Horgan for the booming cross to Sheppard, and we finally look like we can lock up a game. 3-1

Shout out to Billy Frost, who has played amazing the last few games, despite our troubles. 8.4 and PotM here, with 8.0 by Omarr Austin, 8.1 by Roy Horgan and 7.8 by Tate Sheppard, as [b]every full-time starter other than Rees had 7.1 or better.

That said, I'm quietly plotting a move up, having found a team I'd like to join. The board catches wind of it, and tries to convince me to stay. I'm not interested in talking with them. I'll make my decision on my own, thanks.

Transfer In - DC Jerrome Sobers (31) (Dominican)
The strongest player I've ever seen in one of my clubs (16), with excellent heading/jumping talent and strong mentals. Very slow, however. But he does provide us a veteran presence if I stay.

And I do, because the new team tries to scam me on the job offer, paying me far less than what I make now. Assholes.

vs Caine (9th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Tate Sheppard

7 - I'm not quite sure how the counter got started, but at the end, it's Mensah short pass to Liam Harris for the first touch to Sheppard just inside the box, and his savage strike sings home. The boys are really looking amped up today. 1-0

59 - Williams slots in for Reynolds

72 - Frost begged for a break, so Austin comes in for him.

Matching 7.8s for Billy Frost and Jon Beeden, with the latter winning PotM due to full-time status. 7.6 for Liam Harris. We could have won by more, but the victory is what matters, especially since it moves us back up to 1st on goal differential as we hit the halfway mark of the season.

Cut - ST Connah Hughes
That 4 Finishing really sunk him, and he had a grand total of one good performance for us. We found a better option, anyway.

Transfer In - ST Andrew Folan (23) - From Welton Rovers
Remember the guy who scored a hat trick against us? Well, we just stole him from the third place team after they beat us. He can finish and dribble (10), head the ball (11), and has the requisite double-digit Teamwork and Work Rate I look for. Welton Rovers was pissed we just stole their top scorer for nothing.

We made $564 last month, a cheering thought.

vs Keynsham (19th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

30 - Frost side passes to Crane, and with four defenders around him, he kicks it far side, where Liam Harris sinks his first Cheeseman goal! 1-0

56 - Sheppard is on for Carl Harris, who is having a super horrible day, and Williams for Rowbotham

88 - Beeden fucking made a stupid pass and that cost us everything. 1-1

We should have kicked their asses. Fucking ridiculous to drop back to 2nd this way. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

There was a club I really wanted to apply to, but I missed the deadline. :(

@ Devizes (13th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

35 - Reynolds jams it out to Mensah who cuts a 90 degree angle, dribbling into the box sideways before crossing to Carl Harris for the goal. 1-0

64 - Austin for Crane; Williams for Reynolds

90 - Charging interception by Sobers for the launch forward into space for Liam Harris. He dribbles, and when the defender closes in, delivers into the box to Folan, our shiny new striker using the space available to kick in his first ever Cheeseman goal!!!! Yes!!!! 2-0

Emmanuel Mensah proved me wrong today, powering an 8.4 PotM performance. Jon Beeden avoided killing us, and grabbed a 7.7. Billy Frost was his usual great self with a 7.9, and we're back up in 1st.

There's a clear Top 5 in the league this year.

Us - 43 points
Welton Rovers - 43 points
Langford - 42 points
Wells - 41 points
Portland United - 41 points
----------------------
Chard - 33 points

Big gap there.

Mark Reynolds will sit out next game due to a yellow cards ban.

vs Oldland Abbotonians (11th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Jim Williams
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

8 - We're awarded a controversial PK, andFrost puts it just above the keeper's outstretched arms. You da real MVP, Billy! 1-0

24 - Miraculously, we're awarded another PK! Frost drills this with ease. 2-0

43 - Frost shoots it right side to Liam Harris, who makes a great cross to Carl Harris. The shot's deflected, but Folan gets there to put it away! 3-0

60 - Eh, it's only one. 3-1

68 - Okay, now I'm worried. Burrows comes in as an Attacking WBR, replacing Liam Harris, and Griffiths replaces Williams. I'm going to flip my shit if we blow this. 3-2

70 - Burrows kicks back to Mensah, who forwards to Frost and on to Folan. A little dribble and then a shot I think will shank, but it finds the net! Between two scores this game and the insurance goal last one, I think it's safe to say his guaranteeing 6 points has officially paid the 3 he singlehandedly cost us. 4-2

90 - The announcers make note of Folan, gushing about "what a fine player" he is. Crane to Harris to Folan streaking in the box, and the 1 on 1 = hat trick!!!! 5-2

Every full starter had at least a 7, and the next lowest was 7.3. Absolutely stellar performance all-around, despite two goals surrendered. The 8+ guys: Jerrome Sobers with 8.2, Billy Frost with 9.2, Carl Harris with 8.4 despite not scoring, and of course, the man of the hour, Andrew Folan with a 9.5 hat trick!

We're now 4 points clear of 3rd, and the move seems to have worked well for both sides, because Welton Rovers is still tied with us on points, despite losing Folan to us.

Burgess Hill Rhinos is 9-0-0 in Mid Sussex Division Four play, using a mix of guys from my tenure and his own dudes. Full credit to Paul Lorraine, my replacement. He pulled off the same quadruple I did in the second season, sweeping the trophies and winning the league after taking over for me.

[Izulde]

vs Witheridge (12th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

10 - Bad decision by Rowbotham there. 0-1

11 - The kickoff ensuing, Reynolds hammers it down the left flank for Folan, who makes a pristine center to Carl Harris for the latter's 20th goal this year. 1-1

18 - Rowbotham continues to make mistakes. 1-2

23 - We'll take that own goal gift! Williams in for Rowbotham, as we can't afford his errors. 2-2

34 - Frost has the ball after a buildup on the left side. He gives to Reynolds for the diagonal forward to Carl Harris, who holds up play due to two defenders. Our leading scorer then runs horizontally, and slams a 25 yarder from just outside the semi-circle. Holy cow!!! 3-2

65 - Aysmmetrical time as Burrows moves in at WBR. Liam Harris is doing okay, but not great.

Obvious PotM is Carl Harris with his 8.7, though Gregg Crane posted a 7.5. We got a couple bad breaks on goal frames, or we would have won by even more.

@ Bishop Sutton (17th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Curtis Burrows
M: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

Emmanuel Mensah is out with the flu. Aaron Gibson also got injured recently and is out a month, but he's long gone from consideration anyway, being a 4th striker by this time.

16 - While Beeden should have gotten back quicker, that's also a shot Rees should be able to stop. 0-1

47 - Austin slides in for Crane

61 - Time to see if Sheppard/b] can find magic, because Folan is having his first bad game as a Cheeseman.

80 - We just don't have it today. Like, at all. 0-2

91 - And to top it all off, a double yellow for Reynolds right before the game ends.

Our cushion on 3rd dropped to 1 point now. Also lost $494 and we're in a poor financial position.

@ Portland United (4th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/Jim Williams
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

Critical game for our title hopes for sure.

46 - I *really* don't like these guys. They play dirty pool, and their keeper is doing well. Frost out to Crane for the near post short pass to unguarded Carl Harris, and we *finally* break through just before half. 1-0

53 - Rowbotham makes a dynamite interception and first touches it to Crane on the wing. This time, his pass into the box is a center, and Folan, who got screwed by the crossbar a few minutes ago, keeps this to ground and in! 2-0

64 - Burrows in for tired Beeden

Except Gareth Rees and Liam Harris, every starter had 7.3 or higher. Just a clean, dominating win. Superstars - Billy Frost with an 8.3, and PotM Gregg Crane with a 9.0.

Welton Rovers have a game in hand on us, and are still tied on points, so we'll probably lose the top spot soon. Still a point ahead of 3rd, and the former top 5 is now a top 3, with Wells third at 51 points, a game back, before we get to 45 points the team we just beat.

Transfer In - MC George Colson (24) (Welsh)
Loaded with amazing mental attributes, including a highlight 16 Teamwork. 12 Passing sparks solid all around technical skills for this level. Physical attributes are meh, but he's tailor-made to be a less-risky defensive CM.

Pro tip: If you're a club with a $236k wage budget, you can certainly fucking afford to pay a new manager at least double-digit salary.

vs Roman Glass St. George (16th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

36 - Liam Harris horizontals long to Frost for the pass to Carl Harris. The defender misses the tackle, and the fantastic Mr. C. Harris slams a 35 yarder into the net!!! 1-0

65 - Liam Harris throws in to Mensah, and the cross is deflected, but Harris is right there to put it away on the rebound. Rowbotham jogs off for Reynolds, switching to a 3-1-4-2 DM Wide. 2-0

73 - Colson has the ball in the middle of the park and passes forward to Folan. He forces a ball through three defenders to Carl Harris *just* inside the box, and another distance strike goes home. It's been all about the Harrises from a scoring standpoint. 3-0

Only Gareth Rees, George Colson, and Gregg Crane (7.2) had less than a 7.5 tonight from the full-time starters. 8.6 for Emmanuel Mensah, 8.0 for Jon Beeden and Liam Harris, 8.8 for PotM Billy Frost and Carl Harris, and 8.2 for Andrew Folan.

Transfer Out - MC Billy Frost (Non-Contract)
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!!! Fortunately, we can try to lure him back, but this puts a huge hole in our lineup in a key game.

vs Langford (4th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

12 - Carl Harris gets the ball back after a clearance and is being pressured just outside the left corner of the box, so he laterals it right wing, where a streaking Mensah picks it up. The feed to Folan, and our own Benedict Arnold keeps paying us dividends. 1-0

53 - It's been a blah day for Rowbotham, so he sits in favor of Williams

71 - Austin in for tired, yellow-carded Reynolds

90 - Liam Harris twists his knee, but it's playable.

So, not a great game. 7.3 by George Colson is PotM. That's not going to cut it against good teams.

Liam Harris is out 4-5 weeks. Luckily we still have Roy Horgan around. Billy Frost was absolute shit in his Cogenhoe debut with a 6.3. He rejects our offer to come back, however.

@ Chard (7th)G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

4 - Clear, asswipes! b]0-1

[b]6/b] - WTF is this shit?! 0-2

22 - Colson flares it out to Mensah, who goes for the high box drop, but the keeper pushes it away. Unfortunately, that just leaves it open for Folan to kick it in and draw one back. 1-2

35 - Yeah, I can't watch this shit anymore. Burrows for Beeden

45 - Reynolds with the short pass to Crane for the box pop to Folan. Shot is deflected, but Harris just barely skims in the rebound to draw us level just before half! 2-2

54 - Both central defenders are playing like shit, but Sobers seems uninterested in the game, so he's the one axed for Williams

68 - Folan to Horgan inside the box, but the AMR's cross is bounced away. Story of the game, though, as Folan is there to scorch the diagonal rebound in! 3-2

Lot of 7+ guys as we overcome an absolute shitlord game by Tom Rowbotham and Jerrome Sobers both getting a 6.3 Highlights include Curtis Burrows' 7 off the bench and a 9.0 PotM Andrew Folan. Talk about how when sometimes you lose, you really win.

Even better: Welton Rovers and Wells had to settle for draws, meaning even with both having a game in hand, Rovers can only go up by 1 point, and Wells will be 2 points back at best.

@ Wells (3rd)
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

This is our chance to really salt away a Top 2 finish heading into the final quarter of the season.

22 - Awful free kick defending. 0-1

Burrows for Mensah; Sheppard for Harris at half.

64 - Fucking stupid. 0-2

I talked a coach into staying. Cool.

@ Cribbs (Western League Wes Phillips Cup Quarterfinal)
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

These guys went up last season, and are in 2nd place in their new league. We're far removed from being able to compete with them, and no one is giving us a shot.

79 - Sheppard for Harris; Williams for Rowbotham.

86 - Colson hits the corner to the head of Williams, whose freshness allows him to head it to Sobers for the Dominican's first ever Cheddar goal!!!! 1-0

Gareth Rees had the game of his life in posting an 8.4 and PotM, but full credit to the midfield back, as everyone in the central midfield and backline at full-time had 7.2 or higher, not including Jim Williams' game-winning 7.0 sub showing in just 11 or so minutes.

What a huge, huge win, and the fans are absolutely ecstatic we're carrying on.

[Izulde]

So what's the smart thing to do when you have a bunch of things that need doing, and you have to head to work in 5 hours? Play FM16, of course.

vs Portishead (14th)
D: Curtis Burrows/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

13 - Good job missing that header, Horgan. Not. 0-1

36 - Colson finds Sobers on the corner, and that's goal #2 on set pieces by the Dominican veteran with his head. 1-1

Williams replaces Reynolds at halftime.

49 - Horgan's fucking stupid ass just stands there and lets them take it away, leading to a score. Burrows to WBR and Beeden at DL. Fucking bullshit. 1-2

59 - Sheppard for Harris. So tired of these fuckboys.

66 - Sure, let's just get them the fucking game. 1-3

@ Chipping Sodbury (21st)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

39 - Reynolds passes down the left flank to Beeden, the near post cross finding Folan's head for the score. 1-0

Williams replaces Rowbotham at the break.

53 - Sigh. 1-1

63 - Austin on for Crane

66 - Are you fucking kidding me?! 1-2

77 - When the game is rigged against you, and Beeden gets a double yellow.

93 - Rees runs all the way out to midfield to get a clearance, and booms it to Austin on the left wing, deep in their territory. The far post cross to Folan, and we have a miracle last second goal to salvage a draw. 2-2

Welling got upset, so we gain a point on them. Welton Rovers netted a comeback win, and I really don't see them losing the title.

vs Ashton & Blackwell United (15th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Curtis Burrows/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Tom Rowbotham/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

11 - Rowbotham steals the ball and passes out to Liam Harris for the left-flank long ball into space. Folan picks it up, dribbles, and centers to Carl Harris for the header. 1-0

13 - Carl Harris picks off an awful back pass and shorts it to Folan. Next is Liam Harris, who sends it to Rowbotham in the box. Suddenly he dribbles out to the left wing, and with the defense drawn away, he has his own center to Carl Harris, and this time it's a kick in for the score. 2-0

55 - Austin in for Crane

56 - Burrows throws in to Colson for the first touch feed to Folan in the box. Three defenders on him, which leaves Liam Harris open for the layoff and surprise sneak score. 3-0

63 - One thing we've seen is a lot of terrible passes by both sides, and one here nets them one back. 3-1

69 - Burrows with the masterful interception and power forward to Carl Harris. Two defenders blanketing, so he knocks it up to Folan, who dribbles past everyone and drills the diagonal! 4-1

71 - Worst.clearance.ever. 4-2

77 - Williams swaps for Reynolds

7.8 for Liam Harris, 9.0 for Andrew Folan, and 9.1 for PotM Carl Harris. Every win at this stage is critical and with 7 games left, it's looking like this:

Welton Rovers - 69 points
Cheddar - 65 points
Welling - 64 points
Portland United - 55 points (game ahead)
Langford - 53 points

@ Briscombe & Thrupp (Western League Les Phillips Cup Semi-Final)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
M: Mark Reynolds/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

At half, Austin in for Crane, and Liam Harris goes out in favor of Williams at DM, setting up an asymmetrical formation.

54 - That's one Rees should have stopped. 0-1

58 - Williams gets a loose ball and starts a zig-zag series of passes in the middle of the pitch - to Reynolds, on to Folan, and then to Austin in the box, the keeper beat easy. 1-1

67 - Hrris kicks it back to Austin after three defenders surround, and the fluke long ball goal goes in!!! 2-1

85 - Mensah throws in to Colson, who forwards to Folan. The cross is blocked, but Colson puts it away to salt our second straight victory over a Western Premier team! It's also Colson's first goal in a Cheddar uniform. 3-1

88 - Or maybe not... 3-2

90 - Reynolds makes an amazing interception of a free kick and blazes all the way down the pitch, then saves against a clearance, as the team passes around until the whistle blows, sending us to the Final!!!

Their striker, who also had 2 goals, despite being hunted all game, wins PotM. Right behind him is Omarr Austin with a clutch as fuck 8.7 off the bench, and George Colson netted a 7.5. What an absolute miracle run, as the board would have been happy with us meeting the minimum of the third round, and now we're on to the title game! In doing so, we overcome a shit game from Jon Beeden of a 6.2.

@ Hengrove (18th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Tom Rowbotham/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

They're concentrated in the middle, so I'm going to exploit the flanks and push it wide.

3 - Colson's long free kick in the air enters the box, and Beeden outjumps the crowd to knock in a long, long header goal, his first ever score as a Cheeseman! 1-0

Crane got hurt with injury shortly before half, so Austin goes in.

60 - We got lucky there with a disallowed goal. Sheppard in for Folan, who is lousy out there today - actually both our strikers are.

64 - Reynolds makes a key interception and gets to Colson. Bomb ball to Liam Harris on the right flank follows, and his center is cleared. But Austin storms in to shoot the loose ball, and his clutch scoring continues! 2-0

68 - Austin collides with one of their players and both get dinged up. He'll play on, however.

86 - That's a counter attack we could do nothing about. Time to tighten up. 2-1

Our entire defensive line was 7.1 or higher, headlined by Jon Beeden's 8.3 and [b]Emmanuel Mensah[b]'s 7.5. It's George Colson's 8.7 that wins the game, however. Omarr Austin had a 7.1 off the bench.

Welton Rovers shut out Welling 1-0, so with 6 games left, we have a 4 point lead on the latter.

Gregg Crane is out 4-5 weeks; Omarr Austin 9-12 days, so we're going to have to get creative for our next match. Then again, Connor Leek is incredibly well ahead on his rehab schedule, and is back to light training, so he may be ready to play most of our next game.

It's getting down to the wire now.

[Izulde]

Cheddar U18s 4 Youth Candidates 4
Expected scoring with Aaron Gibson and Tate Sheppard starting up front and playing well. Both teams left defense at home. Assman is high on Tyler Tennant, who netted a 9.1 and PotM with 2 goals and an assist. Wayne Howell scored a 9.0 with 2 goals of his own.

Cut - MR/AMR Stuart Trego
Just doesn't have what it takes, so he's let go to start his career elsewhere. Got a couple appearances though.

Signings
ML/AML Matt Price (16) - Assman thinks he has 4* potential, though he's insanely raw
WBR/DM/MR/MC Will Todd (16) - 12 Determination and Stamina already. Some technical ability. Versatility is a huge asset, and will probably get in the subs.
MC Matt Smart (16) - 18 Teamwork, 12 Work Rate, and 10 Flair convince me to pull the trigger.
DM/DC/MC Nathan Clark (16) - 3.5* potential, and plays all our middle positions.. Kind of eh on him, though.
ST Wayne Howell (16) - Love his technical attributes and he's got decent mental ones. A physical trainwreck at the moment, however.

Notice I didn't sign Tyler Tennant. I'm just not impressed with the dude.

@ Wellington (6th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Tom Rowbotham/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

67 - Sheppard for Folan; Todd for Reynolds. Folan is pissed at being replaced. Oh well, dude. Don't suck ass and you won't go off.

78 - 45 yard crack pass from Colson all the way to Sheppard on the right wing. His center to Carl Harris has a shot deflected, but Carl Harris puts away his own rebound! See, Folan, that's why you're benched for the rest of the game. 1-0

82 - I thought sure we were going to give one up there, but Sobers, even though he was beaten, runs back just enough to body block the shot!

The announcers gushed about George Colson's "all-conquering performance" at midfield, and his 8.6 is PotM. Jerrome Sobers sparkled, however, and earned an 8.2 in his own right.

Biggest news - Welton Rovers got a draw against Langford, and Welling was upset by Almondsbury UWE. With five games left, there's already only four teams who can mathematically win promotion - Welton Rovers, us, Welling, and Portland United. Langford needed to win to still have a chance. Very top-heavy league this year.

The win, coupled with the other results, means we're just 2 points behind 1st, and have a very beautiful 7 point cushion on 3rd. That means if we even go 3-2 these last five matches and Wells goes 5-0, we'll have secured promotion.

Emmanuel Mensah is out our next 2 games due to 10 yellow cards. That'll hurt. Longborough University has set a new FA Vase record with 18 straight wins! :eek:

Cuts
Nathan Haynes
Paddy Griffiths
Ryan Talbot

Ultimately, these guys just aren't good enough to be there at the next level, and never will be. All of them had some appearances with us, but found themselves surpassed by other players.

@ Warminster (19th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Curtis Burrows
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Tom Rowbotham/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

6 - Burrows plays it down to Liam Harris on the touchline, and his far post cross sees a streaking Austin drill home the goal, temporarily putting us in 1st place! 1-0

7 - Yeah. That was expected. 1-1

26 - Sobers passed it right to them. 1-2

28 - Sobers fucked up again. Immediately yanked for Williams. Such bullshit. 1-3

52 - Burrows moves to DL and Todd comes in at WBR. Fuck outta here, Beeden.

82 - One of those games where the AI is in cheat mode. No fucking way Todd deserved a red card there.

Win for Welton Rovers and late unhappy draw for Wells

Transfer In - MC/AMC Billy Frost (21)
He came back home finally at the transfer deadline after realizing how much of a mistake it was for him to leave us in the first place. This couldn't come at a more critical time, TBH.

vs Almondsbury UWE (7th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Tom Rowbotham/Jerrome Sobers/Curtis Burrows
M: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

There aren't words enough to describe how good it feels to have Billy Frost back in a Cheeseman uniform. Although it reset his games played for us this year to 0, which is weird.

3 - God damn, I love Austin's fluke goals. 1-0

14 - I forgot how shit Rowbotham is at DC. 1-1

Switching to the 3-1-4-2 DM Wide at half, with Reynolds in. Shit part is, Wells scored just before half in their own game to take the lead.

66 - Gibson replaces Carl Harris

76 - Frost gets the ball after a long pass to him and feeds to Gibson in the box. A little dribbling, and a weighted shot cracks home! Man, I fucking love having Billy boy back in town! 2-1

Billy Frost returns home to a hero's welcome 9.0 PotM, and Aaron Gibson grabbed a 7.1 off the bench. Welton Rovers won again, and Wells had to settle for yet another second half fall to draw.

3 games left.

Welton Rovers: 79 points
Cheddar: 74 points
Welling: 66 points

8 point advantage with 3 games left. No choice for them now but to win out to have any hope at all of moving up, and we have to lose all 3 games. They're having the exact same collapse we did last year. Naturally Andrew Folan's old team is officially promoted.

I negotiate a new one year contract with a raise to $9.5k - which is small, until you factor in the 15% increase should we promote, which will push me into the double digit money for the first time in my career.

@ Welton Rovers (1st)
G: Richie McGuinness
D: Tom Rowbotham/Jim Williams
DM: Will Todd
M: Matt Smart/Omarr Austin/Nathan Clark
AM: Matt Price/Roy Horgan
S: Tate Sheppard/Owen Rawlins

Basically, we're throwing this match. We have a Cup final in 3 days' time, and as long as we promote, I don't care about the title.

21 - Took them long enough. 0-1

30 - We're awarded a PK and Austin partially makes up for his Cup fuckup by nailing this home. 1-1

72 - Good work by the scrubs holding out this long. 1-2

76 - And here's the flurry. 1-3

7.5 performances by Will Todd and Omarr Austin. Wells won, so they're 5 points back with 2 to play. Welton Rovers obviously clinched the title here, and despite the poaching, Ben Hancock and I get along well.

vs Odd Down (Western League Les Phillips Cup Final)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

This is it. For all the marbles right here. The odds are heavily against us - this is an elite Western Premier team - 4th in the rankings. All we can do is hope we manage something.

33 - Absolute bullshit penalty on Crane there. So fucking pissed! 0-1

Despite his tiredness, Austin is in for Crane, who was ass even before the penalty.

65 - Off goes Liam Harris as we go asymmetrical with Burrows at WBR.

82 - Frost on the corner to Mensah and there's some bouncing to the near post, where Sobers slots it away!!!! 1-1

92 - Heartbreaking as fuck to allow a last second goal!!!! :( :( :( :( :( 1-2

We might have lost anyway, but we were so fucking close to winning this and we did not deserve at all to lose. We got fucked by the refs and then fucked by a last minute heartbreaker. You bet your fucking hairy asses I'm going to tear apart the refs for that!!!!

Now for the bright side: 449 people showed up to the game, earning us $3.5k in gate receipts! That smashes both records (previous high of 99 and $500, respectively). It's not going to be enough to staunch the bleeding, or the crying sensation in my stomach, but it sure does help.

And guess what?! The FA didn't say jack fucking shit about the penalty, so you're God damned fucking right we were robbed!!!!

@ Keynsham (20th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

We're fucking determined to win here. George Colson rallied the players as well, and we're hell-bent to guarantee going up. Remember, Wells has to win the last two games and we have to lose both for them to sneak past us.

39 - Their keeper has been having the half of his life. We should be up by like 4 goals right now. Colson wings out to Liam Harris for the gorgeous long ball to Carl Harris. He dribbles into the box, and the goalie makes the fatal mistake of coming out. Hello, sizzling diagonal into the net! Wells was down 0-1, but answered immediately to make it currently 1-1 there. 1-0

53 - Wanna know how this team is trash? They should have easily scored there, but blew it.

58 - Austin in for Crane, who is still struggling.

78 - It was 2-1 Oldland Abbotonians, then tied 2-2, and presently 3-2 Oldland Abbotonians. Hopping off the bench is Gibson for Folan

Welling tie it up 3-3 late, but it's all for naught as we run out the clock and we're officially going up to the Western Premier League!!!! No shock that the game ball goes to Billy Frost's 8.1. Liam Harris with the 7.5, and every full-time starter other than Gareth Rees had at least a 7. No way we should have only won by a single goal, but we'll take that oh so sweet victory, removing some of the sting of how we got screwed over in the trophy final.

[Izulde]

Time to review the roster while we sort out who will stay and who will go.

Goalies
Gareth Rees (22) (Welsh) - 2.5/4.5
Richie McGuiness (18) - 0.5/3.5

Rees is one of the biggest wage earners, if not the biggest. While we might look for a cheaper option, he's performed well enough that I'm not particularly inclined to go find someone else. Personally, I don't care much about backup keepers, though we do have a lousy one.

Defenders - Left
Jon Beeden (26) - 2.5/2.5
Curtis Burrows (21) - 5 silver/3
Connor Leek (21) - 2.5 silver/1.5

Eventually, we're going to want an upgrade here. Beeden's only good enough for the next level and has no upside to speak of. Considering he's pulling $100 p/a, I wouldn't mind letting him go now if we can find someone with better upside.

Defenders - Center
Jerrome Sobers (31) (Dominican) - 3.5/3.5
Beeden - 0.5/0.5
Tom Rowbotham (24) - 0.5/3
Nathan Clark (16) - 0.5 silver/2
Jim Williams (17) - 0.5 silver/0.5

Sobers is still quite good, but we desperately need some quality backups here. Williams and Rowbotham will both be on the chopping block if better options can be found. You can see here why we switched to the 3-1-4-2 DM Wide as our primary formation late in the year.

Defenders - Right
Emmanuel Mensah (19) - 3.5/4
Burrows - 1.5/3

His short stint of poor form aside, Mensah is great, and someone I see sticking around long-term. He's got fine potential and will be able to contribute for at least a couple more levels.

Defensive Midfielders
Mark Reynolds - 2 silver/4
Williams - 0.5 silver/1.5
Will Todd (16) - 0.5 silver/2.5
Clark - 0.5 silver/3.5

Just a question of if we want to wait for these youth pulls to develop or not. A more immediate upgrade here would go a long way to stabilizing us in the Western Premier next year. More and more reason to cut Williams. Reynolds definitely outperformed his ratings this season.

Central Midfielders
George Colson (24) (Welsh) - 4/5
Billy Frost (21) - 3/4
Rowbotham - 0.5/2
Reynolds - 2 silver/4
Todd - 0.5 silver/2.5
Matt Smart (16) - 0.5 silver/3
Clark - 0.5 silver/3.5
Williams - 0.5 silver/1.5
Omarr Austin (18) - 0.5 silver/2.5

Lots of bodies here. Signing Colson and Frost to long-term, guaranteed contracts is absolutely critical, particularly Frost, who excels in our setup. Colson's our single most elite player on multiple levels, and one of those who could go farthest in the game (Southern Premier leading star - one step below Vanarama North/South)

Attacking Midfielder - Left
Gregg Crane (17) - 4.5 silver/4.5
Leek - 4.5 silver/3.5
Austin - 2 silver/4
Matt Price (16) - 0.5 silver/4

Same dilemma here as what we have at DM - wait for the kids to develop, or grab a more ready player in the offseason? Austin way outplays the rating, however, and was about to take over Crane's starting spot again.

Attacking Midfielder - Right
Liam Harris (20) - 4/4
Roy Horgan (23) - 0.5/0.5

Harris is a guy I'm not sure about. Ratings aren't great and he's prone to inconsistency. Wouldn't mind seeing someone else here, to be honest. Horgan was good initially, but then stunk.

