FM 12 - Rise of the Spartans [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 12:31 AM

So, what have I gotten myself into? Let's dive in and find out what we've got here.

Staff

Compared to this bunch, I actually don't suck too badly.

Ass't coach Gavin Fell is dazzlingly meh, and is the best of the lot. He's a good (14) motivator and a decent (12) disciplinarian. Otherwise he's shockingly bad at a lot of things including coaching GK's, Fitness, Technical, and Defending. He's also weak in Tactical Knowledge (6), Judging Potential (6) and Judging Ability (7). But next to the rest of them, he's a f'n genius.

Coach Adam Johnson is a disciplinarian (16) that brings nothing higher than a 7 in any coaching area.

GK coach Carl King is actually good at that (14) but he's also our best with Youngsters (15) and Mental (14). He actually ought to be our AssMan now that I look at it more closely.

Scout Matt Taylor must be someone's nephew. With Judging Ability & Judging Potential both at 3, I'm not sure what use he's going to be. Physio Susan Dale may actually be a board member's girlfriend, not sure how else to explain getting hired with Physiotherapy at 2. I'm even a little disturbed at how her Working With Youngsters (12) rating was acquired.

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 12:32 AM

Man, the FM dynasty field is getting crowded quickly. Good luck at Blyth!

I blame Amazon :)

Grover

03-11-2012, 12:40 AM

Staff

Compared to this bunch, I actually don't suck too badly.

My staff is still pretty terrible even into year three and two divisions up. They all want too much bloody money.

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 12:48 AM

Gambling with the new interactions menu (amazing the depth really), I've recalled 30 yr old veteran MF Chris McCabe from his loan to Shildon after discovering his willingness to begin the coaching phase of his career now (he was planning to retire after the upcoming season). My hope is that he'll be classed as a Player/Coach, since he's also one of the few signed players who has a clue about playing an attacking MF role.

Speaking of which, I guess we need to take a look at the players we start with. I've been doing that already, might as well share the misery.

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 01:16 AM

Probably bears noting here that, to this point at least, I'm leaning toward going with the Ass't recommendations of a 4-4-2 as the primary and a 4-3-1-2 as a secondary tactic. That could change if I actually find a personal preference and/or the roster makeup changes, but that's the plan at the moment.

Players as of July 5, 2011

Goalkeepers - 5 under contract
24 y/o David Knight is the clear starter here, with good enough Reflexes & Agility (13's) but so-so (5-8) at all other key attributes.

20 y/o Max Johnson is the likely backup/reserve. Not great mentally (7-8 in key attributes) but fair enough (9-11) at most of the key GK skills.

20 y/o Kyle Barlow isn't rated well by the staff but his key ratings are actually okay & I could see him as a backup.

18 y/o Matty Hunter (who was listed for loan by the A/I) has some potential perhaps. Rtgs of 8-10 at all the key attributes.

19 y/o Matty Crook looks like a stiff, all the key rtgs between 5-8 other than his 12 Agility I don't see much.

--------------
Defenders - 11 under contract (sort of)

DL/WB - 28 y/o Joe Kendrick is with us on loan from Mansfield. Can play competently or better at D(L), MF(L), and WB(L) and could move forward to AML if needed. We're hoping to use him as a WB since he prefers to get forward whenever possible anyway. An all-around average player (7-11) in virtually every way, that makes him stand out at this level.

DC - 18 y/o Jordan Mellish is an athletic jumper (13) and a pure defender with no offensive skill at all. I like his Teamwork & Work Rate (13's), he'll be asked to defend & not much else

DC - 24 y/o Carl Jones looks like an experienced version of Mellish, a little more offense but less mentally astute.

DR/WB - 20 y/o Danny Groves is a less skilled version of Kendrick, fairly balanced skills (8-9 range) but will get the first crack at starting on the right side.

DL - 24 y/o Phil Cave will likely back up Kendrick on the left side, could see action particularly when we're looking for goals & have to move Kendrick up a row.
DR - 18 y/o Michael Pearson serves a similar role to Cave, if Groves moved into the midfield then Pearson would get the call.
DC - 29 y/o Wayne Buchanan looks like the backup in the middle, could find himself rotating with Jones depending upon performance
DC - 27 y/o David Coulson might be useful as a man-marking specialist, as well as a guy we call on if we seem to be playing soft or scared (15 Bravery, 12 Aggression, 13 Influence)
DC - 31 y/o Darren Timmons is an expired contract that has nothing left to speak of outside of his experience & memories.
DR - 19 y/o Dylan Purvis isn't much outside of an above average jumper (14). Loan candidate perhaps.

Midfielders
ML - 25 y/o Wayne Phillips appears serviceable here (8-13 in key attributes), at least he better be, there's nothing behind him unless we move Kendrick up

MC - 22 y/o Shaun Vipond would be better on the right but we're weak up the middle at the moment. Solid Long Shots (16) with above average aggression might mean he'll be a secondary source of some goals, just have to hope his defensive shortcomings (Mark 4, Tackle 5) won't be too painful.