Strikers
Carl Harris (18) - 3.5/4
Andrew Folan (24) - 1 /5
Crane - 2.5 silver/4
Leek - 1.5 silver/0.5
Aaron Gibson (18) - 1 silver/3
Owen Rawlins (17) - 1 silver/2.5
Wayne Howell (16) - 0.5 silver/3
Tate Sheppard (19) - 0.5 silver/1

Big question here is if Turncoat Folan will ever reach his potential. I'm a bit skeptical. Harris was the biggest offseason signing by far, and a kid who is quietly blossoming into a star. Like so many others, consistency is an issue. Things to think about here.

Initial report of wage budget for next season is $150k - almost double what we had before! :eek: This Cheddar board is serious about giving me the financial resources we need to succeed.

vs Westbury (11th)
G: Gareth Rees
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Mark Reynolds
M: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

Just before this game, we secured a free transfer of a player who will immediately bolster our DM position. Although it's on a non-contract rather than a secured deal, I thought it was better to snap him up now rather than wait for next year, when he might not be available.

55 - Colson out to Liam Harris for the perfectly placed pass into the box, just ahead of Folan to finally end his scoring drought! Todd and Austin replace Reynolds and Crane respectively. 1-0

76/b] - That's the kind of flawlessly executed move there's no stopping. [b]1-1

85 - Here's Liam Harris running down the right flank, and here is putting another perfect ball to Folan in the box for the late go-ahead goal. 2-1

Andrew Folan naturally won PotM with his 8.8, although supporting was two 7.5s in George Colson and Jerrome Sobers. Nice way to end the season, getting revenge on a team that beat us last time, and locking up 80 points for the year.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/Cheddarstandingsy2_zpswtaul8l8.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/Cheddarstandingsy2_zpswtaul8l8.jpg.html)

Note: This doesn't include Billy Frost, whose average rating of 7.75 across all games would destroy the average rating boards.

Burgess Hill Rhinos ran roughshod over Mid Sussex Division Four, winning by like 20 points! Impressive work, and they're starting to do it more and more with their own players, rather than my guys.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/defY2_zpsbdzr6q9d.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/defY2_zpsbdzr6q9d.jpg.html)

Overall, we were better defensively than last season - a big reason we're going up. Jerrome Sobers was a huge addition, and as mentioned before, other than that slump of form, Emmanuel Mensah was a house. More evidence for Jon Beeden being upgraded, however.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/midattacky2_zpsecrywxk4.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/midattacky2_zpsecrywxk4.jpg.html)

Like I said, Billy Frost's stats are off, due to his break away from us. But we do see here that the staff is right - our team's success was built on our dominating central midfielders. I still rate Liam Harris above Roy Horgan based on this. What a hell of a season by Carl Harris, who plays defensive forward in our setup, yet racked up all the goals.

Sure enough, we receive notice that Billy Frost's 7.75 average rating smashes the old league record of 7.24. Beautiful, just beautiful. Incidentally, with that other team, he had just 6.47 in 10 games - probably used incorrectly there.

Favored Clubs - Cheddar
Richie McGuinness
Matt Price
Mark Reynolds
Tate Sheppard (Player)
Will Todd

Favored Personnel - Izulde Jestor
Matt Price
Tate Sheppard

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/chedawardsy2_zpsehgxtsma.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/chedawardsy2_zpsehgxtsma.jpg.html)

Billy Frost got robbed here.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/chedy2alltime_zps4grmd21z.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/chedy2alltime_zps4grmd21z.jpg.html)

Lone holdout from old regime is Paul Ward, but he should be scrubbed off the list by the end of next season. Billy Frost's appearances have been correctly recorded, BTW.

End season team meeting is a disaster. The squad thinks they're good enough to be a top side next year, and I'm just like um... no.

Best Yearly Training
Gregg Crane
Owen Rawlins
Carl Harris
Will Todd
Matt Smart

Poor Yearly Training
Connor Leek

My name comes up in a shit ton of job openings, but only one appeals to me on first blush, and digging deeper into it, I'm just like nah - too big a jump and too much of a hassle to sort out.

...Or is it?

Loughborough University gets the treble, winning the Midand Football League Premier Division, the FA Vase, and the Midland Football League Cup.

Two very minimal increases in sponsorship deals that aren't worth it TBH.

The transfer revenue went down from 20% to 10 or 15% earlier in the year, then back up to 20% that I forgot to note, and now it's crashed down to just 5%.


Club Value: $1k (-$17k from last season!)
Average Ticket Price: $8
Season Ticket Price: $128
Season Ticket Holders: 7
Average Attendance: 86 (Up 16 from last year)
Loss: $17.7k (An improvement over the $20k losses last season)
Bank Balance: - $32.2k

Transfer In: DM/MC Steven Gorman (16) - From Leicester Road
Youth pull for them last year with 11 passing, 13 tackling, 10 Teamwork and Vision, and 13 Work Rate. Also has solid all-around physical attributes and is primed to be a great player for us. New highest paid, too, sharing those honors with Gareth Rees ($140 p/a).

Word of my interview with a potential new job leaks out, and there's an article published talking about how though I hadn't previously expressed interest, I was considered a co-favorite to get the job at 3:1 odds on bookie boards, and after my interview, I'm the clear favorite at 5:4 odds.

That new club is paying way too much money for their mediocre staff at that level, but they offer a $60.54k compensation clause :eek:. Wow, we're talking serious money here! Ultimately, the staff is better than what we have now, so yeah, not gonna make any changes.

And then the job offer comes:

Wage Budget: $613k a year (Over 4x more than Cheddar!)
Transfer Budget: $26.54k (An actual transfer budget!)
Contract offer: 1 year, $20k

Hmm... those financials are tasty, but that feels like selling a little low on my wage, considering how big a jump I'm making, and already making double-digits here. I ask for $34k. They're willing to bump it up to $22.5k, which would be over double what I'm making at Cheddar.

Since I'm still not sure about this, let's push it to $26.5k. I really want to feel like I'm making a huge splash by signing, and if they reject it, no worr-

Wow. They agree. Shit. Now what? This is a HUGE opportunity in terms of resources. (The team also has good training facilities and a 4,100 seat stadium, with an average attendance of 1,096 last season). On the other hand, it's a major jump up, and Cheddar has been very good to me, and I love the team I'm building with the Cheesemen.

Going to go agonize over this one a while.

[bbgunn]

Wow, I completely missed that you took over a team called Cheddar. That was cheesy of me.

[Izulde]

If this was real life, I'd accept it in a heartbeat. But it's not, and in terms of story, if I accept it, then this becomes NoSkillz' dynasty with a better starting position for a long-term club. You guys have already seen that movie, and probably don't want to see it again. Besides, I like the team name, logo, and colors, but the nickname is boring. Plus, with that large a jump, this could be Chelmsford all over again.

And so I walk away. Better to stick with a club I know, and gradually get used to higher levels, rather than have to start all over again. Cheddar jumped significantly in the rankings, as did Burgess Hill Rhinos obviously.

We still can't get anyone to sign an actual part-time contract with us. That's kinda bullshit.

Transfer In - DC Samuel Westray (23)
Marginally better than the other guys we have on offer, and a good enough backup to Jerrome Sobers. Decent upside, too. Solid all around, rather than standing out in any area.

Transfer Out - ST Owen Rawlins
Not a huge loss by any means. Was never going to see PT in our glut of strikers.

Iran sets the world ablaze by winning the World Cup

Transfer In - DLC/WBL/ML David Lynn (23)
Technically raw, but solid mental attributes, including 15 Teamwork and some nice physical attributes outside of 2 Balance. He's rated on par with Jon Beeden, but has exceptional potential according to my scouts. An immediate new starter.

Transfer Out - GK Gareth Rees - $4k
Very disappointing to lose him, as he was a fantastic keeper for us. Fortunately, it's still preseason, so we have time to try finding another goalie somewhere.

Promotion Odds
Barnstaple: 4-5
Cribbs: 4-6
Saltash: Even
Bristol Manor Farm: 5-1
Odd Down: 10-1
Willand: 14-1
Cheddar: 16-1

7th. Huh. I don't think we're that good, but we'll see.

1,099 people show up for a friendly vs Hull City Under 21s, a match we get a 0-0 draw out of, and huge amounts of cash that gives us a record $8,08k profits for one month.

Carl Harris and Billy Frost are appointed Captain and Vice-Captain, a move that pisses off Jon Beeden and makes Harris feel pressured, but there's a lot of happy players with the decision, including Frost, who is thrilled to be vice-captain.

Transfer In - GK Flo Gislette (23) (French)
I took a gamble on our crappy scout being okay with him, and my assman quite likes him - 2/4 (better judge of talent). I like his ratings fine, though he wasn't very good in the Isthmian Premier. But that's also several levels above where we're playing now. I'm calling it a good stopgap if nothing else. Cheap, too.

We're still a ridiculous $95.1k under wage budget heading into the season, so plenty of room to go and find someone elite if the board is willing to splash the cash. Still not overly excited about our AML situation, to be perfectly honest.

[Izulde]

Wow, I completely missed that you took over a team called Cheddar. That was cheesy of me.

:D It's all good. Appreciate the pun, too.

Expectations
Western Premier: Top Half
FA Cup: Preliminary Round
FA Vase: Second Round
Western League Les Phillips Cup: Quarterfinal

All quite fair, all things considered, if a bit steep on the league and Phillips Cup.

@ Welton Rovers
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Andrew Folan/Carl Harris

Good first test, against the team that was ahead of us last year.

5 - Carl Harris to Folan and he gets the giveback into the box. The shot's deflected, but charging Liam Harris snags the rebound, dribbles past the defender, and fires in the rebound! 1-0

65 - Gibson, who had a fantastic preseason, replaces Folan, and it's Todd in for Gorman

Impressive work by the backline, with 7.2 for David Lynn and Emmanuel Mensah. PotM - Jerrome Sobers with a 7.6. Everyone else was startlingly meh, though - particularly our strikers.

Despite the move up, it's still just our faithful 7 diehards who buy season tickets. :(

vs Buckland (20th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: George Colson/Tom Rowbotham
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Andrew Folan/Aaron Gibson

26 - I keep meaning to take Austin off PKs because his ratings suck, but he converts here, so I can't really complain! 1-0

30 - Austin and Folan exchange passes a few times after the throw-in, and Gibson is decked on the former's center. The ball keeps rolling, however, and Horgan slams it in! 2-0

32 - Colson's corner is perfectly placed to Sobers' head, and the Dominican veteran hammers it home! 3-0

59 - Burrows in at DL; Sobers shifts to DR and I put Westray in at DC, clearing the yellow carded Lynn and Mensah, who, while playing great, are yellows and tiring.

90 - Well, that's disappointing. 3-1

Second strong performance by Jerrome Sobers with a 7.9. Roy Horgan nabbed a 7.8 himself, but it was George Colson's 9.0 that won PotM.

vs East Preston (FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Will Todd
MC: Billy Frost/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Tate Sheppard/Carl Harris

30 - Mensah runs down a loose free kick and hammers it all the way down the right flank to Carl Harris, who holds up play until passing to Frost in the box. With only the keeper to beat, Billy Boy sings it in! 1-0

51 - Beeden for Flynn; Burrows for Mensah

58 - That was some nervy, ballsy keeping by Gislette there. Came out to face a sure goal and stopped it twice!

76 - Some buildup in the back before somebody, I forget who, hits the long ball to Carl Harris just outside the box. Dribble in to three defenders and lay off to Sheppard, and the keeper isn't ready for it! 2-0

90 - Perfect free kick by Frost to Carl Harris in the box, and he kicks in the last minute score. 3-0

Matching 9.0s for Carl Harris and Billy Frost, the former winning PotM. I need to give Frost whatever money he wants, even though I can't sign players to contracts yet. A nod to Mark Reynolds for his 8.0 and strong play by the defense, with Will Todd and Flo Gislette putting up 7.3s, Samuel Westray a 7.4.

504 people show up to smash the non-friendly attendance record during last year's game we won't mention, and the $4k in gate receipts + the $2.25k prize money for winning and that's the kind of cash that makes a huge dent in our currently Insecure financial status.

A few days later, Billy Frost signs a new contract that will pay him a my tenure record $160 P/A. Dude is worth every single penny, and hopefully that'll scare off some of the sharks swimming around him. Takes us from $95.1k in the wage budget to $91.9k, but I'm more than good with that.

[Izulde]

@ Cadbury Heath (10th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Andrew Folan/Carl Harris

6 - Not much to be done about that one. 0-1

25 - We've been knocking on the door all game, and haven't converted. Finally, Gorman gets a loose ball and drills it down the pitch to Folan, who dribbles past the defense and nails it past the keeper in a 1 v 1. 1-1

32 - Poor defending. 1-2

45 - Absolute garbage. 1-3

Burrows and Todd swap out for Mensah and Sobers at half as we go with a 2-2-2-4 DM Wide formation with 2 DMs.

54 - Whatever. 1-4

59 - Colson scores during a corner. Don't care. 2-4

63 - Fuck this. 2-5

65 - Own goal? Doesn't matter. 3-5

91 - "But surely too late for Cheddar". No shit. 4-5

92 - Because why the fuck not. 4-6

We didn't deserve to lose this game despite the scoreline. Just one of those days.

Liam Harris is out 1-2 weeks with a stubbed toe. In this league, you either win to go up or you don't go anywhere. Bottom 3 teams drop down to Level 10.

@ Saltash (16th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Will Todd
MC: George Colson/Mark Reynolds
AM: Gregg Crane/Roy Horgan
S: Andrew Folan/Aaron Gibson

12 - Horgan wings out to Mensah, and the near post cross finds Folan for the shot. It's deflected, but a drifting back Gibson grabs the rebound and scores. 1-0

Gorman comes in at MC for tired Reynolds at half.

53 - Time to go asymmetrical with Burrows at WBR, replacing awful Horgan

76 - Ugh. 1-1

We were underdogs, so a draw is okay, I guess. But meh. I hate leagues where it's winner take all as the only promotion. Makes the season a total waste if you don't win.

Roy Horgan gets hurt in practice and is out 5-6 weeks, forcing us to an symmetrical formation - or, come to think of it, we may try a narrow one.

@ Aylesbury (FA Cup Preliminary Round)
G: Flo Gislette
D: Jon Beeden/Samuel Westray/Jim Williams/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: George Colson/Mark Reynolds
AM: Billy Frost
S: Andrew Folan/Carl Harris

Trying something a little different today, because of injuries and because why not?

2 - FOUR FUCKING DEFENDERS IN THE GOAL AND YOU STILL ALLOW THAT SHIT?! 0-1

17 - wHATEVER. 0-2

60 - Gislette booms one down the middle of the pitch to Frost, who blasts a beauty in the upper half from the half-circle. 1-2

67 - I made subs. They don't fucking matter. 1-3

84 - We need a new keeper. This one stinks. 1-4

Worst match we've ever played. I start scanning the job openings, kind of wanting to go back to the Amateur levels. Andrew Folan will miss at least our next game with a head gash.

[Izulde]

vs Melksham (13th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

14 - Bad set piece defending. 0-1

46 - Frost's free kick bounces around until Austin breaks loose and puts away the equalizer before half. 1-1

Burrows steps in for error-prone Lynn at the break.

58 - Asymmetrical formation as we pull Liam Harris out and try Crane as a striker.

80 - Mensah recovers a clearance just outside the box and passes into it to Gibson. He turns around, and then fires in the late goal! 2-1

That's what you call a grit and grind type of win. No PotM awards, no standouts. A victory we were lucky to get.

vs Bideford (13th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Gregg Crane/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

25 - Crane picks up a clearance in the box, but his short pass to Carl Harris is stripped away by a tackle. It bounces off a defender and right back to Crane, who powers in the diagonal shot! 1-0

26 - Crane's pressured by the defender, so he crosses it. Keeper comes out and deflects it, but the ball just sits there with the goalie out of position and an open net. Gibson runs up first to just dump it in. 2-0

53 - Gorman up to MC, Todd at DM, as tired but brilliant Frost takes a breather.

61 - Harris tracks down a header clearance, then crosses to Carl Harris for the high kick goal! Brilliant playing Crane has a knock, so his exhaustion finally gives way to Austin to close the game out. 3-0

67 - Carl Harris with the interception of a bad pass, and lateral passes to Colson and Gibson ensue before the latter sides it to Liam Harris. A straight line pass into the box later, and Gibson has his second score of the contest. 4-0

77 - Personally, I thought that was offsides, but what do I know? 4-1

87 - Real collapse by our defense in the late game. 4-2

We were playing superbly until the last 20 minutes, turning this from a rout into a win that was carried by PotM Liam Harris (9.0) and Aaron Gibson (8.8). Oh, and Billy Frost with a 7.5 before taking a breather.

It's early days yet, but we're in 2nd place for now, and actively looking for players to make our team stronger.

[Izulde]

@ Bridgport (16th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

5 - I keep forgetting to move Austin off the list of PK takers, but he converts here. 1-0

12 - That didn't look offsides to me, but we'll take it.

Burrows again replaces mistake-riddled Lynn at half. Kid's about to lose his starting job.

57 - Mensah throws in to Gibson, who had a dreadful first half, but he's able to turn around, literally and short pass it to Liam Harris for the snipe shot score! 2-0

68 - Frost's free kick is a chip shot far post into the box, where Carl Harris beats everyone for the short blast in. 3-0

80 - Got caught flat-footed with open net rebound. 3-1

7.9 for Jerrome Sobers, 8.6 for PotM Billy Frost, 8.0 for Liam Harris, and 7.6 for Carl Harris, whom the announcers raved about after the game.

4 teams now with 16 points each. Tight, tight atop the top of the table. 5th is 3 points back with 13.

vs Bristol Manor Farm (10th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: Jon Beeden/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

11 - Beeden plays a longball down the flank for Austin, whose cross to Gibson nets a score. My staff keeps telling me to drop the latter two players, but Austin simply outplays his rivals and Gibson has really stepped up whereas Folan is inconsistent. 1-0

50 - Folan steps in for Carl Harris

61 - Todd replaces mediocre Gorman

62 - Rare misplay by Sobers there. 1-1

88 - Magic cards go flying as I smash my keyboard into the desk. 1-2

Fucking pathetic way to waste a lot of great individual performances. I chew the shit out of the team in the locker room That was a golden fucking opportunity and we pissed it away.

Still, this isn't down to Emmanuel Mensah, who continues to be a fucking rock at DR, so I reward him with a new contract that triples his P/A money to $150, second highest on the squad.

@ Willand (1st)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

At half time, Folan swaps for injured Gibson, Lynn shifts DC, and Burrows comes in at DL.

Their keeper had a 9.1, and he's a guy we tried to get here, but he told us where we could go. Just one of those games where there's no breaking down that forcefield.

We also lose Aaron Gibson for 2-3 weeks with a heel injury.

vs Hadley (FA Vase Second Qualifying Round)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris/Andrew Folan

11 - Shitfuck defending. 0-1

57 - Sheppard for Carl Harris; Crane for Austin

64 - Mensah to Crane for the boomer to Sheppard down outside the left side of the box. Cross far side has the ball bouncing in the six yarder, and despite his injury, Folan walks it in. 1-1

Just some bad beats here, and no standout play anywhere. Andrew Folan is out for a week and a half, which probably means a single striker formation our next match.

@ Hengrove (Western League Les Phillips Cup Second Round)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Will Todd
MC: Tom Rowbotham/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Roy Horgan
S: Carl Harris

Burrows for Lynn at the break.

59 - Crane for Austin

We are absolute shit and this goes to overtime.

94 - Sheppard for Harris

This one goes to PKs. I'll skip the drama. We win 6-5 but I'm not at all happy about it. This was a shit team that we played so poorly against, we frankly should have lost. Tom Rowbotham does get PotM with a 7.5.

We're in a real slump form wise at the moment and struggling to get out of it. Our efforts to bring in talent upgrades keep getting blocked, and it feels like we're due to continue a bad run in league play until we can improve enough.

[Izulde]

vs Longwell Green (15th)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Mark Reynolds/Billy Frost
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris

24 - Gorman kicks back to Mensah for the power ball into the box. Liam Harris has a step on everyone and puts it past the keeper! 1-0

33 - Gorman and Frost keep exchanging passes until the latter feeds to Liam Harris in the box. The give to Carl Harris goes past, but charging Austin slots in the loose ball! 2-0

37 - That's the kind of power strike you just can't stop. 2-1

57 - Sheppard for Carl Harris, who has missed easy shots all game, and Westray goes out for Todd, changing us to a 3-2-2-3 formation with 2 DMs.

74 - Ugh. 2-2

We drop all the way to 5th on the back of that draw, and it's become clear Flo Gislette is not the answer in the nets.

Transfer In - AMR Laurie Berry (19)
Our new most expensive player at $170 p/a, but he has 19 Flair, 13 Acceleration, 10 Pace, 10 Stamina, and 12 Teamwork. Not a need area to upgrade by any means, but still an improvement over Liam Harris.

@ Hadley (FA Vase Second Qualifying Round Replay)
G: Flo Gislette
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Will Todd
MC: George Colson/Billy Frost
AM: Omarr Austin/Laurie Berry
S: Carl Harris

Highlight-less half. Burrows for Mensah and Crane for Austin at the break.

92 - Gibson for Harris, who continues to be lousy.

119 - Colson boots a long ball down the left flank to Gibson in the box. There's defenders all around him, so he crosses far post, where an exhausted Berry topples forward to drop a diving debut header goal in!!! 1-0

Lot of 7.3 and 7.4s, but the standout was Will Todd, winning PotM with an 8.7. He's really trying to force his way into a more regular feature. A paltry $1.34k for the win, but money is money.

@ Barnstaple (9th)G: Flo Gislette
D: Jon Beeden/Samuel Westray/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Jim Williams
MC: Mark Reynolds/Steven Gorman
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Andrew Folan/Aaron Gibson

53 - Sheppard and Crane replace our strikers, who continue to stink it up out there.

Honestly, we were lucky to get a draw. They have an elite striker who should have destroyed us, but he was off target all day long.

Loan In - GK Keith Burton (19)
Will serve as a backup for now, but could challenge Flo Gislette for a starting spot if I feel like the Frenchman continues to stumble.

Transfer Out - AML/ML Connor Leek - N/C
Quickly dropped behind the curve and our former team captain was never going to break back in.

@ Cribbs (3rd)
D: David Lynn/Jerrome Sobers/Emmanuel Mensah
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: Billy Frost/George Colson
AM: Omarr Austin/Laurie Berry
S: Carl Harris/Aaron Gibson

7 - Poor defending by Sobers. Sigh. 0-1

31 - Frost fucked up. 0-2

38 - Yeah. 0-3

60 - Harris ends his drought. 1-3

78 - How fucking stupid. 1-4

Five straight league games without a win, and our season is falling apart fast.

Transfer Out - DL Jon Beeden (N/C)
Wanted more PT than he was getting.

Transfer Out - ST Andrew Folan (N/C)
Our Benedict Arnold was clearly overmatched at this level, so I'm not terribly sorry to see him go. Thanks for the promotion memories!

There's an amateur side I really want to go, but they don't have the money to pay for my release clause. I pitch a fit to the board and complain in the media, and though they're not happy to see me leave, they'll let me walk if I get a job offer.

vs Wincanton (16th)
G: Keith Burton
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Jerrome Sobers/Curtis Burrows
DM: Steven Gorman
MC: George Colson/Billy Frost
AM: Omarr Austin/Liam Harris
S: Carl Harris

20 - Burrows throws into Gorman and gets it back, placing a perfect cross for Austin to hammer it in. 1-0

29 - Liam Harris kicks back to Burrows for the long, perfect in box pass to Carl Harris and the strike is sure. Morale was in the tank prior to this game, so this is a much-needed reversal. 2-0

35 - Sobers intercepts and gives to Frost, who booms the long ball into the box for Liam Harris. Cross to Carl Harris for the header! 3-0

The entire team had 6.8 or higher, and only 3 were below 7.2/b]. [b]Jerrome Sobers (7.9), George Colson (8.3), and PotM Carl Harris (8.8) were the three standout stars today.

We jump back into 5th on that win, and are still in striking distance of the title if we can start winning.

vs Pickering (FA Vase First Round)
G: Keith Burton
D: David Lynn/Samuel Westray/Jerrome Sobers/Curtis Burrows
DM: Will Todd
MC: George Colson/Billy Frost
AM: Gregg Crane/Laurie Berry
S: Carl Harris

43 - Berry is knocked out, so we go Asymmetrical with Gibson as a second striker.

Burrows moves to DL and Mensah in at DR at half.

We lose Laurie Berry for 2 months. Ouch. Not that I'll be here.

The new job offer comes the next day, and I accept it. It comes with a ton of pressure, compared to the relative easy expectations and support I had at Cheddar. But at least there's no typos in the team name here, and I'm finally coaching a team name I've wanted to manage for a very, very long time.

[Izulde]

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/201564-567004-thickbox_zps9dytrtfx.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/201564-567004-thickbox_zps9dytrtfx.jpg.html)
Lindfield FC Swans
Amateur
Obscure Reputation
Bank Balance: ~$40k
Season Tickets: 14
1st place in Mid Sussex Premier with 24 points, but the 2nd place team is 1 point behind and has a game in hand.

10 matches played, 26 total.

Stadium: 1,000 capacity, owned by the local council.

Lindfield is a village of just over 5,800 people, renowned for its natural beauty as part of the High Weald, and the town itself has a lime-tree lined main street with stunning medieval buildings. The Swans have a beautiful logo and a cool team name.

There's also a B and C team that play further down the structure, but I'm not going to worry about them just yet. Oh, and Lindfield IV, so a lot of reserve squads.

This is Lindfield's first breakout season, the Swans having finished 12th and 10th the last few years. The board's expecting a league win, and we've already met our trophy expectations in their best year, so anything else is added bonus.

@ Jarvis Brook II (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Second Round)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Marios Solomou/Jonah Gregory/Tony Stanley/Ronnie Brock
DM: Jake Robson
M: Ed Brinkhurst/Colin Pritchard/Marvin Downing (No ML)
S: Joel Purkiss/Tim Mitchel-King

There's a few players worth having here, but overall, not an impressive lot, and there's a ton of injuries to key dudes, and exhaustion galore on this squad.

[b]5 - Mitchel-King's pass is intercepted by a tackle that sends the ball into the box. Downing, a loan player who is one of the better talents on the team, gets there first and hits the score. 1-0

55 - Darryl Ray in for Brock, Alan Peters for Solomou as we try to keep some energy levels up at least.

Stellar performances out of our midfield, highlighted by PotM Marvin Downing's 7.6. Alan Peters had a 7.0 off the bench. Man, I love being back in the Amateur leagues.

I'm also the only coach on staff after firing our assman, and I'm trying to get one that's at least slightly useful. Copthrone, who have a game in hand on us, win that game in hand, so they're now in 1st place.

Transfer In - ML/AML/Assistant Coach Chris Adam (36)
Fills our need for a left midfielder and is immediately the best player on the team, including being our new assistant manager into the bargain. Technically an exceptional player for this level, and his 13 Corners is the highest attribute I've had in this dynasty.

Transfer In - DL/WBL/ML Fraser Logan (34) (Scottish)
We continue to pull in the veterans and Logan, despite playing very well for Burgess Hill Rhinos, increasingly saw his PT cut. He's just one of a few players I'm hoping to bring on board.

Transfer In - DM/MC/AMC Mason Hirst (24)
I continue raiding my first club for players, and Hirst I'm hoping will be a long-term fixture. The Rhinos fanbase is pissed I poached him, but oh well. Shit happens. Massive talent infusions for sure.

Transfer In - MC/MR/AMR/AMC Peggy Lokando (29) (Congolese)
The third stolen player from the Rhinos, and the third straight huge upgrade in player quality. Unlike the others, I'm not quite sure exactly where I'll put him - he's got the versatility to play a lot of spots, however. Appeared in just 2 games this year.

Transfer In - ST Julian Owusu (29) (Ghanian)
Our strikers were awful the first game, so landing a veteran who has Ithsmian D1 quality is absolutely huge. I expect this fine striker to tear up the scoring charts as he's great in all areas for this level.

Transfer In - ML/MR/AML Orlando Joao (23) (Dutch)
Rhino #4, and a long-term solution along with Hirst. I absolutely loved this kid in Burgess Hill as a rotational guy, and although much like the rest, was unloved due to my successor bringing in his own dudes, the Dutchman gets a second chance as a Swan.

That's five signings showing up to the press conference - a record.

]vs Copthorne (1st)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Fraser Logan/Jonah Gregory/Josh Medlyn
DM: Connor Pritchard
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

First true game of the Burr- err I mean the new Lindfield Swans. Copthorne actually come in favored to win this one.

Stanley replaces injured, yellow-carded Gregory at half.

65 - Owusu kicks back to Lokando for the perfect feed to Mitchel-King, whom I like because of his 11 Finishing. The kid sinks it for a debut goal in his first league game for this squad. 1-0

68 - Mitchel-King to Lokando, but his pass to Owusu in the box is tackled away. Luckily, a cutting in Joao slots away his own debut goal! 2-0

With that win, we obviously jump back into 1st place. Peggy Lokando is PotM with a 9.0 debut, Orlando Joao has an 8.3 one, rating matched by Neil Macgregor, who though stinking in ratings, has posted a 7.1 and 8.3 his first two games of my tenure. 7.5 for Tim Mitchel-King as well, as we dominate the second half thanks to my halftime speech, and come away with a key victory in our biggest match of the year.

It's all part of an 11 straight unbeaten record that dates back to my predecessor. There's still some upgrades I'd love to make, but there's no question we really turned it on in short order thanks to my raiding.

We do lose Jonah Gregory for 2 weeks, which is bad news bears.

[Young Drachma]

Up The Swans!

[Izulde]

Up The Swans!

I sure hope so! :D It helps having some of my Rhinos players back with me.

@ AFC Vardenians II (4th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Fraser Logan/Tony Stanley/Josh Medlyn
DM: Jake Robson
M: Chris Adam/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

30 - Medlyn intercepts a clearance and hits the ball forward. It's cleared, but Hirst is there for the head trap and follow it with a beautiful pass into the box just ahead of Owusu, who scores his first Swans goal! 1-0

54 - Solomou for Logan; Stanley up to DM and Brock in at DC.

63 - They've spent their three subs and now one of their players goes off with injury, putting them a man down the rest of the game.

69 - Stanley blasts a rocket down to Owusu, who traps the ball and gains control, then pops it into box space for Mitchel-King to have a 1 on 1 vs the keeper, which he converts! Game incorrectly calls it a debut score, and I noticed before the game that he has a 2(4) appearances, but whatever. 2-0

Strong performances all around, with Peggy Lokando (7.5), Mason Hirst (8.0), and Julian Owusu (PotM - 8.5) topping the 7.5+ charts. Score one for my using previous guys and uplifting the Swans.

It's been 459 minutes since Neil MacGregor has allowed a goal, so I'll keep sticking with him for the time being - though I do have my eye on a couple of other goalies.

We also set a team record with 6 consecutive wins.

Transfer In - DR/WBRL/MR Curtis Burrows (22)
Poaching from Cheddar as well, even if some people might think it a cheesy move. A solid rotation guy for us with the Cheesemen, he's an instant starter as a Swan, likely at DR.

Transfer In - DC Samuel Westray (24)
We steal another Cheeseman reserve, and Sammy had a 7.07 rating in his 7 appearances with me in Cheddar. Much like Burrows, he goes from rotation player to starting lineup lock - in his case at DC. Which would mean the entire backline of Logan/Westray/Burrows would all be guys who have played for me before. Cool cool cool.

@ Slinfold (Sussex Intermediate Cup Third Round)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Fraser Logan/Samuel Westray/Curtis Burrows
DM: Colin Pritchard
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Joel Purkiss/Tim Mitchel-King

3 - Had to happen eventually. 0-1

10 - No good, no good at all. 0-2

41 - Purkiss lays it down the left flank for Joao, who gets it just before it goes out of bounds. The ensuing near post cross is right to Mitchel-King for the buggy report score. 1-2

Solomou is in for the shitty Scot Logan at half.

47 - Giving up a hat trick = Burrows pulled for Brock. Ugh. 1-3

Had to happen sometime. At least it wasn't a league game.

vs AFC Ringmer (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Third Round)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Fraser Logan/Jonah Gregory/Josh Medlyn
DM: Jake Robson
M: Chris Adam/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

5 - Mitchel-King to Hirst to Owusu straight-line for the score. 1-0

43 - Assistant coach Adam is injured, and a tired Joao steps in for him.

52 - Ed Brinkhurst for Mitchel-King

58 - Double yellow for Robson. Great.

61 - You had to know that would happen. 1-1

We have several chances to win it in regulation, but Owusu just can't connect a second time, so to extra time we go.

94 - Burrows plays a beautiful ball forward to Brinkhurst, who dribbles and strikes his second goal of the season on a long strike! 2-1

101 - We're awarded an own goal, but it's disallowed. FUCK!

104 - Called it. 2-2

114 - A second own goal, but this one's not coming back! 3-2

Weird, weird game. Curtis Burrows was as brilliant at MR as he was awful at DR, netting an 8.9. Mason Hirst is PotM with his 9.0, and Ed Brinkhurst came up with the game-saving 8.3 sub showing.

Transfer In - DL/WBL Luke Rowe (27) (New Zealander)
World class better at DL than Fraser Logan or anyone else on the roster. Bit of a journeyman, and not a real standout in any one area, but here's to hoping his all-around game proves worth it.

Transfer In - DM/MC Ken Black (18)
A legit transfer with respectable attributes in key areas, and a massive upgrade in the DM department - as much as Rowe is at DL. Could conceivably play MC as well and move Peggy Lokando out to his more natural MR, but I'll hold off on that.

To be honest, I expected this kind of choppiness we've had the last couple of games. That's a lot of new players we're bringing in, and while some of them have played together before, quite a few have been at new positions, and it's a setup (3-1-4-2 DM Flat) I haven't utilized before.

[Izulde]

@ QK Southampton (11th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Luke Rowe/Tony Stanley/Ronnie Brock
DM: Ken Black
M: Martin Allen/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Joel Purkiss/Tim Mitchel-King

13 - Rowe intercepts a de facto goal kick and longs it to Allen. The high, booming cross turns into a fluke goal! 1-0

24 - Hirst hits it to Allen on the wing, and this time the goalie pushes away the cross. Unfortunately, it leaves him out of position, and Downing is there first to drive in the long-range into the empty net. 2-0

34 - Lokando slams the diagonal free kick into the box, whereupon Purkiss, who stunk his first two games starting in my regime, is in front for his 4th goal of the year. 3-0

74 - Meh. Only one goal. 3-1

Stellar all around. Ken Black with a 7.9 in his debut, 8.4 for Marvin Downing, 9.0 for PotM Peggy Lokando, and 8.0 for Martin Allen.

Transfer In - DR/WBR Jake Newton (34) (Guyanese)
Keep on dipping into the international side of things. 22 international caps for Guyana, and the best mental attributes I've ever seen on a player in my LLM plays - his lowest in Mentals is an 8, and there's too many double-digits to count. Clearly on the downside of his career, and we'll probably need to replace him soon, but for now, a significant improvement at DR.

Transfer Out - DM/MC Jake Robson (Non-Contract)
A fan favorite, but never more than the third string after we brought in Ken Black. Sorry, Swans Nation, the kid just wasn't that good from my lights.

vs Fellbridge (14th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

Halfway through the season now, and everyone is square at 13 games. We're up by a single point on second place, 6 points up on third, and a whopping 12 on 4th place. So really, this is a two horse race at the moment.

14 - Lokando gets a free kick just inside the semi-circle, and our Congolese star midfielder belts it home for his first ever Swans goal!!! 1-0

35 - Rowe throws the ball in the box to Owusu, who is nailed and awarded a PK. Ghana pride in effect as he powers the PK past the keeper! 2-0

52 - Brinkhurst in for Mitchel-King

57 - Black moves up to MC, replacing Hirst, who has been terrible. Pritchard comes in at DM.

77 - Cross by Burrows is cleared away, but he gets his own clearance and far post crosses to Brinkhurst, whose nifty back heel kick into the net results in a score, thanks to the bar. 3-0

All full-time starters except Neil MacGregor and Jake Newton were 7.1 or higher, the best of the best being Curtis Burrows with a 7.9, Orlando Joao with a stellar second half to get a 7.7, and PotM Peggy Lokando, who recorded his second straight 9.0. Goals are a thing, so Ed Brinkhurst grabbed a 7.0 off the bench.

Curiously enough, 108 people showed up for that game against a scrub team, setting an attendance record. Guess people are really loving Jestorball: the Soccer Edition. Even better, Copthorne had a 0-0 draw against the third place squad, which means we're a full 3 points clear.

@ Smallfield (8th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

9 - Goalie clears it right at Lokando, who first touch pops it to Mitchel-King in the box. He turns around, the defense trying to catch up to no avail, as he slams it in to the debut bug. 1-0

41 - Drilled from behind in the box is Joao, and Owusu converts the PK with ease. 2-0

47 - Lokando's corner kick turns into a own goal for us just before half. That works! 3-0

68 - Lokando's indirect free kick is perfectly placed in the penalty box, and Joao surges forward for a Dutch delight. 4-0

77 - That's only one. 4-1

80 - Burrows moves down to DR and Downing comes in at MR.

All starters except Curtis Burrows had at least a 7.0, with 8+ guys being Samuel Westray (8.2), Peggy Lokando (third straight 9.0 showing), and PotM Orlando Joao (9.1).

Copthorne was behind, but salvaged a late draw to keep our expansion down to 5 points.

vs East Grinstead United (11th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

32 - That's a questionable red card there, but we'll take it.

46 - Just before half, Newton throws in to Mitchel-King for the short pass to Burrows. The highball forward into the penalty box sees Owusu rise up and hammerhead it home! 1-0

49 - Ugh. Poor work by our defense getting back. 1-1

52 - Medlyn for Newton; Black to CM and Pritchard in at DM. I don't know what's wrong with Hirst the last couple games.

62 - Joao is hit with a penalty, and they convert. 1-2

81 - Westray's clearance is intercepted, but Pritchard, who has been a damn beast, gets yet another interception, and his high shot into the box is easy for Owusu to put away his second goal. 2-2

82 - @#%$Q%!%$!%!%$!%$!! 2-3

92 - Burrows' cross is cleared, but Joao has it outside the box and strikes in a gorgeous 25 yard bomb to salvage the draw with less than a minute to go. 3-3

We should have won this game, but our defense fucked us six ways to Sunday. And just like that, our lead is back down to 3 points with 10 games remaining.

[Izulde]

@ Portslade Athletic (11th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

13 - Rowe intercepts a clearance and plays it high to Owusu for the in-box header. Mitchel-King is there and he puts it away, despite silly cries of offsides. 1-0

33 - Rowe throws into Black and gets it back for the pass to Mitchel-King. Our buggy striker kicks back to Hirst, and the ensuing feed is beautifully placed to box space. Owusu wins the foot race and puts it away with ease. 2-0

41 - Newton throw-in to Black, and it's a bad pass forward. Luckily, Newton muscles away the ball and hits the perfect cross to an untouched Joao for the score. 3-0

53 - Terrible covering by Rowe there. 3-1

64 - Own goal by MacGregor. We switch out the fullbacks - Logan at DL; Medlyn at DR. 3-2

73 - Fabulous 40 yard ball by Medlyn to Mitchel-King, who holds up play and lays off to Owusu. The kid gets the ball back, and it's Mitchel-King's second goal of the game after a dribble and diagonal shot! 4-2

Our backline continues to struggle, but Ken Black saved our defense with a 7.9, which Orlando Joao matched. 8.6 for Peggy Lokando, 8.7 for Tim Mitchel-King, 8.9 for Julian Owusu, and 9.0 for PotM Mason Hirst, bouncing back from two dreadful outings.

$2.44k profit and the board's very pleased with me. Oddly enough, they love the capture of Curtis Burrows as their highlight. That's not quite who I would have chosen, but it works.

vs Ashurst Wood (6th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

48 - Ugh. Joao to MR; Logan in at ML; Brinkhurst at ST, replacing Mitchel-King. We've sucked shit this whole game. 0-1

65 - FML. 0-2

78 - The fans start leaving for the exits. I don't blame them one bit.

That ends our run of 17 straight league games without a loss, dating back to my predecessor. We're still 2 points up on 2nd, but we missed a golden opportunity to expand our lead after Copthorne drew at home vs one of the league's worst teams. Funny thing is, we didn't play *that*badly, outside of our strikers sucking hardcore. A lot of it was just them getting lucky and Neil MacGregor failing to stop shots that were easy blocks.

Problem is, we haven't been able to find a better keeper who is willing to come and play for us. We need to get one, though. Like, badly.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - GK Matt Pegler (26)
This guy is a major, major upgrade in the net, and for some unfathomable reason, was sitting out on the street as a free agent. Was great in the Southern League First Division South/West a couple of years ago, and gets a chance to restart his career with us.

Transfer In - GK Rob Peet (26)
Actually, scratch that. Peet is even more fantastic a talent, and will be our new netminder. His ratings haven't been all that great, career-wise, but he'll get a shot here to prove it's just been shit teams he's on and not him. If he doesn't work, Pegler will be there to replace him.

@ Phoenix United (5th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

17 - Newton plays a brilliant ball ahead of Joao, who dribble-straddles the box line until he crosses to Mitchel-King for the score. 1-0

29 - Westray makes the stop in our box and short passes to Black for the kickback to Peet. Our new goalie hits a boomer at midfield to Mitchel-King, who launches it all the way downfield to Owusu in the box. He holds up play until passing back to Hirst for the lateral to Lokando. Lay-in the box is just ahead of Mitchel-King for his second score of the contest. 2-0

56 - Pritchard replaces tired Hirst; Joao moves to MR and Logan comes in at ML.

65 - Stupid Rowe gets hit with the PK. 2-1

86 - ...Yeah, Peet is getting benched next game. 2-2

Pathetic. And with Copthorne losing, we could have gotten more than just a single point, and should have.

@ Copthorne (Montgomery Challenge Cup Quarterfinal
G: Matt Pegler
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

They really want to kick our butts here after losing to us in my second ever Swans game, which has thus far been the deciding factor in the league lead.

7 - Fuck. 0-1

17 - This. 0-2

39 - Fucking. 0-3

44 - Bullshit. 0-4

We lose 1-5. Whatever.

@ Burgess Hill Rhinos (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Fourth Round)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

My first team is unbeaten and destroying Division 3. We're expected to get absolutely crushed here.

50 - Whatever. Subs that don't matter. 0-1

68 - We suck. 0-2

74 - PK present that Lokando locks down. 1-2

92 - Just in case we thought we had a chance. 1-3

vs Burridge (10th)
G: Jake Newton
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Curtis Burrows
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

Somehow a serious fucking bug just hit that only has 3 substitutes and rearranged everyone, putting Newton in goal.

We lose 1-2 and I'm seriously pissed and on the verge of quitting this dynasty.

[Izulde]

vs Cuckfield Rangers (4th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

21 - I missed the replay, but Westray booted one down the left flank to Joao, who dribbles and slams in the diagonal shot. 1-0

49 - On the verge of getting subbed out, Mitchel-King gets a cross from Owusu preceded by a Hirst longball and he slams in the 1v1 to stay in. 2-0

66 - Oof. 2-1

70 - Logan for Rowe and Pritchard for Black

72 - Lokando has the indirect free kick and he lands it far side in the box, whereupon Hirst darts forth to sing home his first ever Swans goal! 3-1

This win came down to our midfield - PotM Peggy Lokando with an 8.2, Mason Hirst nabbing a 7.9, and Orlando Joao getting a 7.5. It also puts us 10 points ahead of the Rangers. We also break the Mid Sussex Premier season record for goals with 46.

@ Peacehaven United (8th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Jake Newton
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Marvin Downing
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

We've had a lengthy break and Copthorne drew their last game, temporarily putting us in 2nd, so we need points out of this one.

30 - Stupid Mitchel-King pushed the keeper, robbing us of a fluke Downing goal.

35 - Sigh. 0-1

We''re playing like shit. I scream at the team in the locker room.

51 - Lokando with the gorgeous 30 yard free kick goal! 1-1

56 - Logan for Joao; Pritchard for Hirst as both are playing horribly.

77 - UGH 1-2

80 - WTFE 1-3

I'm not at all impressed with our youth pulls so we don't sign any of them.

vs Framfield & Blackboys United (3rd)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Josh Medlyn
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

31 - Burrows chases down a cross-field cross and dribbles forth to send it to Mitchel-King for an important score. 1-0

51 - Lovely Lokando long pass finds Owusu, and our African connection results in a go-ahead goal. Feels like it's been a while since we've heard from our veteran striker. 2-0

82 - No fucking way Owusu was offsides. Such bullshit.

A dominating win as everyone bar the keeper was 7.0 or better, headlined by PotM Peggy Lokando's 8.7, an 8.3 for Curtis Burrows, and a 7.5 for Mason Hirst. If we could just develop some consistency...

The opposing manager, recently hired, takes the loss badly and says we were lucky. I tell him to go fuck himself.

Copthorne has set the division record for points in a season with 51 (we're right behind at 50), and Peggy Lokano breaks the Lindfield for PotM awards in a season.

3 games left and we need Copthorne to open the door for us so we can get in.

As it turns out...

But before that, we've been trying frantically to get better quality players in and failing. Everyone keeps snubbing us, so we'll likely ride with what we have unless there's a transfer deadline surprise.

We try hard but fail, and also lose a keeper I forgot was even on our roster.

@ Copthorne (1st)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Josh Medlyn
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

There may only be three games left, but for all intents and purposes, this is the Mid Sussex Premier title game right here. We're also heavy underdogs, which sounds about right.

61 - Brinkhurst for Owusu

81 - We're awarded a PK and Lokando converts!!!! Can we pull off the miracle?!?! 1-0

The only standout for us was also PotM and that's Samuel Westray, who was an absolute beast in the middle defense, racking up a 7.9. We're officially top of the table!!!

BTW our II and III teams got relegated from wherever they're playing. I don't care.

vs AFC Verdeanians II (11th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Josh Medlyn
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

We get a deceptively easy match, whilst Copthorne are away at Cuckfield Rangers.

25 - Mitchel-King is pressured by the defense, so he outlets to Burrows for the giveback and laterals to Owusu on the return, and that's a score! The DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love Again, indeed! 1-0

42 - Medlyn's been making a shit ton of mistakes, but he takes the ball away on this one, kickstarting a move that caps with Owusu overshooting Joao on the pass. Luckily the Dutchman picks up the pass and flies it in to Mitchel-King, whose shot splits the defenders, and I hope like fuck the debut goal bug goes away next season. Bee Tee Dubs, Copthorne fell behind 0-1, but equalized right away so it's 1-1 there. 2-0

74 - We've been playing defensively the whole second half, and put in a couple fresh subs with Pritchard for Hirst and Logan for Rowe.

75 - Hey, look! Logan with the throw-in, and he's the one who eventually gets the backpass from Black and pops it to Owusu just in the box. The long strike sneaks in the corner of the net, and we've got this on lockdown. 3-0

They should have scored late, but didn't. Brilliant all around game, with the best Ken Black of 7.5, my favorite Peggy Lokando with 7.8, and a rare matching 9.0s for Julian Owusu and Tim Mitchel-King, the Ghanian naturally edging out because of the second goal.

Copthorne could only draw, so we're the Mid Sussex Premier Division champions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elsewhere, Cheddar is currently 3rd with 3 games to play and look like they'll once again fall short of the championship, and Burgess Hills Rhinos long ago locked up the Mid Sussex Division Three title.

[Young Drachma]

LOL at Cuckfield

[Izulde]

LOL at Cuckfield

Yeah, and there's at least two Cuckfield teams. I get a chuckle out of them every time. :D

Copthorne wins its third Montgomery Challenge Cup in four seasons. Impressive work by them for sure. They set a ton of records in doing so.

Burgess Hill Rhinos continue smashing everyone with my successor's guys, but I'm the one who made them prestigious enough to steamroll all comers.

@ Felbridge (12th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Josh Medlyn
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

39 - Mitchel-King dribbles to just outside the box, but his cross to Owusu is intercepted via header. No problem, as Mitchel-King keeps running, gets the loose ball, and pops the shot over the head of the keeper. 1-0

48 - Pritchard goes in for yellow card Black

59 - Just one of those unstoppable shots. 1-1

80 - Logan for Joao

We were a bit unlucky here, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/swansgkdef_zpskrz8b0on.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/swansgkdef_zpskrz8b0on.jpg.html)

I'll be honest - I'm not excited about any of our defenders or goalies. Rob Peet will continue to be the main man in net for now, but we're really looking for upgrades here as soon as possible. Finding better talent evaluators would be a huge help.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/swansdmmid_zpsbjetq1ku.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/swansdmmid_zpsbjetq1ku.jpg.html)

Our strength was definitely in the midfield - Peggy Lokando was our real MVP and I still quite like Orlando Joao and Mason Hirst. Finding another MC to allow Lokando to shift to MR would make this even more powerful. Ken Black at DM was phenomenal too, and he's still just 18.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/swansst_zpshech7exc.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/swansst_zpshech7exc.jpg.html)

Don't buy the hype on either of our strikers - Julian Owusu is very inconsistent, and Tim Mitchel-King, despite his production, simply isn't that talented. I would call this an even bigger upgrade need area than our backline setup.

Really, I like this team less than any other championship squad I've put together. If our midfield wasn't on point, we had no shot at winning a given game, and if we went in with this roster next season at the Southern Combination Football League Division Two, we'd get clobbered on a regular basis.

Fortunately, there's an elite scout on the market that we quickly snap up. We also fire our Head of Youth Development after that shit pull, and upgrade our physio department.


Club Value: $70k
Average Ticket Price: $8
Average Season Ticket Price: $113
Season Ticket Holders: 14
Bank Balance: $49.8k
Profit: ~$19.3k

As expected, Peggy Lokando runs away with the Fan Player of the Year vote - 78% to Mason Hirst 12% and Tim Mitchel-King's 8%. The team of the year is dumb, so I won't post it.

Naturally my name is a hot commodity on the market, but I'm not moving. Chelmsford City just can't keep a manager. Poor Clarets.

But not as poor as this team!

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/bugfire_zpsy6btha9j.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/bugfire_zpsy6btha9j.jpg.html)

I didn't know women could be hired as head coaches in this game. :D

Burgess Hill Rhinos won all five of their competitions this year - a stellar quintiple.

Transfer In - ST Jon Joyce (19)
Exceptional Finishing (13) and a number of 10s in the Mental attributes. Weak physically, but the first truly good striker we've had in Swans green, and one who has upside to boot. I mean, Julian Owusu is probably more talented overall, but that damn lack of consistency. Got released by Southend after never appearing in a game for them. I'm insanely excited by this former League 1 prospect.

Transfer In - DL/WBL Joe Hopewell (25)
Once upon a time, Joe was a Stoke product from the Premier League. Since then, he's bounced around a lot of different places, never finding a home for more than two seasons. He's not world class or anything, though I do like his mentals, and for now he's an upgrade over Luke Rowe.

Transfer In - MC/MR Michael Monaghan (24)
See Hopewell for a description of Monaghan's talents, though the latter does have some underrated technical abilities as well. He'll go in as the MC. Was lousy as a 1D player for a few clubs, but dropping down in levels should help him immensely. Plus, he has upside to grow into.

And then this happens:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/lolwut2_zpsjlk4y3er.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/lolwut2_zpsjlk4y3er.jpg.html)

I applied partly as a joke, partly to see if I could steal some young talent for my Swans. I also applied to Mexico's U23s and got auto-rejected, but Jurgen evidently thinks I'm the right man for the Stars and Stripes prospects.

The question is, do I *really* want to take it? I've never done any international management before, and I'm leery of the workload that's involved. But I'm also kind of intrigued...

[Izulde]

You know what? Fuck it. INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT, BABY!

Only no one will sign on to be part of my staff. Bah. Oh well. This may be a short foray.

Transfer In - DLCR Ryan Docherty (17) (From Rugby)
Southern Premier prospect who is raw as hell, but his three position versatility will give him a role as a sub, and maybe he can grow into a starting role. My Chief Scout thinks he can be okay - my assman thinks he could be amazing. Was awful in four appearances (5.93 rating! :o), but we'll see how he goes.

After upgrading our coaching staff, we're now 1.5* in the goalkeeper categories and 2* everywhere else, bar Fitness, where we're 2.5* in both categories thanks to my assman upgrade.

Loan In - ST Andrew Quinn (19) (From Dorchester)
An absolute beast of a physical specimen, loaded with 11s and 12s there. Double digit Anticipation, Leadership, and Teamwork. I'll give him a starting crack in friendlies to see how he does.

4-4-2 and 4-1-2-3 DM Narrow are the recommended formations by my staff in preseason. I'm just like uhh... we kind of need more quality DCs first before we can do that.

Transfer Out - AML Martin Allen (19)
Don't think I played him at all.

Loan In - DC Tom Howe (17) (From Staines)
On paper, the best player on the team, or close to it. The upgrade from him to Samuel Westray is just ridiculous. Easily our biggest pickup of the offseason from a pure talent standpoint. I'd love to sign him long-term if I can, though he initially has no interest in being a Swan permanently.

Transfer Out - DLR/WBLR Shane Brathewaite (18) - $4.3k
Wow! They must see something in him that I don't, because he looks like pure trash to me. Good luck with that, Burnham!

...I hate friendly season. I wish there was a way to just skip past all those irrelevant games.

[Izulde]

:eek:

We're 1-3 favorites to promote from Southern Combination Football League Division Two

The rest:
Sidley: 5-4
Lavant: 2-1
Winchester Castle: 20-1

It's a 16 team league, and the top two go up to Division One.

Joe Hopewell and Rob Peet are named Captain and Vice-Captain for this year's edition of the Swans.

Julian Owusu and Rob Peet get the highlight in the preview blurb. I'm still not thrilled about our DR situation, however.

vs Winchester Castle
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Julian Owusu/Jon Joyce

We won all but one of our friendly games - a stinker of our second straight try of a flat 4-4-2. Ryan Docherty showed enough in the exhibition season to win a starting spot for now - Andrew Quinn didn't. Thus far, I'm quietly excited about how the new guys look, especially Michael Monaghan and Jon Joyce.

26 - Lokando's free kick is perfectly dropped in the box for Black of all people to run forward and crack a gorgeous shot. But it cracks off the woodwork! Happily, Black charges and pots his own rebound in the open net for his first ever Swans score! 1-0

28 - Hopewell is first to a clearance and starts a move that sees him take part in more passes, but this caps off with a Hirst to Monaghan lateral for a first touch wing to Lokando. Then the beautiful, high cross far post to Joao, and the flying Dutchman puts it past the caught out keeper. 2-0

48 - Howe just saved a certain goal there. Whew!

67 - Black moves up to MC, replacing Hirst, and Pritchard comes in at DM. Logan jogs in for Hopewell.

Ken Black wins PotM with an 8.0, Orlando Joao recorded a 7.8, and Peggy Lokando continues to defy my staff's hate with a 7.5. Everyone played well with the exception of Jon Joyce (6.4), who was being hassled by their star DR all game long.

Good start to the new season and new league.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - ST Joe Grommett (22)
Not spectacular in any one area, but solid heading and all-around mental and physical attributes. A perfect Target Man who will replace Julian Owusu in the starting lineup to finally get someone who isn't inconsistent up front.

@ Balcombe (8th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Joe Grommett/Jon Joyce

51 - Lokando hits the corner to Black for the kick in. I'm pleased at this sudden surge of scoring from our DM. Out goes Docherty for Burrows, who can't play any worse this game. 1-0

52 - Quinn for Grommett

80 - Can't do much about those 25 yard moonshots. Monahagan did miss an interception, though. 1-1

82 - And there goes Monaghan out with injury. Pritchard comes in, he and Hirst switching spots.

That was just pure bad luck on our part. A game we should have been able to win. Worse yet, we're without Michael Monahgan for 4 weeks. That's rough, as he's played really well in his first few games for us, missed interception notwithstanding (still finished with a 7.3).

vs Sidley (1st)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Joe Grommett/Jon Joyce

58 - Quinn and Logan replace Joyce and Joao respectively. Both teams have had their opportunities, but neither one has been able to convert in this key early season matchup.

76 - We're awarded a PK and Logan powers in his first ever Swans goal!!!! 1-0

Every full-time starter except Joe Grommett (6.2) had at least a 7.1! That includes a 7.2 by Rob Peet. PotM goes to Peggy Lokando with a 7.7, though Mason Hirst had a 7.5 as well. We're still looking for our first striker goal on the year.

@ Slidesham (7th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Joe Grommett/Jon Joyce

1 - Amazing work by Peet in stopping an opening 1v1

26 - Lokando kicks the corner, and it finds Burrows for the long-range header and first ever Swans goal. We've been saying that a lot lately, as the strikers are still silent on the scoresheet. 1-0

38 - Lokando on the corner again. Howe's shot is blocked, but the deflection results in an own goal. We'll take it. 2-0

54 - Docherty and Hopewell are putting in major work restarting moves after they clear the ball, but it's Joao who has the final interception, long-balling it to Grommett in the box. It takes him a bit to trap it, but when he does and gets control, our newest striker slides a shot behind the keeper to *finally* give us a striker score this season! 3-0

73 - Pritchard for Hirst; Logan for Joao as we sit our yellow carded players.

For the second straight game, every full-time except one (Ryan Docherty with a 6.9) had a 7.1 or higher. That includes a masterful 7.5 from Rob Peet, 7.8 from Tom Howe, 7.7 from Curtis Burrows, and a PotM-winning 8.1 by Peggy Lokando.

That resounding victory vaults us into 2nd place, and the promotion spot. Really pleased with how this team is doing overall. Rebuilding the backline has paid off huge dividends in the early going, and our midfield is as strong as ever. I'm confident the strikers will come around in time as well.

[Brian Swartz]

Aren't you just the unstoppable machine. A couple more promotions and the real fun will begin.