MC - 30 y/o Chris McCabe is tentatively expected to start here, or at least play as much as his Stamina (6) will allow. Technical skills have deteriorated pretty badly (all single digits) but we hope his teamwork & determination will make up for some of that until we find more options

MR - 26 y/o Chris Emms gets the nod here, hopefully his Crossing (12) and Passing (10) skills make up for poor defense and physical weaknesses.

D/MF/WB - 20 y/o Richard Slaughter is a versatile player that we can only hope will develop. Completely left-sided, he's our utility man that we hope we to use when we choose rather than when we have to
MC - 24 y/o Neal Hooks is an obvious backup. Not horrid at many things, just not very good at anything either.
MC - 18 y/o Adam Forster is the last option in the midfield. Abysmal at several things, good at pretty much nothing, can dribble (9) and finish (8) at least a little bit. Hopefully his playing time is next to nothing, otherwise then we're probably screwed.

Strikers/Forwards/Attackers
ST - 23 y/o Jamie Mole looks like our biggest offensive threat with his Finishing (12), Flair (12), and Pace (12). Unfortunately that depends upon whether we're able to sign him since he's currently out of contract. We'll be addressing that immediately.

ST - 28 y/o Graeme Armstrong is the team captain and we're hoping he'll be part of a 1-2 punch up front. He can Finish (14) but his Passing (13) may ultimately be more important if he's paired with Mole as hoped.

ST - 21 y/o Glen Taylor is the next option if Mole doesn't stick around. I wouldn't be terribly upset at giving him a chance alongside Armstrong, he's just a couple of ticks behind Mole at every key attribute.
ST - 25 y/o John Alexander is physically skilled but that's about it. If he sees much playing time then we're going to struggle offensively I'm afraid.
ST - 22 y/o Phil Bannister can shoot the ball (Finish 12, Penalty Taking 10) but can't do much else. Mentally & physically average to below average. I'd rather not run him out there unless absolutely necessary.
ST - 20 y/o Lee Mason has some physical skills (several 12's) but no Stamina (5) to go with them. He's also pretty weak in all technical areas. Another guy that really shouldn't see much action at all if we hope to succeed
ST - 21 y/o Yanis Galas has been loaned to South Shields and I'm certainly content to leave him there. Nice Pace (14) and Flair (12) but nothing else at all to speak of. If he gets into our lineup this year then we're screwed.

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 03:20 AM

Well that was solved quickly enough.

We reached agreement with ST Jamie Mole on a 2 yr deal for $400/wk with small appearance & goal bonuses.

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 03:52 AM

Speaking of contracts, we're in fine shape at the moment.

I'm content to accept the boards minimum goals of Avoid Relegation for a transfer budget of $4.8k and a payroll of $8.25k per week ... since our current salaries amount to only $5,739 per week.

Feeling froggy, I failed to get the board to agree to search for a parent club but succeeded in convincing them to increase the number of physios allowed (from 1 to 3).

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 04:18 AM

July 6, 2011

Scout Matt Taylor has agreed to terminate his contract for a fee of $1.5k

New scout Craig Howard is a 37 y/o Englishman is an 11 judging ability and an 8 judging potential. Nice upgrade from the 3/3 of Taylor.

And oh yeah, my Ass't Coach Fell asked - and I agreed - for a friendly vs our reserves tomorrow evening.

We've also added friendlies against minnow Guisborough and the Premier League Blackburn Rovers. That brings our total of friendlies to 8 scheduled between now & 7/27. Regular season starts on 8/6 so we might throw another one or two in there for fitness/revenue purposes.

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 09:45 AM

July 7, 2011 (morning)
We add a new Physio, 36 y/o Ewen Fairgreave. His 13 Physio, 12 with Youngsters and 18 Discipline seem like a wee bit of an upgrade over Susan "Just Call Me Kevorkian" Dale

July 7, 2011 (evening)

Blythe v Blythe Reserves (Friendly)
Well this is one way to get to know the club I suppose.
We start the anticipated regular season lineup
GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish-Jones-Purvis
MF: Phillips - Groves - Vipond-Emms
F: Mole - Armstrong

12:40 - Mole gets our first goal, nice & simple blast from 20 yards out with an assist from Armstrong. Just like we pictured it. (1-0)
Halftime - We've outshot them 8-3, doing pretty much whatever we want to this point, except scoring. 2nd half could get ugly as the reserves are very gassed from chasing us around.
49:00 - Mellish seems to be injured & leaves the field for treatment. We'll sub him asap, Coulson on at 53:00
62:00 - Cave on for Phillips, Kendrick moves up to MF
68:21 - Taylor on for Alexander, Mole flips to DLF, Slaughter on for Groves at 70:00
75:12 - Mole gets a second goal, off the rebound of a woodworked header by Wilson (2-0)
80:00 - Forster on for Kendrick, Buchanan on for Purvis, Hooks on for Emms (Vipond to WMR)
84:48 - Buchanan picks up a yellow, rather inexplicably
86:34 - Mole makes it a hat trick, on a nice 1-2 from the penalty spot with Slaughter (3-0)