[Izulde]

Well, shit. Mason Hirst gets a double hernia and is out for 3 months! That's really going to set us back, as I consider him one of our best players, even if my staff doesn't agree.

Transfer Out - DL/ML Fraser Logan - $2.5k
Not a surprise, and it's a blow to our depth, but at 35, the Scotsman was on the downside of his career. So it's probably best for all involved that he moves on and gets some money.

@ Roffey (14th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Colin Pritchard/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Joe Grommett/Jon Joyce

15 - We're awarded a questionable PK in a scrum. Lokando slots it upper left corner with ease. 1-0

18 - Docherty throws in to Joyce on the right wing and gets it back. He highballs it to Grommett between two defenders who don't challenge him, despite it taking a while for our striker to control the ball. It costs Roffey, as he puts away the goal off the keeper! 2-0

24 - The post saves us there.

31 - Bad knock for Lokando, but he'll play through it. Our midfield has been hammered by injuries early in the year.

43 - Rare bad defending there. 2-1

At half, Pritchard drops to DM and Brinkhurst comes in at MC because Black has a yellow and has been playing poorly.

57 - Lokando starts dropping, so we switch to a 4-1-3-2 DM, with Solomou in at DC alongside Howe and Brinkhurst as the lone MC.

87 - They should have scored there. Got unfairly robbed by the post.

88 - Docherty launches a cross-pitch ball. It's intercepted and headed back towards the keeper, but Joyce is there to score his first Swans goal on a 1v1! Couldn't have happened at a better time. 3-1

Tom Howe and Jon Joyce carried the team on its back with matching 7.7s, the latter's game-clinching score the PotM decider. We didn't play all that well in this one, but it was good enough to win.

The win moves us up into 1st place, yay! Now for the bad news: Peggy Lokando is out 2-3 weeks. Hopefully that's only a match or two.

Backup keeper Matt Pegler is out 6-7 weeks, and third string goalie Neil MacGregor is out 2 weeks. Good news is Michael Monaghan is back in time for our next match.

vs Steyning (10th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Colin Pritchard/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

So Quinn's manager bitches about his being in a rotation system. To shut him up, I'll make Quinn a starter, much as I prefer Grommett at the moment.

7 - Sequence begins with Black free kick, and at the end, he gets it from Monaghan and hits a rocket in front of Quinn, who nails the tough shot for his first goal for us. Okay, point taken, manager. 1-0

17 - That didn't like a own goal from Joao's shot on the pass from Monaghan, but whatever. We'll take it. 2-0

45 - Quinn doesn't like the look in the box, so he sprays all the way back to Hopewell who launches a total fluke goal from halfway between midfield and the net. We'll take it! 3-0

47 - That's just shoddy defending there right before half. 3-1

50 - Rough game for Pope of the opposition. Credited with the own goal, and now he's nailed for a PK that Joao converts on a misdirection, totally fooling the keeper. 4-1

70 - Monaghan is asking for a sub, so Brinkhurst comes in.

78 - Now Pritchard wants a break, so Solomou comes in for our switch to a 4-1-3-2 DM.

Another dominating performance - only Rob Peet and Ryan Docherty (6.8) had less than a 7.1 among the full-time starters, and even the subbed guys - Michael Monaghan (7.7) and Colum Pritchard (7.5) were brilliant. 7.9 for Joe Hopewell, 8.7 for PotM Ken Black, and 7.6 and 7.9 for Jon Joyce and Andrew Quinn up front. Oh, and 8.2 for Orlando Joao.

I'm asked to select the USA U23s squad! This is an important duty that I need to take seriously. And it's scary. Finally something I can do for international management.

...THERE'S ONLY 7 PLAYERS I CAN CALL UP?! WHAT.THE.FUCK?! "At least 19 players must be selected."

The only way to resolve this is to go on Holiday for a day. Sorry, but I have a match today. So I quit on the spot.

vs Rotherfield (10th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Colin Pritchard/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

Hello, managed team in another universe!

43 - That looked offsides. 0-1

We're playing like shit and the defense winces when I scream at them.

56 - A lot of passing around until Pritchard lays off to Joyce for the pass to the isolated Joao, and the Dutchman's fierce strike sings home. 1-1

63 - Pritchard short passes to Joao and the long, whistling centering pass into the box finds Joyce for the simple 1 on 1 score. Subs come - Gromett for Quinn and Joao flipped MR, Burrows out, and Solomou in at ML. 2-1

8.1 for Jon Joyce, 8.3 for PotM Orlando Joao, and 7.9 for Ken Black, as we roar back from a terrible first half to secure a win and expand our lead to 4 points.

My name comes up in a vacancy that intrigues me. Things are going really well here, but I could change birds. Then again, they have a $120k loan debt they're paying off, and I like their old logo that's in game a lot better than their current, real-life one. Just stick with this one, self.

Tough decisions up next, as we have a league match and a cup game close together.

[Izulde]

Aren't you just the unstoppable machine. A couple more promotions and the real fun will begin.

I'm just going to enjoy this while it lasts. I'm sure I'll be swearing and smashing my keyboard soon enough. :p Interesting side note: Cheddar thus far appears to be doing their usual thing - upper echelon team, yet still can't break through. Burgess Hills Rhinos are again demolishing inferior opponents and I expect them to continue chasing us over the years. The first season success I had with them gave them the prestige to go out and get players far more elite than expected. My successor is also an absolute wizard at coaching defending.

[Izulde]

@ Lancing United (7th)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Alan Peters/Samuel Westray/Josh Medlyn
DM: Colin Pritchard
M: Marios Solomou/Tony Stanley/Ed Brinkhurst/Curtis Burrows
S: Julian Owusu/Tim Mitchel-King

We're going with a B lineup for this one as much as possible, to save our guys for the cup game.

5 - Even the announcers called this an obvious penalty, and Owusu converts with confidence for his first goal of the season. 1-0

24 - Bullshit penalty called on Pritchard there. 1-1

31 - Stanley wings out to Burrows for a great ball down in the box to Mitchel-King. Short dribble before the fan favorite hits a perfect ground center to Owusu for his second score of the game! 2-1

39 - Putrid defending. 2-2

41 - An own goal by Westray. Of course. 2-3

62 - Owusu shags a longball and then sends it back to Solomou for a gorgeous moon pass to just barely onsides Mitchel-King for the easy score. No debut bug anymore, so that's good. 3-3

72 - No stopping that kind of rocket. 3-4

A throwaway game was expected, and it only cost us a point. I'm somewhat okay with it.

vs Wivelsfield Green Pilgrims (Sussex Intermediate Cup Second Round)G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

16 - Lokando mails it to Joao on the left wing, and the Dutchman's boomer ball finds Quinn in the box. Our loanee dribbles in and kicks it behind the keeper for the score! 1-0

36 - Quinn has to chase down a bad cross from Joyce and is under a double-team pressure when he sends back in the box to Lokando. The shot's deflected, but Joyce is there to put it away. 2-0

76 - Whoever wants a sub first gets it, and it's Solomou for Joao and Gromett (it's one M, not two) for Joyce, with the strikers switching sides due to role fit.

8.3 each for Peggy Lokando and Andrew Quinn, the 30 year old Congolese midfielder picking up his umpteenth PotM award under my leadership. The bad news is, Ryan Docherty gets a yellow cards limit and will miss our next game.

It's even worse because we've convinced Jake Newton to retire and take on a role as a scout with us, giving us knowledge of Guyanese players. There's a striker I'm hot on, but the board rejects my request to pay for the guy.

@ Lavant (4th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Tony Stanley
DM: Ken Black
M: Orlando Joao/Colin Pritchard/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

21 - No challenge at all from our defenders there. 0-1

35 - Counter move capping in Quinn lateraling to Monaghan in the half-circle. Feed to Joyce for long-range in box shot, and it slides past the keeper's outstretched hands. 1-1

46 - Two gorgeous interceptions by Hopewell on this drive, the latter resulting in a pass to injured but still playing Joao. He sends it in the box to Joyce for his second near box boundary goal of the game! 2-1

74 - After some awful mistakes, including one that should have been a sitter for them, I pull Hopewell for Solomou

77 - Really, this was everyone's fault for not clearing, but Black misses the easy interception and gets blamed for the score. 2-2

Frustrating draw. We dominated them and could only get a tie. Fortunately, it's a very even year for the league, so we still maintain a 3 point advantage. Easily Rob Peet's worst game in a long time.

Transfer Out - DM Ken Black - $11k
Bastard. Okay, not really. We had to know this was coming - screwup last game aside, he was an elite player for us - 7.39 rating this season and 7.19 last year. It may mean a change in a formation, as only Colin Pritchard isn't terrible at the DM spot, and our efforts at landing more talent at the position have fallen through.

This really sucks. Part of life as an amateur side unfortunately. Don't really feel like paging through everyone to find a replacement at the moment. Losing a 19 year old budding star just stinks.

[Young Drachma]

Congrats on the U23 nod. You really are movin' on up.

[Izulde]

Congrats on the U23 nod. You really are movin' on up.

Thanks. :) Unfortunately it didn't last due to the game bug. I'll try it again with senior teams.

vs Mountfield United (6th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Colin Pritchard
M: Marios Solomou/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

Without Ken Black, we go from the usual blowout prediction to betting underdogs and media expert "should be enough to see off Mountfield United". Talk about a huge step down.

1 - 43 seconds after game start, Lokando's corner hits Howe's head for the central defender's first ever Swans goal! 1-0

31 - Monaghan intercepts and quick backpasses to Pritchard for the longball. Defender misses the header, and Joyce takes it, dribbles just inside the box, and fires the range scorcher he's so damn good at! 2-0

36 - That looked offsides to me, but what do I know? 2-1

55 - Hopewell is knocked, and it's too tight a game to risk it, so Rowe jumps in.

58 - Stanley in for Docherty, who is having a super bad game.

80 - Monaghan sends it up to Quinn for the first time flare out to Burrows. Scorcher of a full-pitch cross follows, and a charging Solomou rams in his first goal of the year. 3-1

84 - Our fullbacks and Peet have been terrible all game. 3-2

Bailed out on this one by Tom Howe (8.0), Peggy Lokando (8.1), Jon Joyce (8.3), and Colin Pritchard (7.5).

We're without Joe Hopewell for 5-6 weeks, continuing a really bad rash of injuries this year. It doubly hurts because he's our team captain.

Transfer In - DL/WBL Darren Ebsworth (29)
A solid veteran who has no real weaknesses technically and is a real standout mentally (11 Bravery, 14 Determination, 12 Teamwork). 11 Long Throws, too. Unfortunately, he's banned for the next match due to yellow card accumulation dating back to last season, as Fleet let him go after two seasons of solid play for the D1 side.

@ Mile Oak (16th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Luke Rowe/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Colin Pritchard
M: Marios Solomou/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

11 - It's been all them all game so far, and there was no stopping this heater. 0-1

18 - Docherty lays it up to Burrows, who, with a defender in his face, makes a perfect center cross to Joyce for the equalizer. 1-1

32 - Lokando receives the center pass from Joyce and laterals to Monaghan. The delivery to Quinn in the box has the defense screaming offsides, but the shot is sure. 2-1

38 - I don't understand how Docherty has a 6.3. In the highlights, he's been making goal-saving tackle after goal-saving tackle. I also don't understand how Mile Oak is only 16th, because their long range shooting is deadly AF. 2-2

49 - Lokando connects with Howe's head on the corner and it's in! Rowe moves up to ML, Docherty over to DL, and Medlyn comes in at DR. We'll also give Ronnie Brock a spell at DC, because our whole backline has been bad thus far. 3-2

58 - Lokando has the free kick just outside the box and shorts it to Medlyn. On the giveback, Lokando is pressured by two defenders, but then one sees an open man and drifts off. That gives our Congolese midfielder the seam to pass to Joyce for the 25 yard Howitzer in the net! It's definitely been a long-range game this afternoon. 4-2

90 - A collision sends Brock off with injury, and Stanley comes in for him.

Matching 9.0s from Peggy Lokando and Jon Joyce, the Congolese getting the PotM award. Also a 7.5 from Colin Pritchard. This was a much tougher battle than I expected.

Ronnie Brock dislocated his jaw and will be out a month. So many injuries!

In other news, Jake Newton gets an offer to be the manager of the Headington A's. I wish him the best of luck, as he didn't dig up any gems for us. His new team is a semipro outfit in last place in their league, with just 3 points (no relegation, however). They're so bad, they're 4 points behind the second to last place squad.

I browse through the job listings and am very tempted by a semipro club with an AWESOME team name, but they own their own stadium, which I'm meh about. I'd rather be somewhere that needs to build a stadium of their own, so nevermind.

Then again, there's zero pressure at that job - just keep clear of the drop and rebuild the team's horrible finances. On the other hand, I want to be on the water somewhere. The new town doesn't offer that, and Lindfield at least has a stream and great natural beauty.

And that's when I spy a team I can't resist, in one of my favorite English cities.

vs Northbrook (13th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Colin Pritchard
M: Orlando Joao/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

27 - Thanks for the own goal! 1-0

At half, we switch to a 4-4-2 flat, as Pritchard is tired. Docherty slides inside to be the second DC, and Medlyn slots in at DR. Stanley comes in at MC and Lokando, who is having his worst game as a Swan, and with a yellow beside, sits. Monaghan shifts over to the advanced playmaker role.

84 - It's a highlight-less half until the 81st minute, and both it and this one are Northbrook-centric. There's no excuse for them failing to score here.

90 - Stanley plays it out a little too long to Quinn on the left wing, and he has to chase it down prior to centering to Joyce in the box. It's a first touch layoff to Joao for the game-clinching goal! 2-0

Orlando Joao wins PotM with a 7.7 in a game we frankly should have lost, and the strikers are stressed out when I calmly take the team to task.

Transfer Out - DM/DC/MC Colin Pritchard - $4.3k
And with that, our DM setup is done. The 17 year old is willing to come back on loan, but he just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make actual money. Not that I blame him - he's performed well after Ken Black also ditched us for the money.

@ Lavant (Southern Combination Football League Division 2 Challenge Cup First Round)
G: Rob Peet
D: Darren Ebsworth/Ryan Docherty/Tom Howe/Josh Medlyn
M: Marios Solomou/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

Hate having to go with the flat 4-4-2. It's the most boring formation ever.

It's a quiet first half, and at the break, Westray comes in for Docherty, Gromett for Joyce with a switch in strikers. We're really tired, because we've been hammered with a ton of games on short rest.

57 - Howe makes a heroic interception and blasts it down the pitch to Joao for the dribble and center to Quinn. Sizzling strike is sizzling! 1-0

71 - Gromett lays it to Quinn in the box. Shot's deflected and it bounces off the defender into open space. Our loanee grabs his own rebound and sinks his second score of the match! 2-0

73 - That should have been an own goal on Westray. Absolute shit. 2-1

87 - Masterful keeping by Peet there, stopping three shots in a row.

92 - ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! YOU GUYS HAD ONE FUCKING JOB!!! 2-2

100 - WHERE'S THE PK CALL ON THAT BULLSHIT?!

Home cooking by the refs sends us to penalties.

Lokando makes the first one with ease! 1-0
Their very first kicker has his shot blocked by Peet!
Gromett gets a *very* lucky bounce. 2-0
No stopping that one. 2-1
Burrows has been shit the whole game, but he comes up when it's needed most! 3-1
Mistake-free shot there. 3-2
Ebsworth was also ass, but comes through here! 4-2
Seriously, Peet? At least TRY to stop it! 4-3
Finally, Monaghan, one of my favorite signings this offseason, seals the deal! 5-3

This was all about Andrew Quinn' second half monster two goals for an 8.8 PotM game. I'm starting to not like Rob Peet again - he's inconsistent AF.

The potential new team in my favorite English city offers a compensation budget, but none of my staff want to move with me.

The offer comes in - we negotiate to $8k for the rest of the season. On the one hand, I'm tempted to take it. A city I've been to IRL and loved, and there's a chance to really grow the fanbase. I'm also not happy with the work I'll have to put in now that our DMs have been stolen.

On the other hand, I'm building something here at Lindfield, and the village is pretty and tranquil. Also, every time I'm moved up ever in an FM dynasty, I've lived to regret it.

I honestly don't know what to do.

[Izulde]

In the end, I decided to stay with the Swans. Need to finish a project I start for once.

@ Steyning (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Second Round)
G: Rob Peet
D: Darren Ebsworth/Ryan Docherty/Tom Howe/Josh Medlyn
M: Orlando Joao/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

29 - I screwed up and started three guys with suboptimal energy. Works out okay here, as Quinn lays off to Monaghan for the feed to just ahead Joyce in the box and the easy score. 1-0

44 - Lokando to Joyce and the ball is delivered to Quinn in the box, and he's absolutely wrecked. Should have been a PK. Ball squirts loose, and Joao, one of the suboptimal guys, rushes forward to put away the ball! 2-0

At the break, Stanley goes in for Medlyn; Solomou for Joao, as both guys wanted subs before halftime.

Solid all around performance and no highlights in the second half, as both teams were exhausted. Michael Monaghan wins PotM with an 8.1, Peggy Lokando not far behind with a 7.9.

vs Sompting (2nd)
G: Rob Peet
D: Marios Solomou/Ryan Docherty/Samuel Westray/Tony Stanley
M: Orlando Joao/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Andrew Quinn/Jon Joyce

No matter what happens this game, we'll still be on top thanks to our 5 point lead, and we have a 6 point lead on 3rd place going in. We've played well enough that we've built that strong a buffer.

6 - Stunning ball by Lokando down to Joyce just outside the box. Our alliterative striker cuts a pass into Burrows in the box. Rare shot is deflected, but Quinn quickly taps in the rebound! 1-0

21 - Yeah, nothing to do there. 1-1

38 - More missed time for Joao, who goes off with injury. Up to ML is Solomou, Ebsworth coming in at DL off the bench.

48 - Seconds before half, they're lined up in a free kick and I'm swearing, but then Docherty rises up to clear the ball away. Solomou catches it and plays a sparkling longball for Quinn, who kicks the ball far ahead of him as he runs down the pitch. Nobody challenges him as he fires in a diagonal to take the lead just before the whistle blows! 2-1

Actual 48 - Howe was supposed to get the game off, but Westray is just too putrid out there.

59 - When you put three defenders on Lokando, you're going to have a bad time. The Congolese outlets back to Monaghan for the pass into the box to all alone Joyce. That gives him time to set up his shot and give us the vital insurance goal - his 10th of the year. 3-1

All four of our game-ending midfielders and strikers were at 7.8 or better! The backline really rebounded from a bad first half as well. PotM is to Andrew Quinn and his 8.8 with 2 goals. I'm glad his manager yelled at me to start him. He does have a ways to go yet, and lacks consistency, but I definitely see a rising star in our loanee.

8 point margin now, and all three teams below us have 24 points to our 32. Tightly packed for that second promotion spot after what's been dominating for us thus far (knocks on wood).

Bad news is, we lose Orlando Joao for 2 months. Good news is, Marios Solomou, one of the youth players I inherited, has been improving rapidly, and will fill in fine.

Transfer In - DM/MC Ellis Parker (18)
MK Dons (League 1) product whose only action has been 4 appearances with Cogenhoe (a flight under D1) last season as a loanee. Stellar player for this position and level, including 12 Flair, 18 Teamwork, 13 Work Rate, 13 Acceleration, 10 Agility, 10 Pace, 12 Stamina, and 8 Strength. Oh, and 13 Natural Fitness. Technical game needs polishing and his jumping and balance (4) are both abysmal, but he's already one of the best players on the team - the quickest and the best endurance. Thrilled to land him. I see a real star here, like Ken Black was.

@ Willingdon Athletic (11th)
G: Matt Pegler
D: Luke Rowe/Samuel Westray/Josh Medlyn
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Marios Solomou/Tony Stanley/Mason Hirst/Curtis Burrows
S: Joe Gromett/Julian Owusu

We have a cup game in a few days and an 8 point lead in league, so I'm perfectly willing to throw away a game with second string guys and a just back from injury Mason Hirst.

30 - Yeah. 0-1

Come halftime, we're playing like hot garbage and look exactly like out of the shape bunch we are. I yell at everyone anyway.

65 - Hirst lays out to Burrows, who crosses expertly past the rushing out keeper to Gromett for the score. 1-1

We really should have won this one, surprising as it sounds. Julian Owusu had a wide open shot earlier in the second half and shanked it. Still, I'll take the point on the road against a mid-tier team with this lineup. We're still 6 points and goal differential ahead of 2nd place, even.

@ Jarvis Brook (Sussex Intermediate Cup Third Round)
G: Rob Peet
D: Darren Ebsworth/Samuel Westray/Tom Rowe/Ryan Docherty
M: Marios Solomou/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Jon Joyce/Andrew Quinn

Rest off really helped our guys, though we're playing such a packed schedule, it's hard to get people to 100%, even with a match off.

67 - Two quick yellows in the second half for Ebsworth. :banghead: We switch Docherty to DL and bring in Medlyn at DR, Brinkhurst replacing exhausted Burrows at MR.

We fend them off and it goes to extra time, where we keep holding them off. On to PKs!

They make, Lokando makes - both easily. 1-1
Peet saves the second shot, and Joyce is easy breezy!! 2-1
Both score on the next round, Monaghan with a beautiful trickery. 3-2
Peet blocks the next one, but Brinkhurst shanks the fucking kick, the first time I've seen a PK shank I can remember in all my years of FM! GRRRRRRR! 3-2
But then Peet stops the last shot and we go 3-2 on PKs!!!

Peggy Lokando carried the team on his back as he so often does, winning PotM with a sterling 8.1, giving us every chance to win this one outright.

Transfer Out - DR Josh Medlyn (N/C)
He wasn't happy with the PT he was getting here, and I don't blame him, really. Combined for 17 league appearances with the senior team over last year and this. He was great last season, but clearly outmatched this year.

@ Montpelier Villa II (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Third Round)
G: Rob Peet
DM: Ellis Parker
D: Joe Hopewell/Samuel Westray/Ryan Docherty
M: Marios Solomou/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Joe Gromett/Andrew Quinn

Juggling some guys for health reasons. Beyond excited to get Joe Hopewell back in the lineup after a long layoff.

28 - Lokando on the corner and the defense and keeper jumble together, the goalie unable to hang on to the ball. He's diving it for it again, when Westray sliding tackles the ball into the net for his first ever Swans goal!!!!! 1-0

55 - Owusu in for Gromett, who continues to be a frustrating, disappointing player. Heh, and *right* before the substitution, Gromett passes to Lokando for the ground give to Quinn just outside the box. Loanee is tackled, and Gromett fires in the long range shot! Oh well, he was at 70% anyway. 2-0

We were strong all over tonight. Loved Ellis Parker's 7.7 in just his second game. Samuel Westray dominated with an 8.4, but it wasn't good enough to beat Peggy Lokando's 8.7 for PotM. Mason Hirst nabbed an 8.1 in his second game back, and Joe Gromett recorded an 8.2 off his balls amazing long strike before sitting.

Incidentally, Peggy Lokando broke his own Swans PotM record in a season from last year.

Back to league play starting next match, though we have a never-ending march of games 3 and 4 days apart.

[Izulde]

@ AFC Varndeanians (6th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tom Howe/Samuel Westray/Ryan Docherty
M: Marios Solomou/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Jon Joyce/Andrew Quinn

52 - Highlightless game so far. Monaghan moves to MR, Brinkhurst taking his MC slot. Stanley replaces Hirst in the other MC place. Not a good look in central midfield, but Lokando needed a game off.

81 - They had a shot, but Ebsworth clears the ball out in time back in the 73rd minute. Here, Ebsworth makes a phenomenal interception in their half to start a move that caps by Brinkhurst out to Monaghan for a gorgeous high ball that drops to the box in front of unmarked Solomou, the shot rifled in. Surprised that wasn't offsides, TBH. 1-0

92 - Seconds before the game ends, Monaghan plays another beautiful longball, this time to Quinn down the right flank. He dribbles, cuts in, fires. Deflected. But Quinn puts away his own rebound to clinch it! 2-0

Michael Monaghan gets all the plaudits in this one, and rightfully so, earning an 8.3 and PotM. Marios Solomou picked up a 7.8 in what was a pretty pedestrian game. To be expected, however, given our constant gauntlet.

Transfer In - DC Tim Walker (19) (From Lingfield)
Dude is 6'5, 200, which makes him our biggest player by 2 inches and 20 bounds. Great jumping reach (14) and the second strongest player on our team (12). 10 Marking, 16 Teamwork. Mental attributes need quite a bit of work, to be honest, but what sold me is he averaged a 6.9 the last two seasons in the division ahead of ours, and was almost 7 this year. For those stats, I'm willing to take a gamble. Former Bournemouth prospect, so he came from a Premier League farm system.

Transfer Out - DL Luke Rowe (Non-Contract)
The 28 year old New Zealander played well for us during last year's title run (14 appearances - 6.73 rating), but I knew going up he was going to be on the chopping block. He just doesn't have what it takes to compete on our roster, so this was best for both sides.

And then it happens.

Transfer In - ST Nico Thongvivat (23) (From Paulton)
My favorite striker of this dynasty moved on from Burgess Hill Rhinos to Paulton late last season, and while he struggled in 3 matches last year, this season has a 6.82 average rating with 4 goals in 12 appearances in the Western Premier after the club got relegated down from 1D. I discovered while randomly checking the Rhinos as I often do, that he'd signed elsewhere and he was willing to rejoin forces with me on a Key Player contract. Much like Peggy Lokando, my staff is meh on him, but just like our Congelese veteran, I know what he's capable of.

vs Balcombe (12th)
G: Rob Peet
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
M: Marios Solomou/Ellis Parker/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Jon Joyce/Andrew Quinn

Nico Thongvivat is still dealing with a minor injury, and after reviewing our newly stacked team, I decided to keep the flat 4-4-2, with Ellis Parker replacing Mason Hirst in the starting lineup, and Curtis Burrows taking a sub role.

53 - We're playing like ass in the first half, so I yell at the team. Docherty intercepts, passes to Monaghan, who is way wide right, and the fabulous long ball to Quinn sees a dribble and diagonal spear into the net! 1-0

58 - Monaghan wings out to Lokando for the first touch center to Parker and out to Solomou in the box. It's an around the world beautiful move that sees Solomou destroy the keeper on a snipe diagonal! 2-0

60 - Sloppy, assbag defending. Afterwards, we switch to a 3-1-4-2 DM, Parker moving to DM role, Hirst in at MC, and Westray taking the lone DC spot. 2-1

77 - A hard-charging Hirst hammers down an interception of a clearance and short passes to Quinn in the box, the latter tallying goal #10 on the year! 3-1

Michael Monaghan (9.0) is PotM, but if [b]Andrew Quinn hadn't blown a couple easy shots, he'd have had 4 goals and the award, instead of an 8.9. Still showing impressive growth - Marios Solomou with an 8.0.

At 16 games, we're just over halfway through the league season, and even though we're easing in a couple new starters and debating between a 4-4-2 and a 3-1-4-2 DM as the optimal approach, we're still 8 points ahead of 2nd and 9 ahead of third. I realize for some people, this type of success is probably boring, but unlike Burgess Hill Rhinos, where we didn't have any trouble once we figured out tactics, this has taken a longer time than usual to build, and we've had injury rashes complicate things. To say nothing of our best player in Ken Black leaving.

I'll hold off on a Rhinos update for now, so let's check in on Cheddar:

I'd forgotten that I promoted them from Western League Division One to Western League Premier. Anyway, they finished 3rd last season after I left, and this year, the Cheesemen are in 3rd, but with a game in hand that if they win, would put them 2nd, tied for 1st but losing out on goal differential. They, Cribbs, and Bristol Manor Farm are the elite 3 in the Western Premier right now. Emmanuel Mensah is leading the team with 9 season goals at DR. Um, WOT?

I know we're ridiculously stacked at central midfield, but damn I'm tempted to try and pry George Colson. Nevermind - he says our stature isn't good enough. Yeah, fuck you, George.

Jerrome Sobers is still a boss at 33, the Dominican leading the team with a 7.29 average rating as he holds down the central defense. They're running a 4-1-2-3 DM Wide, with Carl Harris as the lone striker up front. Still can't offer contracts either, despite being semi-pro.

[Young Drachma]

Nah, success is success. Especially at this level, where a few things going wrong can leave you at the wrong end of the table.

[Izulde]

Nah, success is success. Especially at this level, where a few things going wrong can leave you at the wrong end of the table.

Good point. I thought we were going to be screwed when our DMs left town, and we're staring down a 4-4-2 and have injury issues. Things righted, however.

@ Winchester Castle (4th)
G: Rob Peet
DM: Ellis Parker
D: Joe Hopewell/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
M: Marios Solomou/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Andrew Quinn

8 - Thongvivat traps a pass and dribbles backwards to lay off to Hirst for the booming first touch high ball that flies to the box. Quinn leaps up and simply heads the ball over the keeper. Beautiful, just beautiful. 1-0

63 - Burrows for Lokando and Howe for Walker

Michael Monaghan wins PotM with an 8.7, Mason Hirst putting up a 7.7 next to him. Not the best game in all honesty, but a win is a win is a win. Especially against a Top 4 team at their place.

Transfer Out DLC/ML Marios Solomou (Non-Contract)
I'm stunned he left. He was getting consistent playing time as a starter at ML and even when Orlando Joao was healthy, he'd worked his way to being one of the pick of five subs for every game. It devastates our ML position, what with Joao still out another week or two. Granted, we have a 9 point buffer on second place, 11 points on 3rd, so we've the breathing space to afford this... but still, I'm just like WTF bruh?

@ Sidley (2nd)
G: Rob Peet
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Andrew Quinn

13 - That red card for Parker was bullshit. Ugh.

19 - When you're hit with those long bombs, not much you can do. 0-1

32 - Hopewell intercepts, dribbles and cuts to the sideline before a longball cross far post that hits Hirst just right for the open shot and his first goal of the year! 1-1

34 - Walker's slow feet cost us there. 1-2

41 - The defense tackles the ball away from Monaghan, but Lokando gets the loose ball just outside the box and near posts it to Thongvivat for my boy's first ever Swans goal! 2-2

Docherty moves to DL and Stanley comes on at DR at half, as we try to shore up an awful game by the defense.

48 - Lokando with the long free kick in to the box, and Quinn is perfectly positioned for the go-ahead goal! 3-2

64 - Right call on that PK by Stanley, unfortunately. 3-3

72 - We'll go asymmetrical and put Howe in as a second DC. Docherty has been so terrible, he needs to get off the field.

87 - Thongvivat gets the pass and is being harassed by four guys in their half. He laterals it to Hirst, who dribbles untouched for several lengths before firing in the long bomb! How the fuck they can cry this is offsides is beyond me. 4-3

91 - Peet blasts a goal kick to [b]Lokando/b] that connects when a defender misses the header. Our Congolese midfielder is immediately double-teamed, but he threads a pass to Quinn just outside the box. No problem for our loanee to hit the range shot to clinch victory in a short-handed game!!! 5-3

All of our midfielders and strikers were 7.6 or better in a fabulous come from behind goals fest. 9.0 for Peggy Lokando, 8.0 for Michael Monaghan, 9.2 for PotM Mason Hirst, and 8.8 for Andrew Quinn. Huge, huge win, knocking off the 2nd place team on their turf and with one of our guys red-carded for most of the game! 12 points advantage now - 4 whole games as a buffer with 12 to play.

My assman says the red card on Ellis Parker was justified, but I don't agree, so I don't discipline him for it - in fact, I appeal the suspension. BTW, that game set goal-scoring records, and Peggy Lokando also broke the Lindfield single season record for assists with 11 - previous was 9 with Jake Robson.

Our appeal is rejected, and Ellis Parker will sit out our biggest game of the year, which is coming up next. So pissed.

More troubling news - There's a takeover plot in place, and Peggy Lokando will also miss the big game with the flu. Matt Pegler, the backup keeper, damages his heel and will be out 2-3 weeks.

And then the biggest knife in the back comes.

Transfer Out - GK Rob Peet - Non-Contract
How in the FUCK are you going to do this to us, Rob?! This means we're stuck with our third string keeper in the most important match of the year, and we're already missing two of our best players. I = one triggered motherfucker. That's one thing that annoys me about this setup - amateur guys will flip teams, yet still be Very Interested in coming back to you (see: Billy Frost). Ugh. So, so, *so* pissed right now.

Andrew Quinn is appointed as the new vice-captain. Hopefully that convinces him to come sign with us long-term.

Transfer Out - DC Samuel Westray - Non-Contract
I've been expecting this, to be honest. He was always shuffling in and out of the lineup, and still has the only Swans own goal. A player that just couldn't quite put it all together, either as a Cheeseman or as a Swan. Still like the kid, but he simply wasn't a long-term fixture.

We scramble to try and bring in a replacement keeper, but can't get the contract signed before the Big Game. Sigh. What should have been a thrilling match is now doomed to Blowout City.

[Izulde]

@ Burgess Hill Rhinos (Sussex Intermediate Cup Fourth Round)
G: Neil MacGregor
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tom Howe/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Nico Thongvivat/Andrew Quinn

Yeah. We're up against my original team AGAIN. The Rhinos are a perfect 9-0-0 and have been sweeping trophies left, right, and center. It's going to be a very tall order to try and upset them here. It would be even were we at full strength and Rob Peet hadn't betrayed us.

9 - Long day ahead. 0-1

50 - No highlights for us at all. 0-2

52 - Joyce for Quinn; Brock for Walker

53 - FML. 0-3

We were up against a vastly superior team today, but no excuse for that absolutely dreadful performance. Definitely a verbal ass kicking they got. Only Mason Hirst and Michael Monaghan (6.9 each) weren't total trash.

Transfer In - ST Justin Leavers (22) - From Mountfield United
Leavers' was the leading goal scorer for the 9th place team in our league, so it's like when we poached Andrew Folan from Welton Rovers when I was with Cheddar. He scored 13 goals in 18 league games for them, and his 7.53 rating is one of the best in the league. He's the #2 scorer in goals for the entire Southern Combination Football League Division Two, and the 6'2 forward reminds me a lot of Nico Thongvivat, with strong technicals for this level. Solid all around physically with no standouts or weaknesses, but he has a long way to go mentally, outside of 16 Teamwork. On the other hand, he's a perfect Target Man, and will knock Andrew Quinn out of the starting lineup, due to 4.5-5 star potential rating by our staff.

Actually, looking at things, it really should be Jon Joyce and Andrew Quinn still starting according to our staff. Have to think about this some more, in all honesty.

Transfer In - GK Richard Jones (23)
Elite level goalkeeper back in the nets. Love his mental attributes and he looks to be really quite good technically as well. We'll see how he plays out in games, because I'm terrible at evaluating keepers and rely on my scouts to find me good ones.

@ Steyning (14th)
G: Richard Jones
D: Joe Hopewell/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

Decided to go with my boy and Joyce after much deliberation. Quinn can wait to get the call to go back to his old team for all I care - we've got three strong strikers on paper.

12 - Hirst plays it out to Lokando for an excellent ball forward in the middle of the box to Thongvivat. A defender blocks the shot, but Joao pushes past a defender to drill in the loose ball rebound in his first game back! 1-0

15 - Thongvivat lines up for the IDFK outside the box. High ball in the air, and Walker finally powers in his first header goal as a Swan!!! I've been waiting for the big boy to do that. 2-0

50 - Terrible defending by Docherty there. 2-1

60 - Leavers replaces Joyce and striker switch. Burrows comes in at DR.

84 - Hirst intercepts and lays off to Monaghan for the pass to Leavers just outside the box. Our new striker dribbles a bit, then strikes from just outside the half-circle, and IT GOES IN! OMG! What a hell of a debut goal!! :eek: :eek: 3-1

91 - A debut goal we needed, as it turns out. Hopefully this is just Jones being rusty and out of match practice. 3-2

We were better than the final scoreline indicates. Tim Walker bagged an 8.1, Michael Monaghan a 7.7, an injured (again) Orlando Joao fighting off a minor head gash for a 7.6, 7.5 for Nico Thongvivat, and a sensational 8.1 debut PotM by Justin Leavers, who has just asserted his right to a starting spot next game.

Orlando Joao is out another 9-12 days. Really need to look at ML and DR this offseason.

Chelmsford City just can't stop from firing their managers in this universe. It amuses me.

Incidentally, our profits last month were a grand total of $17.

Speaking of, since we're in takeover talks...

The Swans currently have just shy of $56k in the bank, and are worth $80k overall, so it's not quite pocket change for the consortium (involving a former player), to target a takeover.

vs Roffey (11th)
G: Richard Jones
D: Ryan Docherty/Tim Walker/Curtis Burrows
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Justin Leavers/Nico Thongvivat

37 - Piss-poor defense. 0-1

47 - Own goal by Burrows. He's immediately yanked for an symmetrical formation that puts Howe at DC in his place, and Joyce goes in for Leavers and a striker switch. 0-2

66 - Fucking seriously?! 0-3

Their manager fired up his team at half, and everything that could go wrong, did. We snap an 11 game unbeaten streak in league play with the loss, but we're still up 11 points on 2nd place and have a game in hand besides. It would take a meltdown of epic proportions to not advance.

Transfer Out - DCR/DM/MCR Tony Stanley (18) (Non-Contract)
A versatile, useful reserve who played decently and was one of our first subs. Not a long-term player by any means, but we'll miss his ability to cover a lot of parts of the field.

vs Sidlesham (16th)
G: Richard Jones
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Justin Leavers/Nico Thongvivat

Leavers experiment is over. At half, Joyce replaces him and striker switch.

46 - Monaghan plays it long down the left flank. Thongvivat gets to it *just* before the touchline. He crosses, the keeper dives for it and misses, and it's easy for Joyce to drop it in the open net. 1-0

62 - Hirst laterals to Monaghan for the spray out to Lokando. Booming kick to Joyce in the box. Shot's deflected right back at Joyce, who takes a second to time his kick, and sinks his own rebound! 2-0

79 - Monaghan, Thongvivat, Hirst straight line short passes. Our central midfielder is unmarked, but he doesn't shoot until a triangle of defenders close in, and the shot's in! 3-0

We played okay in the first half, so I was going to be somewhat encouraging, but my assman told me to rip into them. I did, and it worked beautifully. How beautifully?

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/snapout_zpsrhbjmnd3.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/snapout_zpsrhbjmnd3.jpg.html)

Worth noting: Darren Ebsworth was at 6.3 most of the game, so that's a huge leap late for him.

My assman is being targeted by teams for manager position, so I'm going to have to go get a new one. Boo.

On the bright side, 9 games left and 14 points up on 2nd, 16 up on 3rd. We've also broken the Southern Combination League Division Two record for goals scored in a season with 52 (previously 50), and we have a lot of matches to pad our historic scoring season.

[Izulde]

@ Rotherfield (11th)
G: Richard Jones
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

4 - Ebsworth with the long throw back to unmarked Joao. The Dutchman dribbled once and launched a beautiful, curving cross that hit the feet of also isolated Burrows for the MR's second score of the season. 1-0

7 - Terrific interception of a clearance by Parker, who plays it to Thongvivat in the box. Just as he's about to take his shot, the defense drills him. Joao first touch shots the loose ball beyond the diving arms of the keeper. 2-0

29 - Parker strips the ball away deep in our half and passes to Hirst. Skimmer passer finds Joao and he runs all the way down the flank. Just before the touchline, another flawless cross. This time to poorly defended Joyce for the power shot! "Lindfield look good for promotion on this performance." That'd be a no shit, Sherlock. 3-0

49 - He's drawn a yellow and looks super aggressive today, so Ebsworth sits for Hopewell, who doesn't get the hoped for day off.

64 - Leavers in for tired Thongvivat, as our offense has been non-existent in the second half.

All full-time starters except Richard Jones (6.9) had 7.1 or higher. The standouts: Tom Howe (7.9), Ellis Parker and Curtis Burrows (7.6), Mason Hirst (7.5) and PotM Orlando Joao (8.3), who was absolutely brilliant in his first game back after his millionth injury.

We do lose our assman, and it comes at the worst possible time. Takeover talks have progressed to the point where the consortium, led by a business tycoon named David Bennett, are looking to buy the club for $35k and invest $50k, which would be almost double our current money. That also means transfers embargo.

vs Lavant (3rd)
G: Matt Pegler
D: Darren Ebsworth/Ricky Treadwell/Louis Brock
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Ed Brinkhurst/Curtis Burrows (Asymmetrical)
AM: Tom McQueen
S: Justin Leavers/Julian Owusu/Andrew Quinn

Don't recognize most of these guys? They're callups from our lower league squads as we're fully intent on throwing this game due to a couple cup matches coming up. Our lead is so big, we can afford several losses.

5 - You know it's a weird setup when Ebsworth is taking corners. He kicks it to Treadwell. Immediately two defenders give chase, so he dribbles back and returns it to Ebsworth. Center to Quinn and we shock everyone with an early lead. 1-0

6 - Baller AF takeaway by Ebsworth, starting a sensational sequence of passes capping in Burrows to Quinn. Wall of defenders there, so he outlets back to Burrows for the textbook centering pass forward into the box. Owusu is there, and he absolutely nails it! 2-0

30 - Blame the rain for Pegler dropping that stop and the rebound going in. 2-1

It's the kind of game where Curtis Burrows is the only one at 7 or higher on our team, and his 7.7 wins PotM. To get a victory, however narrow, against the third place team in the league, hosting a lineup of scrubs... well that's how far apart we are from the rest of the competition.

Ironically, we broke the team attendance record by 1 person, as 109 people showed up to watch that trash fest in the rain. LOL. Just lol.

We get a new assman, and he's pretty much whatever. OTOH, he's solely responsible for Tactics coaching, giving us our first 2.5* there. And I just realized we've been working on Fitness all season long rather than changing over to Balanced late in preseason. Oops.

vs Balcombe (Southern Combination Division Two Challenge Cup Quarterfinal)
G: Richard Jones
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

29 - Complete defensive breakdown by Docherty there. 0-1

I scream at the team at the half. No excuse for this bullshit.

46 - We get the ball on the opening kickoff, and Monaghan plays a fabulous ball forward to Joao. Dribble and cross far post to Joyce, and help from the post lets us equalize right at the start. 1-1

49 - Hopewell intercepts a clearance, and end move is a constant exchange of passes between Thongvivat and Joyce. The last is a pass of T to J, and Joyce's second goal puts us ahead! I also yank Docherty for Burrows because he's absolute trash out there today. 2-1

57 - Brilliant interception by Hopwewell, on to Hirst, and then to Thongvivat. The lateral to Joyce, but he's facing pressure, so he wings out to Joao. The Dutchman flies the cross back to Joyce and there's the hat trick!!! 3-1

Definitely a tale of two halves - our midfield was stellar as usual on days we win - Peggy Lokando (7.5), Michael Monaghan (8.1), Mason Hirst (8.2), and Orlando Joao (8.6), all dominated in the second half. But the Player of the Match was of course Jon Joyce, his 9.5 everything I hoped for when I said of his transfer that I really thought he was going to have a sensational year for us.

Hilariously, the screaming article bugged its way in, even though I said it was a good win for us. Halftime talk must have triggered that bug.

So, we beat last year's title winners in that game, and Jon Joyce broke the record for club goals in a season set by Tim Mitchel-King last year, racking up 16 to Mitchel-King's 14. And still lots of soccer to be played.

Big cup match on tap next, against a team that has every reason to hate us, and who has given us troubles in the past. And no, it's not the Rhinos, thankfully.

[Izulde]

vs Copthorne (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Fourth Round)
G: Richard Jones
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

Copthorne is still pissed we beat them out last season for promotion, and they've traditionally played well against us. It's going to be a tough fight here, much like they're once again in a dogfight to win the Mid Sussex Premier and go up - they're currently in 1st, but only by a point, so that has to be their top priority.

52 - Leavers goes on for Joyce; Howe for Walker due to tiredness, but in any case, both strikers have been shit this whole game.

58 - Lot of passing around the center of the pitch, deep in their half. Finally, Monaghan lays off to Hirst for the pop ball in the box to Hopewell. He dribbles, picks his spot, and banks in the shot behind the keeper for just his second goal of the year! 1-0

We didn't play too well - Joe Hopewell's 7.5 was good for PotM, and Tom Howe recorded a 7.0 off the bench. They really concentrated on shutting down our strikers, but we're through, and that's all that matters.

vs Lancing United (7th)
G: Richard Jones
D: Joe Hopewell/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

A win here and we have a shot at locking up promotion with a ridiculous six games left to play.

4 - Joao with a short dribble down the flank, and diagonal passes connecting a line of Thongvivat and Hirst, the central midfielder picking up his surprising goal as he sometimes does. 1-0

42 - Our backline is playing awfully today. 1-1

56 - Leavers for Joyce; Ebsworth for Hopewell

57 - And there's Lokando with the 25 yard free kick goal!!! Curiously, it's just his second score of the year. 2-1

62 - Ugh. They get their own free kick goal. 2-2

We were actually really unlucky not to win this one. Lancing United always plays us tough for whatever reason. Am I worried? Not in the least - 6 matches to go and we have a 16 point lead on 2nd place, 17 on 3rd. It's all over but the math, really, as we'd need to lose out and Sompting and Winchester Castle would have to win out for that to happen.

[Izulde]

Transfer Out - ST Julian Owusu (30) (Ghanaian) - Non-Contract
Far too inconsistent and played way below his actual talent level. The 7.29 and 7.22 ratings in 15 and 4 league games respectively the two years he was with us are a mirage in my opinion - one of those guys who looks good on paper and in stats, but just can't cut it.

Ed Brinkhurst goes down for 3 months with injury. Too bad, as he would have had a start next game.

@ Mountfield United (11th)
G: Matt Pegler
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tom Howe/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Justin Leavers/Andrew Quinn

Going with as many backup guys as possible this match, as we've a cup game in a few days. A win locks up our title.

8 - Misjudged header by Monaghan allows the goal on that corner kick. 0-1

56 - Monaghan atones for his earlier mistake with an interception, drive capped by Hirst's long ball out to Burrows on the wing. Perfect center cross to Leavers, and he scores the equalizer against his old team! 1-1

62 - So, Burrows. Sliding tackle to dispossess the opponent? Great. Sliding tackle that passes the ball right to another opposing forward for the open score? Fucking terrible. 1-2

84 - And there's Walker off with injury. Parker jumps in as we switch to a 3-1-4-2 DM.

Just a couple of really bad freak plays doomed us to this loss. Second straight game where we should have won, and things happened to bounce just the wrong way to stop us. Tim Walker is also out a month with a chest injury, which hurts. Literally.

We still back into clinching promotion anyway with five games left to play.

@ Northbrook (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Quarterfinal)
G: Richard Jones
D: Joe Hopewell/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Peggy Lokando/Curtis Burrows
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

Michael Monaghan wasn't rested in time to play this one, but that's fine.

8 - They're really doing a good job of putting pressure on us in their half, so it's a lot of passing around. Thongvivat cracks a shot at the edge of the box, but it's blocked. Hirst is first to loose ball and passes to Joao. The Dutchman passes to open space in the box and Thongvivat breaks loose to *just* skim in the near post shot, finally ending his lengthy scoring drought! 1-0

43 - Thundering charge down the pitch initiated by Parker. Hirst gets it and plays a beautiful ball into the box for Thongvivat, who dribbles and shoots. It's knocked away, but Thongvivat drifts left and back, cracking another shot just as two defenders collapse on him. It's in! 2-0

54 - Monaghan in for Hirst; Ronnie Brock for Howe.

66 - Monaghan wings it out to Joao, who centers to Thongvivat. The keeper's been faked out, so it should be an easy hat trick score. But then the defender throws his body out of nowhere to block the shot! Luckily, Joyce is there to drill the rebound! 3-0

75 - Docherty throws in to Joyce, who is immediately decked. Docherty picks up the rebound and passes up to Burrows for the feed forward to Joyce in the box. Our alliterative striker draws FOUR defenders on him and kicks back to Burrows, who shoots. Keeper drifts left, dives, and blocks, but Joao sinks the rebound with ease!! 4-0

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/joyce4_zpshthredbz.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/joyce4_zpshthredbz.jpg.html)

My very badly done diagram of that goal, which is one of the niftiest ones I've seen in FM. :D

79 - Nobody even bothered defending that long free kick. 4-1

7.7 for Ellis Parker, 8.1 for Curtis Burrows, 7.8 for Peggy Lokando, 8.3 for Orlando Joao, and matching 8.8s for Jon Joyce and Nico Thongvivat. It's Joyce who gets PotM, thanks to his fabulous work in drawing the train on that gorgeous goal you saw displayed above.

Burgess Hill Rhinos keep smashing tournament records. What a monster I helped create. :( Fortunately, we get lucky and don't draw them for the Semi-Final match, and will instead get steamrolled in the title game.

The takeover talks collapse, as I figured they would. Mad scouting frenzy ahead, yo!

Transfer In - DL David Lynn (25) (From Cheddar)
My Chief Scout loves this kid, who I can't remember if I signed or not. The rest of my staff is eh on him at best, but he's fast, quick, and strong, and can pinch-hit ML and DC if need be. 4* potential according to my scout - everyone else thinks he's a 2*, but they don't know potential. We'll give him a try. Oh wait, I *did* sign him. He was good for me, though has declined in play in his second year with the Cheesemen. That's right - he was one of my offseason signings when I promoted the team up to the Western Premier.

vs Mile Oak (15th)
G: Matt Pegler
D: Darren Ebsworth/Tom Howe/Ronnie Brock/Ryan Docherty
M: David Lynn/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Curtis Burrows
S: Justin Leavers/Andrew Quinn

Same scenario as against Mountfield United. Get as many B guys in there and let it ride, because cup match in a few days.

8 - Well, I mean they do have more to play for, fighting to stay up. 0-1

52 - Lynn dribbles the ball down the left flank, and jackhammers it. Keeper jumps up high to deflect the bomb shot. Unfortunately for him, that just drops it to open space, where injured Quinn sinks it with ease. 1-1

62 - They're forcing us back and back, until Ebsworth gets the ball at midfield. Long, screaming ground ball all the way into the box hits Leavers, and finally that damn disappointing striker scores one. 2-1

88 - Brilliant defense by Howe to stop a sure goal and blast to Quinn to start a counter move. Ends with Lynn dribbling, shaking, baking, and faking out the defender deep on the left flank. Near post cross to Leavers for the sliding tackle score! 3-1

Justin Leavers was the obvious MVP with an 8.8. Otherwise everyone fell in the 6.8-7.2 range - the type of solid, yet unremarkable win against one of the league's worst teams to guarantee that we're the Southern Combination Football League Division Two champions!!! Our second straight promotion and second straight championship!!!! After the game, Mason Hirst said it was the asskicking I gave the team at half-time that turned it around. In scoring those 2 goals, Justin Leavers officially breaks the league season goal scoring record for now. Oh, and David Lynn had a 7.1 debut, looking fabulous despite not being naturally suited to ML.

Andrew Quinn is out 5-6 weeks, but that's okay. Gives me an excuse not to play him.

[Izulde]

@ Sompting (Southern Combination Division Two Challenge Cup Semi-Final)
G: Richard Jones
D: David Lynn/Tom Howe/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Peggy Lokando
S: Nico Thongvivat/Jon Joyce

2 - Terrible job by Parker there. 0-1

8 - Defense got caught out. 0-2

16 - WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! 0-3

39 - Now we're not even fucking trying. 0-4

44 - Meaningless goal by Thongvivat. At least we spoiled the shutout. 1-4

63 - Whatever subs.

Overall, we really turned it on in the second half and by game's end, had looked really good. We were just horribly brainfarting the first 40 minutes and just couldn't catch up.

That ends any chance we had at cup money this year. :(

Ellis Parker, despite his mental lapse last game, has overall exploded in our setup, and is unquestionably the best player on the team - shades of Ken Black there.

Youth Signing - MR/AMR Craig Spanou (16)
The Youth Candidates beat Lindfield III by a score of 3-2, and Spanou was a huge part of that. 10 Crossing as a 16 year old destroys anyone else we have, and though my assman and coach don't think he'll amount to much (2.5* potential), we have the title locked up, and I want to give him a look see.

@ Northbrook (12th)
G: Richard Jones
D: David Lynn/Tim Walker/Ryan Docherty
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Joe Hopewell/Mason Hirst/Michael Monaghan/Craig Spanou
S: Justin Leavers/Jon Joyce

With nothing left to play for league-wise, we're giving some younger players a shot at more PT to see how they do.

10 - Leavers gets the ball in the box and shoots. It's blocked and bounces off to the left side, where Hopewell picks it up, dribbles down towards the corner, and fires a diagonal back pass to Hirst in the box. A short dribble and long shot later, it's in. 1-0

All our defenders were 7.3, and PotM Mason Hirst (8.0) and Joe Hopewell (7.7) were brilliant. Our strikers were trash, however, and Jon Joyce additionally strained his back, and is out 5-6 weeks. We also break the league record for points scored in a season

Youth Signing - MC Connor Hadland (16)
14 Passing, 12 Work Rate, and my assman thinks this is a 4* potential kid to groom as an eventual star. We'll see how that works out. Really raw right now.

This Lindfield, Lindfield II, Lindfield III, Lindfield IV setup is giving me fits, because bugs keep triggering with Lindfield IV. It's enough to make me want to quit managing this team and go find one that has a max of three squads.

Transfer In - MR/AMR Max Laslett (17) (From Chertsey)
13 Flair, 12 Teamwork, 12 Accel, 10 Agility, 10 Fitness, 11 Pace. He may only be as good as he's ever going to get, but even if that's the case, my staff still rates him as our best MR by far. He kind of was bad with the other teams he's played with, but perhaps he just hasn't found the right role - he did decently when he went on loan to a team in the Hellenic Premier this year.

And then comes the most exciting transfer yet:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/kingyay_zpsxdn3yac9.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/kingyay_zpsxdn3yac9.jpg.html)

Ignore the 2.5*. That's from my assman. According to my 14/14 Scout, he's 3.5* and an Isthmian D1 potential player. Those mental attributes tho... just... *drool*. Had a 6.66 in 17 league games with a team he was loaned out too. Future captain and mentor for sure.

He's also exciting because:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/kingbuy_zpsd900lswr.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/kingbuy_zpsd900lswr.jpg.html)

That's right - I convinced the board to pony up money to go buy him, even though we're an amateur club. His previous team, Burnham, is already an Ithsmian D1 team, so he'd max out at their current level. He was worth $2.4k, but they wanted $5k for him, which I couldn't do, having no transfer budget. So I got the board to buy him, and they talked Burnham down to his actual value of $2.4k. Everybody wins - we get a feature star in the making, they get a little cash to help their bank balance. And it's particularly important because they're fighting to avoid relegation.

It also solves our DR problem now and long-term, which has been an absolute bitch to try and sort out. We've been hunting all season long for someone to replace Ryan Docherty, and we got this done literally hours before the transfer deadline.

Transfer Out - GK Neil MacGregor (19) (Non-Contract)
Third on our depth chart right now, though he was on the verge of moving up to #2, with D1 potential. I'm a little sorry to see him go, but it is what it is. Richard Jones is just too entrenched as our starter.

Transfer In - DM/MC Tom Manship (32)
10 Passing/10 Penalty Kicks with a metric buttload of 10+ Mental attributes. Physically, he's kind of trash, though he can play a lot of different positions badly. Still, I'm thinking he's going to push someone out of the starting lineup our remaining league games to see how he does - My staff considers him our second best MC next to Ellis Parker, who obviously is firmly planted in at DM.

vs Willingdon Athletic (5th)
G: Richard Jones
D: David Lynn/Tim Walker/King Omoregie
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Joe Hopewell/Tom Manship/Michael Monaghan/Max Laslett
S: Justin Leavers/Nico Thongvivat

13 - Monaghan gets red-carded. Dumb ass.

14 - I don't know what the fuck Jones was doing there. 0-1

43 - Parker hits a booming clearance down into the right corner of the pitch. Thongvivat wins the foot race and crosses to Leavers, who loses the header battle with the defense. The ball drops right at the feed of Manship, who takes two steps and bangs in the short-handed equalizer! 1-1

57 - Piss poor game by Jones. Somehow I forgot to put Docherty in the subs, so it's Burrows for Omoregie and Grommett for Thongvivat. Awful. 1-2

Unlucky loss - Michael Monaghan's red card put us behind the 8 ball, and with so many new starters... yeah. Hell of a game for Tony Manship, though - 8.2 debut. King Omoregie was the exact opposite at 6.1. But he's young and he just needs time to adjust to our setup.

Lindfield III wins promotion to Mid Sussex Division Eight, where Lindfield IV is locked in a promotion battle of their own. For those curious, Lindfield II is in Mid Sussex Division Three.

Michael Monaghan is banned for the next three games, essentially ending his season. Also out for next game is Matt Pegler, down 2 weeks with injury.

@ Sompting (3rd)
G: Richard Jones
D: David Lynn/Tim Walker/King Omoregie
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Tom Manship/Peggy Lokando/Max Laslett
S: Justin Leavers/Nico Thongvivat

60 - Docherty for Omoregie; Hirst for Manship

62 - Flawless long free kick by Lokado to the far post, Leavers beating the defense to dump it behind the keeper. 1-0

90 - Shocked that goal was disallowed on an offsides call, but we'll take it.

Peggy Lokando owned all comers with an 8.1 PotM rating. Solid, but unremarkably bittersweet win over the team that knocked us out of the cup we should have won. At least I get the grim satisfaction of putting a huge hurting on their promotion hopes. Now they have to win their last game and hope the three teams above them all lose.

Jon Joyce comes back, but then damages his shoulder, finishing his season. He may just be one of those guys who isn't quite good enough. Lack of natural fitness is killing him.

vs Balcombe (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Semi-Final)
G: Richard Jones
D: David Lynn/Tim Walker/King Omoregie
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Tom Manship/Peggy Lokando/Max Laslett
S: Justin Leavers/Nico Thongvivat

52 - FFS. [b]0-1[/b

60 - Leavers lays off to Laslett for the beautiful ball forward to Thongvivat. Completely alone, my boy strolls through the box and spears the equalizer! Docherty steps in for Walker; Hopewell for Joao as we have to see if we can win. 1-1

72 - That shit was all on Jones fucking up stopping that long range bomb. 1-2

Not that we would have beat Burgess Hill Rhinos next game, but still. We played well enough to win but just couldn't seal the fucking deal. We've had so many damned games like that this year it's fucking STUPID!

vs AFC Vardeanians (8th)
G: Richard Jones
D: Joe Hopewell/Tim Walker/King Omoregie
DM: Ellis Parker
M: Orlando Joao/Tom Manship/Peggy Lokando/Max Laslett
S: Justin Leavers/Nico Thongvivat

David Lynn got injured last match and was poor health for this one, so he'll sit out the finale.

4 - Fitting symbol of our late season trash panda play, as Lokando blows a PK.

36 - Joao centers to Thongvivat for the immediate first touch lateral to Leavers, mere inches away. Fierce strike is fierce! 1-0

44 - Sigh. 1-1

67 - Hirst for Lokando and MC switch; Gromett for Thongvivat

What a shithouse of a season finale. I don't feel good about this team going into next season at all.

[Izulde]

Well, financially that last game was an amazing success - smashed the attendance and receipts records with 177 people (109 previous high) and ~$1k (~$500 previous record).

Michael Monaghan shatters the Southern Combination Football League Division Two average rating record with 7.69 - previous high a distant 7.38.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/swansgkdefy3_zpspaz6xuws.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/swansgkdefy3_zpspaz6xuws.jpg.html)

Our backline play noticeably improved overall from last year, which was great to see. Richard Jones frustrated the hell out of me. Games where he dominated, and games where he played like total ass. Still, we'll stick with him. I'm chalking up King Omoregie's bad form to getting thrown into a new system so late in the year.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/swansmidsty3_zpsanrb9j3j.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/swansmidsty3_zpsanrb9j3j.jpg.html)

Once again it was our midfield that carried us to greatness. I'd really like to get some more young blood in at MC, because Peggy Lokando and Tom Manship are both in their 30s. Lokando was actually born in Congo, BTW, and speaks French and English fluently. He's someone I really want to get in my backroom staff when I can.

Club Value: $85k (+15k from last season)
Average Ticket Price: $8
Average Season Ticket Price: $131 (+$18 from last year)
Season Ticket Holders: 14
Bank Balance: ~$60.6k
Profit: ~$11.5k (-$7.1k from last season

Our profits took a huge bath this year, only partially explained by the $2.4k we ponied up for King Omoregie. I think we paid for a coach's course as well, which took some money out, and we've been doing an insane amount of scouting. Still growing our funds, however, and our value is skyrocketing.

One thing to note about Curtis Burrows: He's added DL to his arsenal of positions quite quickly, so I'm having train at ML as well to make him a 4 position reserve in our setup (DL/DR/MR currently). Not bad for a 23 year old.

Favored Personnel
Peggy Lokando
Tim Mitchel-King
Jake Robson

Favored Clubs - Player
Peggy Lokando

Favored Clubs - Supporter
Tim Mitchel-King
Craig Spanou

Favored Personnel - Me
Tim Mitchel-King

Another quintuple for Burgess Hill Rhinos. BTW, the Rhinos scored 56 goals and allowed just 2 in Mid Sussex Division Two this year. Falling short once again - Cheddar. The Cheesemen finished 2nd, well behind the only team promoting up.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/alltimeswansyear3_zpsc2lnslne.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/alltimeswansyear3_zpsc2lnslne.jpg.html)

Can't wait to get all the pre-regime players off the list.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/scd2awards_zpsvzbyaold.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/scd2awards_zpsvzbyaold.jpg.html)

Not shocked at all to see the midfielders sweep Player of the Year voting - That's Peggy Lokando's second straight Fans Player of the Year Award - he won last year with 78%; this year with 61%.

And then this message comes:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/fuckyeah_zpsabgkkxwh.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/fuckyeah_zpsabgkkxwh.jpg.html)

Holy shit! That was a lot faster than I expected! :eek:

Our sponsorship deals are only slightly higher than before, despite now being semi-pro.

As you might expect from a just turned semipro club that didn't have a ton of money in the bank, they're only offering me $2.1k, with a $170 bonus to avoid relegation at the next level. I'm like... come on, man. I've led you to two straight league titles - I deserve way more than that.

They offer an increase to $2.5k. I want at least $5k. They tell me to get lost.

Fuck you guys. Okay, to be fair, I would have taken the $2.5k if I wasn't so damn sick of the Lindfield IV bug firing.

But because I am, I'm going to look for a new amateur team to build up and take to glory. I already have my eye on one. By the way, the Swans were willing to offer a *HUGE* $135k budget if I stayed. :eek: But yeah... bug.

The board was willing to discuss a new contract, but only if I withdrew my name from the other club I applied to. Yeah, no thanks.

And it's official - I've moved again, and this time I promise I'm going to finish out my career here. Life begins at 40, and so does my fourth job - repeating 4s.

[Izulde]

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/E3qHPr_p_zps2noq4tck.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/E3qHPr_p_zps2noq4tck.jpg.html)

Porthleven FC Fishermen

Ever since watching the TV series Poledark and Doc Martin, I've fallen in love with the beauty of Cornwall, and would love to try living in a small Cornish seaside town some day. This job gives me that opportunity - Porthleven has just over 3,000 people living there, and it's located on the southwest coast of Cornwall, on the sea.

The town itself is known as one of the best surfing and kayaking spots in all the British Isles, which appeals to me, and in 2015, they created Discover Porthleven - an online museum designed to record the town's entire history. Very cool. Can't wait to hit the waves.

As you might expect, tourism is huge in the summer months, giving a temporary population boom, and the town itself has been growing considerably the last several years.

Gala Parc, a 1,500 seat stadium, could literally hold half the town, and is owned by the club owner himself. The facilities are the sort of rot you expect at this level - and an interesting real-life note:

In June 2012 before the 2012–13 season, the club faced some bad news when the FA refused to allow them to enter any national FA competitions because they do not have toilet facilities in the home and away dressing room, and the referee's room.

Hopefully that's changed! :lol:

As for real-life success, the Fishermen have never made it out to the Qualifying Round in the FA Cup - only winning one game in their whole history before the ban. In the FA Vase, they became just the second Cornish team ever to make the quarterfinals in 1997-98, and made the third round or better for five years after that.

In terms of league play, they've been a consistent mid-tier team, though declined a chance to move up for financial reasons in 2008, I think it was. Overall, they were a pretty successful team in the late 90s-early 2000s, but have been mediocre since then.

The Fishermen have continued this tepidness in this universe - finishing 6th, 8th, 7th, and 8th, before finally finishing 12th and firing their manager. That's where I come in, and news of my hiring shocked the footballing world:

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/porthlevenyay_zpsjytwrmb7.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/porthlevenyay_zpsjytwrmb7.jpg.html)

Huge, huge drop in stature, but I'm happy here. Awesome place to live, and a chance to really build something.


Bank Balance: $29.6k
Estimated Value: $60k
Average Ticket Price: $8
Average Season Ticket Price: $113
Season Ticket Holders: 10
Profit Last Season: $2.76k
Average Attendance Last Season: 66

There's a couple favored players, both of whom are young guys with the club.

The Fishermen compete in the South West Peninsula League Division One West, and the lone semi-pro team promoted up by just 2 points last season. Porthleven's club has been around since 1898, by the way, so a lot of history here.

17 clubs, and only the champion gets to move up to the next level.

Oh, I should also note: My reputation is up to 10% - double what I started with! Talk about a huge coup for Porthleven, indeed.

My assman with 7/7 JPA/JPP is the best guy we have on staff, and the top guy we can get. Ugly. But this is how low we are on the totem pole. I also can't convince anyone from my old clubs to come play for us. So we'll be starting wholly from scratch here.

New European Union Additions
Serbia
Montenegro
Bosnia-Herzogovnia

Perhaps places I can raid for talent at some point in the future.

We're *really* scraping the bottom of the barrel here in terms of guys we can get to even think about playing on the sea, but I'll just have to work on building up this club's reputation.

Between my assman, myself, and a coach we hire, we're able to have 1.5* coverage minimum in all coaching areas, with a high of 2.5* in Defending that is my assman's only coaching duty. I'm doing most of the work - the new hire responsible only for Fitness.

Transfer In - GK Tom Bridle (26) (From Plymouth Argyle Reserves)
This is how poor the talent level has been here in Porthleven - At 5*/5*, Bridle is the first player who's been listed as a good player for this level. I never know how to pick a good GK, so can't comment on him. Looks solid, however. He actually managed to play 6 games in Ithsmian Division One. Granted, he was bad there (6.22), but it's still some big experience for a little club like ours.

Transfer In - DC/DM/MC Anthony Facey (19) (Welsh)
Street free agent pick up and another 5/5 who is "very well-suited" to this level. 13 Decisions, 12 Flair, and not a single Physical attribute is lower than 7- including 12 Accel and Natural Fitness, and 10s in Balance, Jumping Reach, and Pace. Hasn't gotten a real chance to show what he can do, getting scant games here and there every season. Granted, his performances have been less than exciting, but he deserves an extended run.

Transfer In - MCR/DM Adrian Dawe (17) (Welsh) (From Merthyr Town - Free Transfer)
Technically speaking, Dawe is raw - as in pure trash. But he does have 12 Accel and Pace, along with 11 Flair and not awful mental attributes. Like Facey, he's very well-suited to this level and has only been meh with spot starts here and there at various clubs.

Transfer In - DC/DM/MC Jon Dunford (18) (From Truro City)
I'm in love with this kid already. 13 Tackling, 17 Team Work, 12 Work Rate, 13 Balance, 10 Stamina, 11 Strength. He can literally play all three of his spots at what would be an elite level compared to the rest of the squad. Right now, Tom Bridle still has the highest assessment overall, but we're bringing in some serious young talent. Probably slots in as MC right now.

We're not going to play in the U21 league this season - We just won't have the players worth it, I don't think. Board insists on U18, but whatever.

Transfer In - AMCL/MLC Darren Ling (17) (From Truro City - Free Transfer)
We're continuing to raid City. Technically, he's awful, but 11 Determination, 13 Flair, 15 Team Work, 11 Work Rate, 10 Accel, 11 Agility, 12 Pace... there's a lot to love about this kid, and he's our first player graded as Western Premier capable, which is several levels ahead of us. Really looking for him to make a huge impact.

Transfer In - DR/WBR Dominic Relen (17) (From Weymouth - Free Transfer)
13 Teamwork, 10 Jumping Reach, 12 Natural Fitness and Stamina. Not a standout at anything right now, but it's an immediate infusion of legitimate level-capable talent at the DR spot. Teem is slowly coming together.

Transfer In - AMC/ST Fred Makiadi (16) (From Taunton - Free Transfer)
I'm really intrigued by this kid - Very well-suited to the next level and blessed with 11 Flair, Leadership, and Acceleration, and 13 Work Rate, Balance, and Natural Fitness. A starting striker for sure, though I think we're starting to steer towards a Diamond setup of some kind tactically.

Transfer In - ML/AML Rob O'Brien (17) (From Truro City - Free Transfer)
Tactically, he's trash. But why am I jazzed up about this kid? 15 Pace, 13 Accel, 12 Agility, 12 Flair, 10 Work Rate. My assman swears he's next-level ready, but all I know is, I'm going to *love* watching this kid burn everyone.

Transfer In - DC Kieran Hartley (18) (From Truro City - Free Transfer)
Yeah, we're pretty much another U-21 branch of City by now, as we poach another one. 11 Decisions and Strength, 13 Balance, Jumping Reach, and Natural Fitness. Has some solid attributes in key technical areas, too. Western Premier level talent right now.

Transfer In - ST John Adcock (16) (From Truro City - Free Transfer)
For those of you keeping score at home, that's the fifth City player we've taken - one outright, and four via transfer. Adcock has 10 First Touch and Heading, 11 Composure, 14 Determination, and 12 Balance/Natural Fitness. He's another Western Premier ready player, and I'm very intrigued to watch him develop.

Truro City shouldn't shock you as our main leech point. They're the first Cornish side to ever win the FA Vase (2007), and to date, they're the only club from Cornwall to make it to Vanarama North/South. We obviously hope to be the second, and go further still. Not bad for a city of under 19,000 people. They last relegated from North/South in this universe in 2015-2016 and have since dropped back quite a bit. They're trying to work their way back out of the Southern Premier, however, finishing 9th last year after low points of 13th and 16th. That said, they were last seen below the Southern Premier in the 2008-09 season, so they've put together a great decade of sustained success.

vs Falmouth (Friendly)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jeremy Hoskins/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Anthony Facey/Adrian Dawe
AM: Darren Ling
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock

A 3-1-3-1-2 DM formation, our first tactical tryout. We have no one able to play DL at the moment, so we'll get squashed. Jeremy Hoskins is a WBL holdover we think can convert quickly to DL.

9 - Facey forwards to Ling for the lightning diagonal past the defender out to the far wing. Dawe runs to pick it up and near posts it to Adcock for the sizzling score! 1-0

12 - Bleh. Immediate answer. 1-1

62 - Adcock gets the open ball and laterals it to Ling, running forward to catch the beautiful threaded pass. Three defenders swarming, so he lays it into space in the box. Makiadi sprints to beat the defense and slams the go-ahead! 2-1

69 - Dawe hits the corner when I realize I forgot to choose my set piece takers. Oops. We're awarded a PK, and Adcock can't convert... but he puts away his own rebound! 3-1

7.0 for Tom Bridle in the net, 7.6 for Adrian Dawe, and 7.9 for John Adcock. Good solid playing in the second half, though we looked very blah in the first 45 minutes.

vs Torpoint (Friendly)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jeremy Hoskins/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Anthony Facey/Adrian Dawe
AM: Darren Ling
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock

21 - Ling recovers a bad pass by somebody and we work back to Hoskins, who shoots the long ball to Ling in the box. Two defenders are surrounding him, and the keeper's drifted way over there, too. Pass out center to Makiadi, and the open net eats the shot! 1-0

52 - Ryan Bayly comes in at DM, Ling switches to ML, Makiadi down to AMC, and Lewis Pook is a new ST. We haven't signed enough guys to bring in my own reserves yet, unfortunately.

62 - Fan favorite Jake Bradley replaces Hartley at DC.

74 - Damn. 1-1

Well, last time the Fishermen played these guys they lost - 1-3 or 1-2, I forget which. So a should have won is a sign of how far Porthleven has come already, I think. Officially, however, we're on something like a six game winless streak dating back to last season.

Loan In: DL Jon Casey (From Street)
Nothing special, really. Strictly a warm body while we try and find better cover elsewhere.

Rob O'Brien gets a head injury and will miss a week and a half to 2 weeks. Really need to step up the search for reserves I actually would like to have hanging around.

[Izulde]

There's only one cup to play for - the Walter C Parsons Cup, and the Fishermen have only made it to the second round once in this universe, where they lost on PKs.

Promotion Odds
Wroxham Reserves: 4-6
Ivybridge: Evens
Sticker: 10-1
Camelford: 10-1
Porthleven: 33-1
Liskeard Athletic: 50-1

Not bad - the bookies have us pegged for 5th, or one better than the team's 6th place in the first season. Evidently they're really excited about my being at the helm and the total roster overhaul.

vs Penzance (Friendly)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jon Casey/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Darren Ling/Anthony Facey/Adrian Dawe
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

These guys won the league last season, so this is a good litmus test for where we really are as a team.

42 - Dawe gets the blast pass out right and hits a cracker cross that flattens the keeper. The ball is still loose, the goalie trying to get up, when Pook pounds forward, winning the foot race to dump it in. 1-0

48 - Dunford slides up to CM, and Bayly comes on as the DM.

55 - Bradley for Hartley

PotM is Jon Dunford with an 8.0, and Adrian Dawe adds on a 7.5. So, okay, we can compete with the big dogs right out the gate.

Jon Casey and Fred Makiadi are named Captain and Vice-Captain for the season, bypassing the old guard. The usual young captain angst, vice-captain happy. Interesting note about Makiadi: he's also eligible for DR Congo, and he speaks good French. Something to note in case we plunder the Francophone nations.

One of the old guard is pissed I named a temporary player captain, but most of the old regime players either don't care, or are happy. None of the new guys give a damn.

I spend way too damn much time trying to talk African national players to join us, all to no avail.

Transfer In - MC Mickey Hall (20) (From Barnstaple)
He's been fantastic when he's been given playing time - 11 Passing, Flair, and Jumping Reach, 16 Teamwork, 13 Work Rate and Natural Fitness. Huge boost in the central midfield, and next level capable right now. A future star, perhaps?

Expectations are nice and low from the board - Just finish mid-table and get to the Second Round of the Walter C Parson Cup. You got it.

We sell 9 season tickets, one less than the year before. Evidently Colin Martin got pissed at last season's suckfest and vowed to skip buying tickets this year, even though we should be so much better. Your loss, Mr. Martin.

Transfer In - MR/AMR Joe Peacock (25)
Free agent who has no real strengths and no real weaknesses. Still good enough that he really bolsters us on the right midfield slot.

A final tuneup match against some scrub team's U18 side sees a 2-0 victory and we're ready to get this show going for realsies.

BTW, now all of a sudden Tom Bridle is considered a 1*/1* due to all the upgrades we've been making. So we'll keep looking at keepers to try and find an upgrade.

@ Ivybridge
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jon Casey/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock

7 - Dunford to Ling just outside the box. Our guys are bunched up, but then Adcock moves forward to pick up the ball that Ling sends it to space, and BAM! First official Fisherman goal of the Jestor era!!! 1-0

10 - Peacock with the corner (finally did my set pieces), but it's headed away. Dunford heads the clearance right at the feet of Adcock for the layoff to O'Brien. Keeper comes out again, and the net's seared for the second time in four minutes! 2-0

25 - Casey's nerves get the best of him, and fucker own goals. 2-1

Bradley for Hartley; Facey for Hall at half, both players tired as shit.

72 - Peacock short passes the free kick to Facey, who immediately is surrounded by three defenders. He finds a seam and laterals to Ling, who has a wide open shot. Defender lunges too late as the long ground roller *just* hits the corner of the net! 3-1

81 - Casey throws in to Makiadi and gets it back. Our bad captain booms a shot way down the left flank ahead of O'Brien, who gets it *just* at the touchline. Center to Adcock who flex powers the header away from the keeper!!! 4-1

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/debutfish_zpsefmdnqox.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/debutfish_zpsefmdnqox.jpg.html)

The Truro Five outlined in yellow. We just announced to the league there's a new power in town. Football in Cornwall has long been considered a joke, but this is our first step to changing that - demolishing a team favored to finish ahead of us, and on their own turf.

Oh, and Jake Bradley had a 7.0 off the bench as well, so yeah - total and absolute domination, especially in the second half.

What a gorgeous official debut.

[Izulde]

What happens when you can't sleep, and you feel like procrastinating on stuff you have to do? MOAR FM! (A lingering losing streak shall soon follow suit, I say).

vs Wroxham Reserves (3rd)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jon Casey/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock

Well, we're getting some of the tough games out of the way early against our fellow title contenders.

24 - Adcock runs down a bad pass, just barely beating out the defense. Long medium pop ball bounces free space far post, and charging Ling puts away the score! 1-0

At half, Bradley for Hartley at DC; Ling to ML, Makiadi to AMC, and Pook in at ST, with tired O'Brien catching a break.

52 - Beautiful header to save a certain goal by Relen, and after the counter move, he gets the ball on a kick back, sending it forward to Peacock for the short dribble and high far post cross. Ling has the defense beat and is onsides for his second goal of the game! 2-0

91 - That was just poor defense by Relen there, unable to stay with his man. Stupid, tacky late goal. 2-1

Brilliant showing by Darren Ling with 8.8 and PotM. Mickey Hall picks up a 7.5 behind him. Not dominating like the last game, but still a victory we'll take.

Fred Makiadi suffers a sports hernia and is out 7-8 weeks - a devastating blow to our lineup and versatility. Grrr!

@ Wendron United (4th)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jon Casey/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

18 - Double yellow for one of their guys! Let's press this!

Facey replaces Dunford at the half.

56 - Dawe for Peacock, who is tired and dragging ass out there.

69 - Ling passes back to the general area of Hall and Dawe, the former picking it up and delivering it to Pook in the box. He dribbles around the defender, and hits the shot! 1-0

Mickey Hall carried the squad single-handedly today, picking up a PotM 9.0. Next best was Dominic Relen with a 7.3. Unremarkable game against a tight-fisted defense, but we'll take it. Incidentally, that was Lewis Pook's 7th league appearance as a Fisherman, and his first goal.

Transfer In - DC Paul Jones (17) (From Truro City - Free Transfer
Make that Truro product #6. 10 Marking, 13 Teamwork, 11 Jumping Reach and Natural Fitness. It's a coin flip as to who is better between him and Kieran Hartley, so I'll probably rotate both until I decide which one is the best.

vs Plymstock United (2nd)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen (No DR)
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

...Or perhaps I can just not decide and go Asymmetrical! We'll try that in our biggest early test of the year, and see how it pans out.

27 seconds - Adcock wings out to Peacock, getting it back on the center, and the shot sings home! Talk about your quick strike devastation! 1-0

53 - That's down to Jones. 1-1

62 - Bradley for Jones; Ling out to ML and we change to 3-1-4-2, with the AMC dropping back for Facey to take charge of a new MC slot.

88 - Pook gets a skim pass and dribbles, then sends out to Ling on the flank. Two defenders on him, and Pook and Adcock are both ahead of the defense, yet onsides. Ground pass into the box, and Adcock slams in his second of the game! 2-1

90 - Huge header by Hall to stop an attack, and on the other end, Facey laterals to Hall for the pass up to Adcock. Heat's there, so he sends it into the box, where Pook is probably offsides, but he makes the 1 on 1 anyway and it's not called back! Their right midfielder goes to scream about the call, only to draw a warning. 3-1

91 - Facey forward to Pook for first touch side pass to Adcock. Send right back to Pook and into the box for Ling, and the keeper looks like he's given up, the kid I was "really looking to make a huge impact" netting yet another goal! 4-1

We woke up in the second half, and by game's end, Joe Peacock (8.4),Mickey Hall (8.0), Darren Ling (9.0), John Adcock (9.2 and PotM), and Lewis Pook (9.0), had completely crushed our nearest competitors. Props to Anthony Facey with his 7.0 off the bench, too. I'd love to give him more PT, but for now, he has to settle for being the guy who gets called on as a top reserve.

Pleased to see John Adcock break the club record for fastest goal scored. Previous mark was 35 seconds.

I certainly didn't expect to open with a four game win streak against this schedule, or to firmly be entrenched atop the table with some wiggle room! But with 32 games, it's only 1/8th of the season. Long, long way to go yet.

[Izulde]

Still can't sleep. Too tired to do anything I need to concentrate on. So more FM - besides, it's a buffer for those weeks when I'm too busy to post an update.

vs Vospers Oak Villa (12th)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen (No DR)
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

10 - Pook got drilled in the box, and Adcock converts the ensuing PK! 1-0

54 - Ugh. 1-1

59 - Facey in for Jones

Zero excuse to be drawing at home against such an inferior team.

I terminated Jon Casey's loan. Just don't trust the dude. Darren Ling is appointed captain instead, as he's now more suited than Fred Makiadi to take the band. He freaks out about it - some older regime dudes are yay, and no one else cares.

@ Liskeard Athletic (7th)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen (No DR)
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

52 - HE WAS FUCKING OFFSIDES!!! 0-1

54 - KEYBOARD SMASH!@#%$#%tertgagertertgawetgeatr#^%#^tq#@ 0-2

62 - Facey for Dunford; Bradley for Jones

77 - HEY FUCKNOZZLES! START FUCKING PLAYING! 0-3

79 - Meaningless fucking goal by Pook. 1-3

@ Millbrook (9th)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen (No DR)
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

24 - Fucking Adcock give up the fucking PK. 0-1

56 - Ling runs down the middle of the pitch to catch a longball just outside the box. I'm thinking he's going to shoot, but he sends it left to O'Brien for the cross opposite side, where all alone Peacock flies in for his first Fisherman goal! 1-1

58 - This is my screaming in your fucking STUPID NO SHOT BLOCKING ASS ON THAT FREE KICK BRIDLE!!! 1-2

64 - My keyboard refuses to snap in half. Bradley for Hartley; Facey for Hall

65 - O'Brien catches a longball by the touchline and centers to Adcock. First touch header to Pook, and we're level again. 2-2

81 - ARE YOU FUCKING KDIDSLDFNSLGNALSGNASLGNASNLF AHDGSLFAJFALFJGOLASH 2-3

Transfer In - GK Colin Down (18) (From Truro City - Free Transfer
#7. I'm now convinced Tom Bide is a dumpster fire and a half. Down isn't great either, by any means, but he's a lot younger, and at 2/4 or 1/3.5, depending on who you talk to, he's an improvement now and in the future.

@ St Martins (Walter C Parson Cup First Round)
G: Colin Down
D: Jake Bradley/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen (No DR)
DM: Anthony Facey
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Adrian Dawe
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

28 - WHAT.THE.ACTUAL.FUCK IS GOING ON?! 0-1

51 - Fuck it. Dawe to DM, Peacock in at MR. Out goes Bradley as we switch to a normal fucking formation, Hoskins in. We've lost anyway.

76 - I should have fucking stayed in Lindfield. 0-2

Another bitter, bitter loss.

Transfer In - DL Ollie Bennett (20)
Warm body, meet position.

vs Bude Town (11th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

26 - Hall recovers a cleared corner and sends it back to Peacock. Cross near post is to a dancing Adcock, who sliiiiiiiiiides right for the ball and cracks the shot in! Our first lead in forever. 1-0

39 - Peacock mails it to a flying O'Brien, but he whiffs the shot. Defense tries to kick it away, but it dribbles right, and Ling keeps pace with it to just tap in his 5th goal of the year. 2-0

55 - Sigh. 0-1

62 - Facey for Dunford; Jones for Hartley

8.5 for PotM Joe Peacock. We finally get off the snide, but still drop to 2nd on goal differential and could fall even further with games in hand of teams below us.

We sign a trio of free agent developmental prospects at striker. Hopefully the nightmare is over. We'll get Fred Makiadi back next game, too, and I think his absence has hurt us tremendously. We'll see some shifting of the lineup with his return.

[Izulde]

One thing worth noting - our attendance has skyrocketed to the point where we've already doubled last season's profits just about, and we're only 25% of the way through the year. Hiring me was the best decision Porthleven FC has ever made.

vs Holsworthy (10th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock

56 - Jones for Hartley; Pook for Adcock and striker switch.

70 - Bennett throws in to Pook for the short kick back to Dunford. High ball into the box makes the defender miss the header, and Makiadi picks the perfect time to drill his first Fisherman goal! 1-0

83 - Hall forwards it to Ling for the feed to Makiadi, who is promptly smashed to the ground. Loose ball rolls, and Ling runs with it to fire in the clincher! 2-0

85 - Awful defensive effort by Jones. That also dropped us back to 2nd. 2-1

PotM was Darren Ling with a 7.9, and Mickey Hall dominated the midfield with a 7.8. We're in 2nd on goal differential, but the new first place team (Ivybridge) also has a game in hand on us.

Transfer In - ST Dominic Pears (19)
12 Flair, 12 Acceleration, 12 Pace, 10 Strength. The laziest damn player I've ever seen (1 Work Rate!). Excellent potential, however, and we'll give him a chance at starting, because I want to shift some positions around to strengthen our squad.

@ Illogan RBL (9th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Darren Ling/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: John Adcock/Dominic Pears

54 - O'Brien for Ling; Facey for Dunford

92 - O'Brien with the fabulous header clearance on a free kick, knocking it down to Makiadi, who dribbles all the way down the center of the pitch, draws the defense, and laterals it to Adcock for the charge and last minute score!!!!! 1-0

We honestly deserved to lose this one - Kieran Hartley's 7.4 and Fred Makiadi's 7.3 bailed us out on what was a game that clearly showed people struggling with our adjustments.

Ivybridge got DESTROYED 0-5, putting us firmly back in 1st, 3 points ahead of the team that trashed them. That's one way to wreck your GD.

Jon Dunford is leading the league in tackles/game at 4.01. That's always good to see.

@ Stickler (5th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Darren Ling/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: John Adcock/Dominic Pears

To me there's not a whole lot of differentiation in talent levels in the league. It very much has the feel of anyone can beat anybody else on any given day. Hopefully as our team gels together, we'll continue to be on top and start being dominant, but we haven't really seen that yet - lots of close wins.

Relen and Hartley get yellow-carded in the first six minutes, and Darren Ling has a yellow just before half. Some real home cooking bullshit here. Jones is in for gassed Hartley at half.

68 - Facey for Hall

Frankly, we deserved to lose this one. It would really help if Kieran Hartley could actually finish a game. We're likely to lose our lead because Ivybridge has a game in hand and is just 1 point behind.

Darren Ling gets praised by the press, and I genuinely do love that kid. $1.9k profit for the month, and the board is absolutely thrilled with me having us on top of the league. Remember, we were projected to finish 5th, and were 33-1 longshots to win the title, so for us to be playing this well is incredible.

vs Mousehole (17th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Darren Ling/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: John Adcock/Dominic Pears

28 - Makiadi flares it out on the far right wing to Peack for an exquisite center to Adcock. Shot's deflected, but Adcock puts in his own rebound! 1-0

33 - Horrible throw-in. 1-1

35 - Fucking awful pass. 1-2

Screaming ensues.

48[/b - FFS. [b]1-3

50 - Peacock's IDFK is cleared, but Pears traps it just outside the half-circle and slams the long bomb! Jones and Facey come in as DC as we switch to 3 central defenders. Our fullbacks are just getting absolutely slaughtered out there. 2-3

53 - Adcock has two defenders on him on the left side, so he kicks back to Hall for a header to Makiadi just outside the half-circle. BOOM! Same space, same cannon shot, and now same score. 3-3

We showed superb fightback in getting to the draw, and even had a couple chances to win late in the game. A drop to 3rd is no doubt forthcoming, however, and I think we're going to switch to a 3 DC setup. Our fullbacks are just absolute trash. We also lose Darren Ling for 5-6 weeks to a back injury. Not good. Not good at all.

@ Camelford (13th)
G: Colin Down
DC: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Anthony Facey
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: John Adcock/Dominic Pears

Miraculously, the teams below us lost all their games in hand, keeping us in 1st place. Nobody who is any good wants to come be a Fisherman, which is frustrating, but we'll keep trying.

20 - THREE FUCKING DEFENDERS ON HIM AND HE SCORES! 0-1

39 - Own goal by Facey. Terrible. F. 0-2

Bradley in for Facey[a/b] at half, and I'm fucking ripping into the team.

[b]77 - Dunford to Adcock for the booming ball to O'Briend near the touchline. Cross far post, and Pears drops in what is no doubt just a consolation goal. 1-2

And there's the drop to 2nd, finally. I wish I knew WTF is wrong with this team. We didn't play badly enough to lose, so this is really :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Izulde]

vs Newquay (5th)
G: Colin Down
DC: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Anthony Facey
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: John Adcock/Dominic Pears

We've fallen to third once everyone's played 13 games. Meh.

17 - Terrible. Backline got caught pushing up. 0-1

19 - O'Brien is hounded by two defenders on the left sideline, but he's able to turn and center to Hall just inside the box. There's some flight on that shot and it cracks the upper corner of the net for his first Fisherman goal! 1-1

53 - Bradley for Jones; Dawe for Hall

57 - FML. 1-2

We keep falling further and further behind, and I'm not sure how to fix it. Mickey Hall is going to miss our next game, too.

Transfer In - MC Jason Hawes (19) (From Portland United)
11 Passing, 17 Teamwork, 12 Work Rate, 11 Balance, 10 Stamina. Struggled to produce in the leagues directly above us, but he's got the kind of attributes that should make us a more cohesive team - he and Mickey Hall are both great passers, so we might shift to a 2 MC set up and a 3-1-4-2 Flat.

@ Dobwalls (12th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Jason Hawes/Joe Peacock
AM: Fred Makiadi
S: John Adcock/Dominic Pears

Clearly, three DCs is just not working for us, so we go back to what worked before.

10 - Beautiful long ball into space by Bennett. O'Brien picks it up, dribbles further down the left flank, and far post crosses. Pears uses his speed and quickness to beat the defense and score with ease. Our first lead in forever. 1-0

50 - Peacock on the corner to Hartley's head, and there's the insurance! 2-0

55 - No excuse for Down to fail at stopping that. Makiadi moves up to Adcock's spot, and we do change to the 3-1-4-2 setup, with Dawe coming as the second CM. 2-1

68 - Bennett just sat in the fucking corner and let them take the ball away like he's fucking get paid for it!!! Tired Dunford out for Facey 2-2

86 - ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! FACEY'S FUCKING SECOND OWN GOAL OF THE FUCKING YEAR?! 2-3

Free falling to fifth, our original prediction. Granted, we got fucked hard by our two best players going out with injury.. but still. Bullshit is bullshit.

In other news, Burgess Hill Rhinos are doing their usual smash things. Cheddar is second, and fighting for a promotion spot. Lindfield is 1st, despite a huge rash of injuries downing the Swans - Jon Joyce, Michael Monaghan, and Orlando Joao are all on the injured list.

[Izulde]

Transfer Out - WBL/ML/AML Jeremy Hoskins (19) (To Dobwalls)
He just wasn't going to ever crack our rotation, so out he goes.

vs Penryn Athletic (19th)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Kieran Hartley/Paul Jones/Dominic Relen
M: Rob O'Brien/Jason Hawes/Mitchell Hall/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/Dominic Pears

Much as I hate the flat 4-4-2, it's what we're changing to in order to try and break out of this slump.

41 - Hall kicks it back to Hartley for the longball to Makiadi. Pass between three defenders to Pears, and the power strike punches in! 1-0

48 - Amazing effort by Ling to run back and take the ball away when they're mounting a counter attack. He gives to Hall for a gorgeous flareout right side down the line. Pears gets it and dribbles all the way to the touchline before crossing. Keeper comes out, and Makiadi makes him pay! 2-0

66 - Hawes is dribbling down the middle of the pitch when he wings it to Ling. High cross to Makiadi, and the header hits with authority! 3-0

80 - We didn't really need that own goal, but we'll take it! 4-0

83 - Three defenders on one striker means the other scores on the layoff. 4-1

87 - What the hell?! 4-2

Fairly disastrous last 20 minutes there, as I probably should have subbed, but we were playing brilliantly. 7.9 for Jason Hawes, 7.6 for Darren Ling, 7.8 for Dominic Pears, and 9.1 for PotM Fred Makiadi. We *finally* snap the winless drought, moving from to 6th to 4th, 3 points and GD back of the new leader.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/halfwayY1Porthleven_zpssojvsnxl.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/halfwayY1Porthleven_zpssojvsnxl.jpg.html)

As you can see, halfway through the season, it's still a pretty tightly clustered table, with Sticker perhaps worthy of their top spot, but there's a lot of room for someone to emerge as the top dog over the second half of the year.

Loan In - DL/WBL Cameron Ainley (18) - From Bristol Manor Farm
10 Decisions, 12 Flair, 14 Teamwork, 16 Work Rate, and solid all-around physical attributes highlighted by 10 Balance and Natural Fitness, and 11 Stamina. We had just a warm body there in Ollie Bennett, and I think this season long loanee will go a long way to addressing those problems.

vs Ivybridge (2nd)
G: Colin Down
D: Cameron Ainley/Kieran Hartley/Paul Jones/Dominic Relen
M: Darren Ling/Jason Hawes/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/Dominic Pears

9 - Bad defense there. 0-1

21 - Makiadi sends it out to all alone Peacock for the center to Hall and the surprising score. 1-1

[b]28[/b - Hall to Hawes to Makiadi straight line. The fierce shot's deflected, but Pears escapes the defense and angles the rebound diagonal just right for the go-ahead goal! 2-1

43 - Our backline took a nap there. 2-2

So frustrating that our defense continues to be so awful.

52 - Facey and Dunford replace our two DCs.

57 - I FUCKING HATE THIS SHITLORD DEFENSE! 2-3

67 - Gorgeous long-range strike by Peacock there. 3-3

82 - Hawes plays to Hall for the ball up to Makiadi. He dribbles and a horde of four defenders starts swarming on him, the keeper coming out to challenge. Coming out is stupid to do against Makiadi, and he scores the go-ahead goal! 4-3

8.3 for Joe Peacock, 8.6 for Mickey Hall, 8.7 for Jason Hawes, and 8.5 for Fred Makiadi, as we steal the most important 3 points of the season and inch up to 2nd place, a point behind new leaders Plymstock United.

Anthony Facey is out 2 weeks with a nasty bruise, but I don't really care. What I do care is that Jason Hawes will miss the next game due to yellow cards accumulation. He's been absolutely vital since I managed to steal him away.

@ Wroxham Reserves (17th)
G: Colin Down
D: Cameron Ainley/Kieran Hartley/Paul Jones/Dominic Relen
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Adrian Dawe/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/Dominic Pears

Matches played before this one dropped us to 4th place. You never know what kind of players you're going to face when you're up against a Reserves team, this is going to be a little nerve-wracking.

They're playing dirty, injuring Dawe and Makiadi in the first half, so Dunford and Adcock respectively come on to replace them at the break.

48 - Same old story. Defense is shit. 0-1

60 - Dunford wings out to Peacock. Ball centers to Adcock, but the shot's blocked by the defender's head. No problem, as Pears puts the equalizer away. 1-1

65 - HOW THE FUCK ARE MY DEFENDERS THE HIGHEST RATED ON THE TEAM?! 1-2

Pathetic. Paul Jones keeps fucking up so he's out, and we have to back to our old scheme, I think. Adrian Dawe is out 2 weeks, and we just can't keep a healthy midfield.

Transfer In - MR/AMR/ST Claudio Herbert (28) (Portuguese) (From Barnstaple)
Not that skilled, but 13 Acceleration and 11 Pace mean he's quick and fast. We'll give him a try as we experiment with different shit. Not like we could do much worse with our shitty backline.

vs Wendron United (16th)
G: Colin Down
D: Cameron Ainley/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
M: Darren Ling/Jason Hawes/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AMR: Claudio Herbert
S: Fred Makiadi/Dominic Pears

I may have screwed up on the starters, because I can't remember when Darren Ling went back in, and I sometimes miss things when I copy/paste. So it's the debut of a 3-4-3 Asymmetrical AMR setup.

59 - Switching to a normal 3-4-3 as Dunford replaces Hall and I change Peacock out for Adcock and a 3 strikers formation, Herbert dropping to MR.

71 - Ling tries to cross to Makiadi, but heading stuff happens. Adcock pounces and shoots, but it's deflected. No worries, as Makiadi hits the rebound! 1-0

76 - FFS defense! 1-1

81 - Hartley's knocked out, so a I jury rig a 3-3-1-3, with Ling an AMC and O'Brien as the ML.

88 - Dunford gets smacked with a red card and I'm like ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! I HAVE FUCKING NO MORE DCS LEFT!!!!

91 - Pears recovers a corner kick clearance and goes right side to Ling. Cross to Adcock. Shot blocked, but Adcock gets his own rebound and makes the miracle long shot go home!!!!!!!!!!! 2-1

Jason Hawes may have won PotM with a 7.7, but there's no question John Adcock's 7.6 off the bench saved us, and we're back in 2nd on goal differential as the ping-ponging at the top of the table continues.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/accurateaf_zpsejdrilbq.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/accurateaf_zpsejdrilbq.jpg.html)

Accurate AF. Wish I knew how to fix our porous defense - I've had to go Attacking or Overload consistently the last few games, and a lot of times I'll simply just leave it because we're so bad at the back and can't find anyone willing to come play for us.

On the plus side, our offense has been amazing, and seems to specialize in clutch goals late in games.

[Izulde]

vs Liskeard Athletic (1st)
G: Colin Down
D: Ollie Bennett/Paul Jones/Dominic Relen
M: Darren Ling/Jason Hawes/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Dominic Pears

We're going to try a flat 3-4-3 in this key matchup to see how it does.

6 - Fuck. 0-1

11 - My. 0-2

44 - Life! 0-3

49 - Ainley for Bennett; Herbert for Peacock as we continue to get wrecked. 0-4

63 - Meaningless goal by Pears here. 1-4

Absolutely devastating loss. We got our asses hammered six ways to Sunday.

Transfer In - DLC Isaac Archer (19) (From Bodmin)
11 Leadership, 10 Positioning, 15 Teamwork, 12 Balance, 11 Natural Fitness. High potential DL player who will again try to address our revolving door at the position. A side note worth mentioning - Dominic Relen now has increased potential, so we're not going to shop too hard for a replacement there, unless someone now elite stands out.

@ Plymstock United (4th)
G: Colin Down
D: Isaac Archer/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
M: Darren Ling/Jason Hawes/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Dominic Pears

5 - Relen throws into Peacock, but the ensuing cross is blocked. Ball bounces back to Relen, and his highball pass into the box lands at Makiadi's feet for the score! 1-0

6 - Two defenders and they still fucking can't stop a cross@#%!$%!@$! 1-1

8 - WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THIS SHITLORD TEAM?q@$%#qw$^#%q@#$%w@ 1-2

37 - Hall out to Peacock for the dribble and high pass into the box. Makiadi -just- beats the keeper for the equalizer. 2-2

41 - I just lost half my keys threw keyboard. 2-3

43 - Makiadi scores his hat trick before half, the first for one of my players in a long time, and first Fisherman to do it. I forgot how it happened, because I was busy searching for all my lost keys (found them). 3-3

53 - Ainley for Archer; Dunford for Hall

58 - Oh look, a BULLSHIT long range goal. 3-4

62 - FUCK YOU!!!!!! ADCOCK WAS ONSIDES YOU FUCKING SHEEPFUCKING COCKMAGGOT REF!!!

82 - WHY THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SUDDENLY LAY OFF AND LET HIM FUCKING SHOOT AND SCORE?!?! 3-5

84 - Peacock dribble and cross to Adcock. He lays off into space for Ling for the goal that doesn't fucking matter. 4-5

88 - Ainley to Adcock to Makiadi and holy shit late equalizer!~!! 5-5

90 - JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!! WHAT THE FUCKING KINDOLSHBGOLASGOLASOSHOGHASOHGW FUCK YOU AINLEY AND YOUR FUCKING GAY FUCKING LIMPWRISTED FUCKING THROW-INS!!! 5-6

92 - Down just fuckign gave up on taht one. 5-7

@ Vospers Oak Villa (8th)
G: Colin Down
D: Isaac Archer/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
M: Darren Ling/Jason Hawes/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Dominic Pears

After doing some research, we're going to try playing wider and higher up, but with a Structured setup. Felt like the Balanced approach was costing us.

16 - Hall sends it out to Ling on the wing. Cross far post has Pears charging forward from the defender and powering it away. 1-0

20 - PK and Pears produces!!! Can this finally be the game we need? 2-0

37 - Down should have stopped that. 2-1

51 - Pears kicks it back to Hawes for a precision pop ball to Adcock on the box line. Three defenders blanketing him, but one misses the sliding tackle and he sings it in! 3-1

60 - Dunford for Hartley; Peacock slides inside and Herbert comes in at MR.

67 - Makiadi just outside the box. He short passes to Adcock, who dribbles on the boundary line before short pass in box to Pears, and BOOM! goes the Happy Hat Trick! 4-1

70 - Another goal Down should have stopped. 4-2

78 - Fucking retarded own goal by Dunford. I'm going to be so, so, SO fucking pissed... 4-3

Obvious PotM is Dominic Pears with a 9.4, but give credit also to Jason Hawes with an 8.2. John Adcock just misses the 7.5 mark with a 7.4.

We're back up in 3rd, but 4 and 5 points behind Plymstock United and Liskeard Athletic respectively. Those two teams have really separated themselves as the class of the league. We can still fall back to 5th, however, due to games in hand.

Transfer In - GK Jim Taylor (19)
Whether he's a 3*/3* or a 4*/4* player (my top two analysts differ), what's clear is that this street free agent absolutely destroysColin Down (1.5* current) in almost every key area of goalkeeping. This young man could well be the one thing we need to save our season.

[Izulde]

vs Millbrook (7th)
G: Jim Taylor
D: Isaac Archer/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
M: Darren Ling/Jason Hawes/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Dominic Pears

3 - Own goal by Hartley. JFC. 0-1

13 - Hawes grounds it out to Peacock and luckily it wasn't intercepted. Cross to Makiadi and the shot is blocked. Ball is literally sitting on the line, but Makiadi is able to run up and tap it in. 1-1

35 - Crossbar screwed us on that corner kick 1-2

37 - :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: 1-3

50 - Ainley for Archer; Herbert for Pears

We hammered them repeatedly in the second half, but just couldn't get anything going.

Making matters worse, Jason Hawes goes home sick for 2-3 weeks with a particularly nasty virus.

@ Bude Town (12th)
G: Jim Taylor
D: Isaac Archer/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
M: Colin Micciche/Mickey Hall/Darren Ling/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Dominic Pears

Miccichie is an excellent crosser who was already on the team, so I've decided to give him a shot here.

7 - Caught napping on the counterattack there. 0-1

25 - In off the crossbar. 0-1

28 - CAN *WE* GET ANY FUCKING CROSSBAR LUCK?! HELL FUCKING NO!

41 - I'm looking for a new job. 0-3

54 - Hall plays a long ball for Herbert, who replaced Makiadi. Dribble and shoot for the Portuguese veteran's first Fisherman goal. 1-3

65 - Fucking cocksucker fluke goal to eliminate any fucking chance we had at coming back. 1-4

80 - Adcock with the meaningless goal. 2-4

Unfortunately, there's no jobs I want to apply to, so I'm kind of stuck here.

vs Illogan RBL (14th)
G: Jim Taylor
D: Cameron Ainley/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
M: Colin Micciche/Mickey Hall/Darren Ling/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Dominic Pears

2 - We suck suck suck suck. 0-1

32 - Peacock cross pitch to Micciche for the beautiful center to Adcock. Three defenders breathing down his neck? No problem as he scores with ease. 1-1

35 - Peacock corner to Hartley head and it's in! 2-1

36 - Surprised that we fuck up right away because Adcock makes a shitlord backpass to no one? Yeah, me either. 2-2

49 - It's like we've given up all semblance of trying. 2-3

59 - Herbert for injured Pears and Taylor is yanked for Down.

80 - Here's the post fucking us over twice in a row.

84 - Ling longball to Adcock for the header into space. Makiadi picks it up and rifles a long one to equalize. 3-3

We genuinely should have been able to win this one.

John Adcock breaks the club goals scored record in a season with 12.

@ Holsworthy (13th)
G: Jim Taylor
DC: Isaac Archer/Kieran Hartley/Paul Jones
M: Darren Ling/Mickey Hall/Jason Hawes/Joe Peacock
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock/Claudio Herbert

Switching back to 3 DCs, because our fullbacks stink.

28 - Fuck.

32 - This. 0-2

61 - Earlier in half, Dunford replaced Archer; Facey came in for Hawes. Here, Makiadi plays it forward to Adcock and with two defenders sandwiching him, he threads the lateral to Herbert for the sizzling strike. 1-2

68 - Makiadi wings out to Peacock for the straight pass to Herbert just inside the corner of the box. The crazy long shot somehow finds its way in, and we're back in this! 2-2

81 - And of course FUCKING RETARDED DUNFORD IS HIT WITH A PK! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: 2-3

82 - FUCK YOU !!!! FUCK YOU SHFASHDFAOSHGASOHFOASFUAF ADCOCK WAS ONSIDES!!!!!

86 - Herbert to Peacock. Goalie comes out, and Peacock lays off to Makiadi for the wide open late equalizer 3-3

87 - ARE YOU FCHDGGAOSGHAOSDFHOASHGFOASHF ADCOKCAHDOFHOASDHFOASDHASHOFA AW ODFDLFJSDFDUACKSC ONSIDES!!!!

88 - BUT YOU DONT' CALL THEAHRA FUCKIDFHSKGHS FHSOGHAODFHS OFFSIDES?! FUSKVSOFHAOSFHDOAHFOASFHGOASDUHGIODHFIOADHUIODFIUHAIOFHAWUIO 3-4

90[/B[ - FUCK EVERYFAHAGIHGNAGAWRT AWRTGASR GA RGF ASGHAEOGHERYH34O5903Y54U3904WTYA [B]3-5

I resign immediately after the match. I can't watch this shitass team anymore.

Time to find a new job. Fuck Cornwall, fuck its shitty soccer. Fuck FM. Fuck everything.

[Izulde]

One of the biggest reasons for my failure in Porthleven compared to my success everywhere else was my inability to bring in defenders with high Composure. My successful teams always accomplished that. Interestingly enough, in the press conference after my resignation, the journalist noted that while the board loved me, the fans despised me. I got rid of a lot of their favorites and 5th wasn't good enough despite the improvement it represented.

A second interview asks why I keep resigning from teams, even though this is the first time in this dynasty I've done it. :D The other so-called resignations were to take other, theoretically better jobs.

I definitely want to return to an Amateur side. Building up an organization to a semi-pro team is really what I love doing. Not that I regret leaving Lindfield - the bug was really getting to me. The Swans have dealt with a lot of injuries this year, but are strongly 2nd in the next league, and look to be close to an automatic lock to promote. Cheddar is 5th, and just can't seem to break the hump of being an upper tier but not quite there Western Premier squad. Burgess Hill Rhinos I don't need to say anything about. Paul Lorraine has done masterful work in building on what I did there.

It amazes me how well FM replicates how shit soccer is in Cornwall. Definitely the single most frustrating experience I've had - especially going from 1st to suddenly not being able to do anything right at all.

The Fishermen drop to 10th before they hire a new manager, who installs a 4-3-3 with 3 CMs. (Ling/Peacock/Hall) and they get a 2-0 win in their first match under him.

Ideally I'd want something with a team name, but a cool logo would definitely appeal, and so when an Insecure job comes up with one of that latter category, I go ahead and declare public interest to see if I can force the guy out. Paper is rife with speculation that it may happen.

Porthleven goes on a three game winning streak under their new manager to finish the Fishermen's original projected 5th. Lindfield does indeed promote comfortably, finishing 2nd. Burgess Hill Rhinos you already know kept smashing everyone. Cheddar finished 5th.

The insecure manager of cool logo team is indeed fired, so I apply, because none of the other amateur gigs that have opened up appeal to me particularly. It's not a guarantee I even take this job, TBH. They're taking forever to get back to me, and Adele had a house there, which annoys me. I hate that song. There's another club who didn't fire their manager who kind of interests me. That second club dismisses my interest, which actually intrigues me even more. That takes big balls, considering the things I've done.

I bomb the interview with cool logo Adele club when I tell them they have to buy the stadium the club plays in. Whatever. They took until the end of May to bring me in for an interview, so they clearly weren't serious about me.

I'm honestly getting a little antsy, however - I'm missing out on the offseason and a chance to build a roster. Maybe I should have just taken it anyway and played nice. ...Nah. The village is so small, it doesn't even have its own population. That's *too* tiny.

I find another cool logo team with a nifty history of the place it's in. They have a name - it's boring, but at least they have one. Unlike other cool logo club, which took almost two months to interview me, this second one only takes a week and a half before bringing me in. The club really wants high profile players, but I can't commit to that. The interview continues, however, so I'm hoping I still have a shot.

5 days later, they bring me in to discuss the terms of employment, and it's a fast signing.

It's June 23rd. Not much left of the offseason to change this roster and start putting things in place.

[Izulde]

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/woodbadge_5413257feb77f_zpsfdt4k0rz.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/woodbadge_5413257feb77f_zpsfdt4k0rz.jpg.html)
Harold Wood Athletic The Wood
The club was founded in 1908, and in this universe have largely been a midtier squad in the Essex Olympian Football League. But last season, they finished in 2nd place, before their manager took a job at another amateur club.

Harold Wood itself is a suburb of northeast London of just over 12,000 people - so quite small, despite its proximity to the larger city. The town got its name from Harold Godwinson, who got his ass kicked in 1066 by William, and many of the original roads are named after great Anglo-Saxon kings.

As for Harold Wood itself beyond that nifty history note... it's a town where there's not much. No formal shopping district (or High Street) as such. Pretty much the train station and that's it.

Actually... that's really, really boring. I'm going to quit. I need something more interesting than that.

The media is flabbergasted that I quit after two days, but I did leave the Wood in a much better spot - I fired their shit staff and put out job offers for a fantastic assistant manager, chief scout, and coach.

Happily another job opened up with awesome logo and team name that's quite unique, in a much better town both in terms of visual appeal and actually having a High Street.

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/cuckfieldtownfc_zpsbmgilmjb.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/cuckfieldtownfc_zpsbmgilmjb.jpg.html)
Cuckfield Town White Bellies

What a great logo and team name! The town itself is roughly 3,500 people, so quite small. But its High Street has among other things, a tea house and Thai and Indian eateries - quite an unexpected variety of food for such a small place. The village itself is a charming, pretty place, and I'm excited to note that there's archery classes and stuff, too. Also a golf course here, which looks pretty from pictures.

The White Bellies started off in the Mid Sussex Championship in this universe, relegated after two years, spent three seasons in Mid Sussex Division One before going back up, and spent just one year in the Mid Sussex Championship - by taking 2nd and promoting to the Mid Sussex Premier League, where the board is expecting a 3rd place finish.

Friendly season's already started, and they drew 1-1. I *just* get my staff all signed in time for the second friendly - well except the physio that I forgot I need. Thanks to Cuckfield's rapid rise, I was able to attract top-flight talent, and we're 2* or better in all training categories. Including stealing one of the guys I originally offered at Harold Wood. :D

There's no one capable of playing DR on this squad right now, so that's priority #1

@ VCD (Friendly)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Matt Jackson
DC Bradley Williams/Tom Burgin
DM Tim Johnson-Cole
ML Wes Henderson
MC Josh Treadwell
MR Elliot Green
AMC Luke Gibbs
ST Kevin Brees/Simon Shenton

We're not expected to have any chance against a semi-pro team - less so when [b]Wes Henderson goes out with injury and our setup gets *really* wonky. But Kevin Brees makes a couple clutch goals and we claw back from 0-2 to salvage a 2-2 draw. He nets an 8.9 and Luke Gibbs gets a 9.0 and PotM.

Transfer In - DL/WBL Joe O'Donoghue (27) (From Winchester)
Despite his struggles in recent years with Winchester, this Leyton Orient product looks very strong for our level - 12 Long Throws, 14 Bravery, 10 Composure, 10 Concentration, 10 Decisions, and 19 Teamwork! :o His one flaw is that he's kinda mediocre physically, but I'm okay with that. He's a major upgrade at the left side IMO, even though he's only considered good at the next level up.

Mid Sussex Premier Promotion Odds
Alliance: 4-5
Ifield Galaxy: 2-1
Cuckfield Town: 8-1

Yeah, 3rd.

Transfer In DR/WBR Kenny Potter (20)
Free agent with solid mental attributes, including 11 Bravery, and 11 Acceleration on the physical side. My staff absolutely loves him. Better still, he fills in a critical spot at the DR - namely, giving us someone who can actually play there.

@ Sidlesham (Friendly)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Joe O'Donoghue
DC Bradley Williams/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Tim Johnson-Cole
MC Josh Treadwell/Elliott Green
AMC Luke Gibbs
ST Kevin Brees/Simon Shenton

4 - Green to Brees for the gorgeous ball forward for Gibbs. Three defenders in the area, but he calmly sets up his shot before rifling it in! 1-0

38 - Johnson-Cole with the short pass to Green and on to Gibbs. Lovely box ball for Brees, who dribbles three steps and slams it in! 2-0

75 - My fault for not going defensive soon enough. 2-1

Luke Gibbs quickly showing why he's a fan favorite - 9.0 rating and his second straight PotM award. True, it's only a friendly season, but still.

Transfer In - DM/DC/MC Graham Stewart (22) (Free Agent)
11 Teamwork, Work Rate, and Stamina; and 13 Decisions. Pretty raw technically, but he's going to get a long look as our new DM. A full-time starter ever since he broke in with Bowers, a semi-pro outfit in the Essex Senior League.

Transfer In - DC/DM/MC Jamie Diaper (16) (Transfer From Horsham)
We convince a Isthmian D1 team to part with one of its youth prospects, and I'm pretty excited about him and his potential. 11 Tackling, 10 Decisions, 11 Flair, 14 Teamwork, 13 Balance. Hate his lack of composure, so he's not going to play DC. Instead, I'll have him as the new DM, and make Graham Stewart a CM.

Another friendly to go, but I'll take a break here. Slowly working on getting this team together, though it turns out I'm working on building the defense up first. Which is fine. After the aggravation I had with some clubs in this universe (esp. Porthleven) that's a good thing.

[Izulde]

@ Phoenix Sports
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Joe O'Donoghue
DC Bradley Williams/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Jamie Diaper
MC Elliott Green/Graham Stewart
AMC Luke Gibbs
ST Kevin Brees/Simon Shenton

Kevin Brees is injured in the 87th minute, and it's a draw due to our playing like complete crap. Brees is out 3-4 weeks.

I name Kenny Potter and Jamie Diaper captain and vice-captain for the season, because of how I see the lineup shaking out once we get more players in. The move angers a couple people, but is supported by others. Kenny himself feels pressured by it.

Transfer In - DM/MC/AMC Mason Hirst (26) (From Lindfield)
You knew this was going to happen, and I was going to start bringing in some of my people. Lindfield and Cuckfield are just 3.5 miles apart, so Swans raiding is going to be a thing. My staff are lukewarm on Hirst, but the guy just produces in my system, so he's going to start. Sorrynotsorry.

Transfer In - ST Justin Leavers (23) (From Lindfield)
Admittedly, Leavers was never great as a Swan after we stole the league scoring leader away from Mountfield United, but I still believe in his potential, as does my staff, who are amazed at his upside. Our strikers are also so bad, he's the best one right now by a fairly large margin.

We sell 11 season tickets, same as last year.

Transfer In - DCR Rhys Myers (24) (From Kings Langley)
Graduate of the League 1 Notts County system. Bounced around a lot of different leagues and teams, with never settling in anywhere. 13 Bravery, 11 Determination, 12 Leadership, 11 Teamwork, 11 Acceleration. A bit raw right now in terms of being a DC (He's best suited to DR), but his 9 Composure gives him the nod there - plus, team captain Kenny Potter and all.

Incidentally, before the rash of signings seen here, Kenny Potter and Phillip Thomas (who is a phenomenal GK at just 17 BTW), are mentioned as the key players to our season. Seems legit.

Transfer In - AMC/MC Carl Rose (16) (Transfer From Ascot)
Note: When I say Transfer, it means he was signed to a money contract with a team and we made formal transfer offer. Anyway, just to give you an idea of my staff: My Chief Scout is 14/14 JPA/JPP (who I also stole from my inital offer to Harold Wood), my Assman is 14/7 JPA/JPP, and my Coach is 11/10 JPA/JPP. So every one of them is really smart at finding talent for this level. I think it was my coach who recommended this kid, who is easily the biggest future star I've ever signed, and he's amazing right now. 18 Flair, 13 Acceleration, 10 Agility, 10 Balance, 14 Pace! Obviously he's our new AMC, and I can't wait to see him dazzle everyone out there. He was worth $1.5k, and Ascot let him go for nothing. Huge, huge, huge get.

@ Ashurst Wood
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Joe O'Donoghue
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Jamie Diaper
MC Mason Hirst/Graham Stewart
AMC Carl Rose
ST Kevin Brees/Justin Leavers

My 222nd game as a head coach comes in my first Cuckfield Town White Bellies match. Pretty damn cool. Really excited about the changes I've made to the squad. Still looking for another DC and a ST to make all but the keeper my own guys.

28 - Well, shit. Out goes Leavers with an injury, and Gibbs comes in with a striker switch.

56 - Williams in for Myers, who is having a rough debut.

74 - O'Donoghue hits a booming free kick that bounces just right in the box for Brees to blitz the keeper! 1-0

82 - Williams fucked that one up big time. Hence why I want my guys in here and in the subs list, too. 1-1

A game we should have definitely won. Embarrassing to have such poor luck. Justin Leavers is out 2-3 weeks. Eh, could be worse. Like Luke Gibbs spraining his ankle and going down for 7-9 weeks. Ugh!

Loan In - MC/DM/MR Godfred Oduro (19) (Ghanaian) (From Harrow)
Kid is just a solid all around player, and our new best MC. 12 Acceleration is the only real standout, but he's somebody I'd love to try and convince to come around here long term.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!! Phillip Thomas gets hurt and will miss a week! Shit shit shit! There's only 26 games in league play, so every single one counts.

Transfer In - GK Ivan Loncaric (18) (Croatian)
Get excited about landing a foreign young keeper just in time for your star goalie being out. Find out that your new Croatian young goalie is out 2-4 weeks himself with a broken leg. Curse FM.

vs Framfield & Blackboys United (11th)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Joe O'Donoghue
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Jamie Diaper
MC Mason Hirst/Godfred Oduro/Graham Stewart
AMC Carl Rose
ST Kevin Brees

Philip Thomas is at 76% but I don't care. He's going in anyway. Too steep a dropoff. Due to striker injuries and my not trusting Simon Shenton, we jury rig a 4-1-3-1-1 setup today.

19 - Lots of short passes in this sequence, the last a triangle of Hirst back to Orduro and to Rose for the fabulous ground pass into space for Brees to pick up and punish the keeper 1v1! 1-0

32 - A healthier Thomas makes that stop. Sigh. 1-1

58 - Looked offsides to me. 1-2

60 - Oduro with the great pass to all alone Rose, who makes the flairtastic pass into the box for Brees to strike home. We make some changes - Myers to DR, Diaper to DC; Johnson-Cole as DM, and Williams as DL. 2-2

74 - SMH. 2-3

88 - Johnson-Cole with the long free kick into the box, and Brees shoots it around the defender in front of him for the late hat trick! 3-3

Yet another game we should have won and failed to.

@ Cuckfield Rangers (3rd)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Joe O'Donoghue
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Tim Johnson-Cole
ML Wes Henderson
MC Mason Hirst/Godfred Oduro
MR Elliott Green
ST Kevin Brees

Some guys need some rest here so it's another mish-mash lineup. Really want to beat the other Cuckfield team.

Diaper for Burgin and Stewart for Oduro at half, as we're all running on fumes here.

53 - Pathetic. 0-1

74 - FUCKING PATHETIC!!! 0-2

Oh, and we lose Jamie Diaper for 5-6 weeks. So yeah, the injuries just keep coming.

Transfer In - MLR/AML Orlando Joao (26) (Dutch) (From Lindfield)
Hello, old friend. Maybe you can be the one to rescue the disaster of what our season is turning into. Staff is eh on him, but he's continually produced, even with limited PT for the Swans this season.

Transfer In - ST David Shaw (19) (Free Agent)
How the fuck nobody signed this kid is beyond me. He's a physical god, with only 6 Jumping Reach below an 8, and only 3 of those attributes below 11! 10 Dribbling, 13 Flair, 12 Leadership, 15 Teamwork, 10 Work Rate. Watford alum who only got to play a few games at Isthmian D1 level on loan last season.

vs Felbridge (6th)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Joe O'Donoghue
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Graham Stewart
MC Godfred Oduro/Mason Hirst
AMC Carl Rose
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

Can we *finally* break the drought? Phillip Thomas is on his last straw, and is about to get pushed out by our new Croatian kid.

34 - ANOTHER FUCKING INJURY?!?! This time it's Oduro who goes off, requiring Stewart to move up, Johnson-Cole coming in at DM.

43 - skfjaskfjasolhagsoghaghafhafoahfa 0-1

51 - Jackson for O'Donoghue

56 - Rose to Shaw, who is immediately tackled. Leavers gets it from 25 out, says fuck it, and heaves the shot that somehow goes in. Flukey as fuck, but whatever. 1-1

Stop me if you've heard this one before. A GAME WE SHOULD HAVE FUCKING WON! Godfred Oduro out 2 weeks.

vs AFC Ringmer (12th)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Bradley Williams
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst
MR Elliott Green
AMC Carl Rose
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

26 - Joao bangs a header down on a clearance, smashing it right at Shaw's feet for the long, in-box strike to give us our first lead in forever! 1-0

28 - Williams, who is getting the start over poorly playing O'Donoghue on the advice of my staff, makes a great takeway and sends it to Shaw for the boom stick to Leavers. Our just back from injury striker gets nailed in the box, and Burgin slots the PK home comfortably. 2-0

58 - Hirst out to Joao, and the Dutchman kicks it back far side in the box for Leavers to net his second goal! That's the Lindfield Swans trio in effect!!! 3-0

7.6 for Tom Burgin, 8.2 for Mason Hirst, 7.8 debut for Orlando Joao, 7.5 for Carl Rose, 7.8 for Justin Leavers, and 8.3 for PotM David Shaw.

We're still very much in the bottom of the table, with a chance to fall as far as 11th again from our current spot of 8th due to games in hand, but we've finally broken through for our first win. Maybe it was Orlando Joao on his third team with me (Burgess Hill Rhinos, Lindfield, Cuckfield Town), maybe it was switching to a Control schematic. Maybe both. Or maybe it was just finally time to snap out of the doldrums.

So far the board is okay with me despite our poor start. They recognize we've been absolutely shredded by injuries, and there's a lot of new faces to integrate. We're also still having problems settling on primary formations.

[Izulde]

@ Rotherfield (7th)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Bradley Williams
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst
MR Elliott Green
AMC Carl Rose
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

42 - Ref is definitely playing favorites here. Yellow card on Shaw 10 seconds in, and another one, on Williams, at the 5 minute mark. Whatever. Here, Shaw attempts a cross to Leavers, but it's headed away. Joao jumps to trap and get the ball, then threads it to Leavers anyway for the score! 1-0

Our throw-ins have been dreadful all game. That's when I see our set piece takers didn't get saved somehow.

50 - Good thing I checked, because here's Leavers with the free kick into the box, right at Rose, and Flair Boy scores his first White Belly goal!!! 2-0

56 - Brees in for Rose; Williams up to ML, and O'Donoghue in at DL, Joao sitting, as both he and Rose are exhausted, despite playing brilliantly this game.

90 - Two sensational clearance saves by Hirst here, the second a tap pass to Brees for the short flare to Green. He holds up, then sends it back to Brees in the box, and bamtown! 3-0

Kenny Potter (7.3), Tom Burgin (7.2), and Rhys Myers (7.5), were absolutely nails in the backline tonight - particularly noteworthy for Myers, who has struggled previously. Orlando Joao had a 7.7 before being subbed off as did Carl Rose, which Mason Hirst matched for the entire game. Elliot Green was a surprise PotM with an 8.6. We saw Justin Leavers with a 7.9, and shocker hot start Kevin Brees with a 7.1 off the bench.

Two vintage performances. Beautiful.

Transfer In - MC/MR Michael Monaghan (26) (From Lindfield)
Finally convinced him to join up with us. He's been in a rotation system with The Swans, but here he'll be firmly planted as the starting MR, even though my staff likes Elliot Green slightly more now, and think Green has superb upside.

Transfer Out - MCR Elliot Green (23) (To Wembley)
A bit surprised an Isthmian D1 team snapped him up, but that makes the inking of Monaghan all the more timely.

vs AFC Haywards (Sussex Intermediate Cup Second Round)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Bradley Williams
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
MC Mason Hirst/Godfred Oduro/Graham Stewart
AMC Carl Rose
ST David Shaw/Kevin Brees

Tired players at certain positions = switch to 4-3-1-2 setup for this one. Our opponents are the worst team in the league, so we should be able to win this easily, and get a first look at our Croatian goalie who is finally back from injury.

13 - Pure and simple pyrotechnic pass by Rose all the way down the middle of the pitch into the box. Shaw gets there first, and continues fire, scorching the hapless goalie. 1-0

58 - Treadwell for tired Hirst; O'Donoghue for trash ass Williams. We've actually been playing pretty garbage overall, so we're lucky to be leading.

90 - FUUUUUUUUCK! Rose is hurt! On comes Leavers as a ST, with Brees shifting back to AMC.

It's the kind of game where Ivan Loncaric's 7.1 is PotM worthy. Ugly victory overall, but we scraped through. And we now have a contest on our hands for who the best keeper is. We lose Carl Rose for 5-6 weeks. Fuck.

vs Ardingly (6th)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Bradley Williams
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst/Godfred Oduro
MR Michael Monaghan
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

Flat 4-4-2 because of how decimated we are with injuries at the AMC spot.

66 - Brees for Leavers; Barnett for Burgin

We just couldn't get anything to break down their defense. Well played to them.

Transfer In - DR/WBR Lee Pell (19) (Free Agent)
An absolutely incredible kid. Solid all around technical attributes, 10 Composure, 13 Decisions, 12 Determination, 11 Positioning, 14 Natural Fitness. The first Isthmian D1 guy I've signed here. We're going to have him work on learning DL, however, and slot him there. Held his own at the D1 level, as a loanee from League 1 side Colchester.

@ Balcombe (11th)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Lee Pell
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst
MR Michael Monaghan
AMC Luke Gibbs
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

32 - Pell throws into Joao for the left flank bomb to Shaw. Dribble and horrible cross attempt is headed away, but my man Monaghan is there for the first touch 30 yard fireshot, and his first White Belly goal! 1-0

56 - Diaper for Burgin; Brees for Leavers

63 - Shutout streak had to end eventually. 1-1

67 - And this is where it falls apart. 1-2

Pathetic. We're not going to win the division this year. Hell, at this rate, we'll be lucky to even get close to the 3rd place finish originally projected.

[Izulde]

vs AFC Haywards (12th)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Lee Pell
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst
MR Michael Monaghan
AMC Luke Gibbs
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

53 - Brees for Leavers; Oduro for Monaghan

83 - Whatever. 0-1

All four of our backline players got a yellow.

@ Antsy Sports & Social (Montgomery Challenge Cup Second Round)
GK Phillip Thomas
DL Lee Pell
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
DM Jamie Diaper
MC Michael Monaghan/Godred Oduro
AMC Mason Hirst
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

48 - Brees for Leavers; Stewart for Diaper

72 - Two straight clearances by Burgin right at the opponents. It's like he's getting paid off by them. 0-1

74 - Brees is dribbling far right side of the box. His cross completely misses the mark, but Shaw wins the foot race and banks in the immediate answer. 1-1

84 - Unbelievable. Two defenders right there and neither one does anything. Thomas should have stopped that. 1-2

@ Ifield Galaxy (3rd)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Lee Pell
DC Rhys Myers/Tom Burgin
DR Kenny Potter
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst/Graham Stewart
MR Godred Oduro
ST David Shaw/Kevin Brees

55 - Johnson-Cole for Stewart; Monaghan for injured Oduro

76 - Our defense. 0-1

85 - Sucks all the cock. 0-2

@ Polegate Town (Mid Sussex Senior Cup Second Round)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Lee Pell
DC Rhys Myers
DR Kenny Potter
DM Jamie Diaper
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst
MR Michael Monaghan
AMC Luke Gibbs
ST David Shaw/Kevin Brees

48 - Feh. 0-1[/b

[b]62 - Rose finally comes back from injury, replacing Gibbs, while Stewart is in for Diaper.

We were actually really unlucky to lose this one. Solid at the back and mifield for once, but our strikers sucked ass.

With morale in the tank, I hold a team meeting to buck us back up. We're capable of playing far better than we have.

vs Montpelier Villa (2nd)
GK Ivan Loncaric
DL Lee Pell
DC Rhys Myers
DR Kenny Potter
DM Jamie Diaper
ML Orlando Joao
MC Mason Hirst
MR Michael Monaghan
AMC Carl Rose
ST David Shaw/Justin Leavers

54 - Potter is knocked out, so Pell shifts DR and O'Donoghue comes in at DL.

67 - Out goes Leavers; in goes Gibbs

74 - Sigh. 0-1

Second straight game we should have won. I forgot to mention, we lost Godred Oduro for a month a few games back, and now Kenny Potter is out 6-7 weeks.

The board forces me to resign the next day.

...Well shit.

[Izulde]

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o395/Izulde08/CK2andsuch/haylingpin_zps1rlw5yhl.jpg (http://s341.photobucket.com/user/Izulde08/media/CK2andsuch/haylingpin_zps1rlw5yhl.jpg.html)
Hayling United FC Humbugs

What a fantastic team name for someone as dour as me in FM. :D The Humbugs were once a Wessex Premier fixture, but have since fallen on hard times. They even spent a season in Hampshire Premier Division One, to start this universe, and the last several years have been in the Hampshire Premier Senior Division. Last year was their best since they've started, finishing 3rd, but there's no way they'll accomplish that feat. Currently sitting 12th roughly halfway through the season (34 games overall, 16 played), and with a trash roster.

The team itself plays on Hayling Island, a 12K place island just off the south-central coast of England, a ferry ride away from Portsmouth, one of my favorite English cities. There's an amusement park here, Funland with 18 rides, and of course beaches and whatnot. Seems like a really cool place. Hope I can make it here.

No time to get new guys in before my first game - I'm still assembling my staff.

vs Hamble Club (7th)
G: Jason Wooden
D: Brendan Butterfield/Phil Ford/Nicky Freeman/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
AM: Ryan Benniman/Paul Hull/Matt Cooper
S: Darin Henry/Pete Fogden

Evidently the 4-1-5 is what they've been using, because they come in Accomplished with that setup already. Doesn't give me much hope for getting a win out of this, but we'll see.

62 - Josh Carter for Freeman; Chris Scott for Fogden

We should have won that game, but we'll take what we got.

@ Alfold (2nd)
G: Jason Wooden
D: Brendan Butterfield/Phil Ford/Nicky Freeman/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
AM: Ryan Benniman/Paul Hull/Matt Cooper
S: Darin Henry/Pete Fogden

32 - We've been robbed by the post a bunch of times, and we weren't expected to beat these guys anyway. 0-1

33 - Cooper laterals to Fogden for the play into the box to Henry, who immediately gets wrecked. Ball pops loose and Fogden is there to drill the instant reply. 1-1

35 - That's two long distance shots we've been hit by. 1-2

46 - Thanks for the just before half own goal! 2-2

51 - Bobby-Joe Franklin for Ford; Carter for Freeman

90 - Heartbreaking to kick up a corner kick goal so late in the game. I'm not happy with Wooden. He was begging for a chance when I came in, complaining to me the day I was hired. Just no. 2-3

Transfer In - AMC/MC Aaron Taylor (16) (Transfer from Redditch)
10 First Touch, 11 Aggression, 13 Decisions, 14 Teamwork, 10 Work Rate, 13 Natural Fitness. It doesn't mean a whole lot considering how bad the team is, but he's immediately our top player and it's not even close.

Transfer In - MC/AMC Sean Lawless (17) (Welsh) (Transfer from Merthyr Town)
11 Technique, 10 Decisions, 10 Flair, 12 Teamwork, 12 Acceleration, 13 Natural Fitness, 10 Pace. Signals a shift in our setup, as we need to play both him and Taylor, so the 4-1-5 is going out to be replaced by something else - what that is, I'm not sure.

vs Hurstpierpoint (6th)
G: Jason Wooden
D: Brendan Butterfield/Phil Ford/Nicky Freeman/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Ryan Benniman/Aaron Taylor/Matt Cooper
S: Darin Henry

4-1-1-3-1 DM Wide setup is what we'll go with to start our new look.

55 - Butterfield throws in to Taylor and gets it back. High ball to Henry and the Humbugs have their first lead of my tenure!!! Franklin for Ford, and I experiment with James Richardson as a sweeper, replacing Cumming-Bart just for the hell of it. 5-1-3-1 Sweeper Wide. 1-0

77 - Terrible job by Cooper, giving the ball away cheaply twice. 1-1

85 - Benniman's corner is cleared, but Richardson tracks left to get it on the box-line. Dribble once forward, and pow! on the long range shot!!!!! 2-1

7.5 for Brendan Butterfield, whom I named vice-captain when I arrived. 7.8 debut for Aaron Taylor, and a sensational 8.1 PotM sub-in by Jason Richardson to add not only the first Humbug win of the Izulde Jestor era, but my first win overall in a very, very long time.

Doesn't move us up the standings any, but it puts us a lot closer to start making the ascent, and we've put some firm distance between us and the teams below us.

[Izulde]

Transfer In - GK Zac Gregory (17) (Transfer From Adlershot)
11 Command of Area, 12 Handling, 10 Kicking, 10 Reflexes, 12 Tendency To Punch, 13 Leadership, 13 Teamwork, 10 Agility. Vanarama North product who never got a shot, but he's clearly one of the top players on the team, and should be such a massive improvement in the net, it's not even funny.

Loan In - DL/WBL Christian Rouse (18) (Barbadian) (From Hendon)
12 Leadership, 18 Teamwork, 15 Work Rate, 13 Stamina. Young workhorse with sterling intangibles. Doesn't want to play here long-term, so he's just a loan for now, but I'm excited about this kid.

Loan In - DC Jack Summerfield (22) (From Whitchurch United)
11 Heading, 14 Aggression, 11 Decisions, 13 Leadership, 10 Agility. Very raw player, with superlative upside. Phil Ford's loan ends soon, so this is a swap of players, and truthfully, an upgrade.

@ Cowfold (4th)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Christian Rouse/Phil Ford/Nicky Freeman/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Ryan Benniman/Aaron Taylor/Matt Cooper
S: Darin Henry

31 - That was offsides! 0-1

51 - Yeah. Richardson for Ford; Butterfield for Rouse. Can't blame this on Gregory - he's made a ton of amazing stops. 0-2

90 - Cooper with the long free kick into the box. Butterfield is there first, and he shoots. Deflected, but Butterfield puts away his own rebound. Merely a consolation goal. 1-2

Loan In - MR/AMR/AML Lee Prosser (17) (From Burnham)
14 Aggression, 12 Flair, 13 Teamwork, 13 Acceleration, 12 Natural Fitness, 11 Pace. Speedy as hell prospect who is so much better than Matt Cooper, it's ridiculous. Not an elite player yet, but one who represents a major upgrade. And yes, we're duct taping our squad with loans, but that's how it is.

Loan In - ST Daniel Gutteridge (18) (From Continental Star)
10 Finishing, 12 Work Rate, 12 Acceleration, 11 Natural Fitness and Pace. Solid all around young kid who has done pretty well when loaned out to other teams before, so I'm excited to see what he can do. Darin Henry has just been a massive disappointment up front.

We also extend 21 year old Ollie Cain's loan for the rest of the season. He's been a great fixture back there at DR.

vs Ringwood (17th)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Christian Rouse/Jack Summerfield/James Richardson/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Ryan Benniman/Aaron Taylor/Lee Prosser
S: Daniel Gutteridge

17 - Horrible keeping by Gregory. 0-1

48 - No aerial ability for Gregory = goal coughed up. Freeman for Richardson; Butterfield for Rouse, who has been shit. 0-2

60 - First game we're favored to win and we're not even trying. 0-3

64 - Like. At. All. 0-4

86 - Long ball by Cumming-Bart to Gutteridge. Dribble and shot. Deflected. Meaningless sink of his own rebound for a debut goal. 1-4

There's some insanely elite young players, but the board, despite having a ton of cash in the bank, refuses to even consider shelling out the funds to get them. I'm pissed.

@ Broughton (8th)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Bremdan Butterfield/Jack Summerfield/Nicky Freeman/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Ryan Benniman/Aaron Taylor/Lee Prosser
S: Daniel Gutteridge

57 - Two defenders on Taylor, but he cooly wings out to Prosser for the first touch boom center to Gutteridge, and amidst screams of offsides, he drills one in! 1-0

74 - Cain throws in to Cumming-Bart, who laterals to Lawless just outside the box. Two steps, and pow! First ever Humbug goal!!! 2-0

83 - Richardson is in for Cumming-Bart at the latter's request.

None of the starters had lower than a 6.8, and the top guys were PotM Sean Lawless with an 8.5, Lee Prosser with a 7.5, and Aaron Taylor with a 7.8. Still in 12th, but we're now tied on goal differential with 11th place.

Transfer In - DC Ben Brown (17) (Transfer From Canvey Island)
12 Aggression, 13 Positioning, 10 Teamwork, 13 Balance, 13 Jumping Reach, 11 Natural Fitness. Sure he's slow and has no agility to speak of, but this kid is a star through and through at this level. I can't wait to see him in the lineup.

Looking at the team overall, we have the following 3.5+* Current Players:

GK Zac Gregory (3.5)
DC Ben Brown (4)
MC Sean Lawless (4 as MC, 4.5 as AMC)
AMC Aaron Taylor (4.5)
ST Daniel Gutteridge (3.5 - Loan)

That leaves a lot of opportunity open in numerous spots. But at least we have some future building blocks in place.

vs AFC Roffey (9th)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Bremdan Butterfield/Jack Summerfield/Nicky Freeman/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Ryan Benniman/Aaron Taylor/Lee Prosser
S: Daniel Gutteridge

26 - Lawless to Gutteridge to Taylor triangle of passes. Taylor's decked in the box. Ball flies out and Lawless jams home the long shot like he did last game! 1-0

66 - Kicking myself for forgetting to put Brown in. Anyway, Hull for Taylor; [b]Henry for Gutteridge.

81 - Henry draws the defense and feeds to Benniman in the box. Shot is just *barely* deflected, but then Prosser uses his elite quickness and speed to blitz the defense and sink the rebound for his first Humbug score!!! 2-0

Stellar all around. Tommy Cumming-Burt continues to show why I'm not particularly inclined to go get a more talented DM, posting a 7.8, but it's Sean Lawless recording his second straight PotM showing with a blistering 8.9. Lee Prosser grabbed a 7.7 as well.

It's our first win streak and we *finally* make headway in the league, inching up to 11th.

With 11 games left in the season, Cuckfield Town is up to 8th, Porthleven has a commanding 11 point lead, Lindfield is 7th after their third straight promotion last season, Cheddar appears finally over the hump, but in 1st by only 3 points, and Burgess Hill Rhinos is doing what they always do.

vs Andover Lions (1st)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Bremdan Butterfield/Jack Summerfield/Ben Brown/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Ryan Benniman/Aaron Taylor/Lee Prosser
S: Daniel Gutteridge

Excellent test to see how far we've come since I've taken over.

37 - Gutteridge has 3-4 defenders closing on him, so he outlets back to Lawless. Despite a defender draping our central mid star, he lays it forward in the box just ahead of Taylor, who powers in his first ever Humbug goal!!! 1-0

55 - Benniman with the perfectly placed corner to Summerfield, and his rocket shot sings in for his own first Humbug score!!! 2-0

70 - Henry for Gutteridge

75 - Cumming-Bart wants a break, so Freeman comes on in his place.

77 - Cain throws in to Taylor and gets it back for the perfect pop ball right at Henry, and there's the kid's second goal of the year, both under me! 3-0

91 - Eh, late goal sucks, but not a big deal. 3-1

Massive, massive upset. 8.1 for Tommy Cumming-Bart, and a third straight PotM award for Sean Lawless with 9.0. 9.0 for Aaron Taylor, 7.5 for Ryan Benniman, and a clutch 7.1 off the bench for Darin Henry.

Another move up, to 10th. 3rd straight win. We're still considered underdogs in a lot of our games, so I've been running a Counter system. But what will happen when we start getting favored? Can we and I handle that pressure?

Transfer In - MC/AMC Pedro Carneiro (24) (Portuguese) (From Lindfield)
Finally brought in a guy I originally recruited. He's been tearing it up for the Swans, posting a 7.05 rating even up there in the Southern Combination Premier Division. 13 First Touch, 12 Passing, 12 Technique, 10 Aggression, 11 Decisions, 10 Flair, 15 Teamwork, 11 Work Rate, 13 Natural Fitness. We now have *3* fantastic AMC/MCs, so we have stellar coverage. The question is, where the fuck do I put them all?

I *really* don't want to disrupt the 4-1-1-3-1 setup we have that's working so well, but at the same time, then someone's going to have to sit out. And with how phenomenally Sean Lawless has been playing, that's not going to be him.

[Izulde]

And that's when it hit me. Train the 16 year old to other positions. Aaron Taylor is Awkward at MR, but I love Lee Prosser at AMR, and hope to either convince him to come play for me, or bring him back on loan next season. There's also the fact that Ryan Benniman is our oldest player at 28, and as good as he'll ever get - so it's on to AML. Also worth noting: Taylor has actually dropped a bit in skills due to lack of challenges, so this will give him something new to do.

Jason Wooden drama continues to splash all over the media.

@ Laverstock & Ford (15th)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Bremdan Butterfield/Jack Summerfield/Ben Brown/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Aaron TaylorPedro Carneiro/Lee Prosser
S: Daniel Gutteridge

54 - Freeman for Brown and we shuffle things with Carneiro dropping to MC, Taylor shifting over to AMC, and Benniman coming in at AML, as Lawless is tired and not playing well.

Lackluster performance with no highlights. The point is good enough to push up to 9th, however. Steady turtle progress.

So when I first came to town, the Humbugs had around $70k in the bank. Last season, they made just under $9k profit. But on the back of that 3rd place finish last year, Hayling United is already over $13k profit this season. I think hiring me helped, too. I also have a Very Secure position, thanks to our steady climb.

@ Corsham (5th)
G: Zac Gregory
D: Bremdan Butterfield/Jack Summerfield/Ben Brown/Ollie Cain
DM: Tommy Cumming-Bart
MC: Sean Lawless
AM: Aaron TaylorPedro Carneiro/Lee Prosser
S: Daniel Gutteridge

6 - Poor set piece defending. 0-1

21 - HOW THE FUCK DID THAT DRIBBLE SHIT GO IN?! 0-2

24 - Summerfield with an amazing clearance to Carneiro, who plays a beautiful long ball to Gutteridge ahead of everyone. Danny Boy dribbles down the middle of the pitch and into the box, cuts, and shoots one over the top of the keeper's head to get us back in it. 1-2

60 - Prosser is out with injury, so we change to a 4-3-2-1 DM Narrow, with Taylor as an AMC and Freeman coming on as an MC. Rouse also replaces Butterfield.

Yeah, I'm not going to worry too much about losing to a better team. But we do lose Lee Prosser for 4-5 weeks, which means we'll have to jury-rig a new formation. With 8 games left and that situation, even though we've dropped to 10th place, I think we can realistically play for a 6th-8th finish.