Knight - 6.8
Kendrick 7.4 & 1 assist, Mellish 6.7, Jones 7.7, Purvis - 7.2
Phillips 6.6, Groves 6.6, Vipond 6.7, Emms 6.7
Mole 9.6 & 3 goals, Armstrong 6.8 & 1 assist
Subs
Slaughter 6.9 & 1 assist, Cave 6.9, Taylor 6.7, Coulson 6.3, Hooks/Forster/Buchanan unrated

For the reserves, Crook played the 1st half & conceded 1 goal, Barlow played the 2nd & gave up 2. Bannister played reasonably well (6.5) as did Alexander (6.5) while Timmons got abused (5.3)

JonInMiddleGA

03-11-2012, 10:50 AM

July 8, 2011
We add a second new physio, 44 y/o John Whiley. Just an 8 but he's good with youngster and gives us some security in case our Fairgreaves were to move on.
We agree to mutual termination for Susan "I Could Break That For You" Dale for $2k (cheaper than paying her $120/wk to do more harm than good)

July 9, 2011
We bring in 25 y/o DC Nathan D'Laryea on a trial until the end of pre-season. Played last season for Hyde, is a former Man City prospect who also spent a couple of sparsely used years with Rochdale in League 2.

July 10, 2011
Stuart Pearce named England's next head coach, moving up from his role with the England U-21s. John Terry was named captain, Frank Lampard vice-captain.

We're awaiting a decision on a work permit for Brazilian DC Dionatan Teixeira. Word is expected at the end of the week. Would be a major upgrade to our back line.

kingfc22

03-11-2012, 12:54 PM

I chose to play as Blythe before with FM08 based on their logo. :D

BYU 14

03-11-2012, 03:13 PM

Hope you get Tiexiera, just started a Cambridge City game with
Uncle Rons level 8 mod and went after him. Got shot down, so I am appealing.

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 12:06 AM

July 10, 2011 (evening)

Blythe v East Fife (Friendly)

Our first time out against someone other than ourselves, against a team from the Scottish Second Division. We'll roll a modified lineup against them, assuming a tougher opponent lies ahead in three days with a visit from Ayr of the Scottish First Division.

GK - Johnson
D: Cave - D'Laryea - Jones - Purvis
MF: Kendrick - Slaughter - Groves - McCabe
F: Armstrong-Taylor

30:56 -- After a half hour of being out possessed 2:1 and outshot 5:1, an awkward pass from a timid McCabe finds Glen Taylor in the box and he rifles it home ! (1-0)

35:21 -- Throw-in from the side, a few casual passes & Purvis suddenly lobs one into the box ... Kendrick is there with a header ... GOAL ! ... except that it's being waved off for offsides. "Blyth believes it should have stood" is quite an understatement.

Halftime -- Outshot 6-4, down 60-40 possession, yet we've got the lead. Has probably helped that our opponent lost two starters to injury including their best striker. Oh well, sucks like that sometimes. Slaughter got a yellow in the half but his condition is good so we'll just have him take it easy on the tackling for now. We'll bring Emms on for Groves (move McCabe to CM), bring Phillips on for a slightly tiring Kendrick at WML.

56:53 -- Phillips trots unmarked down the left side, the lefty lets one fly ... GOAL, a magnificent goal (2-0) ... subs time, we bring Mason on for Armstrong (flip Taylor to AF)

60:00 -- Two saves by Johnson to keep his sheet clean ... sub time again, Coulson on for Purvis (D'Laryea to RWB), Forster on for Slaughter (McCabe to CML)

65:45 -- A couple of nearly lost passes, back out to Forster ... he launches from 30 yards out & into the back of the net ! (3-0) ... sub time, Hooks on for Cave (Phillips to LWB), Mellish on for Jones

75:30 -- Feeling comfortable, get a few more subs in, Vipond for a tired McCabe, Bannister for a tired Taylor (Mason to AF)

90:00 -- Just before injury time, Neal Hooks picks up a slight injury & we have to sub, so it's Mole on for him

92:03 -- Playing out the string, loose ball in the box & Bannister knocks it in off the volley (4-0)

A strong finish lead to us outshooting them 13-10 & holding a narrow 52-48 possession edge. Didn't expect to fare nearly this well frankly but we'll take it.

Johnson 6.9
Cave 7.1, D'Laryea 8.0 & 1 assist, Jones 6.8, Purvis 6.8
Kendrick 6.8, Slaughter 6.8, Groves 6.8, McCabe 7.5 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.2, Taylor 8.2 & 1 goal & 1 assist

Subs
Phillips 8.2 & 1 goal (MOM), Forster 7.5 & 1 goal, Bannister 7.3 & 1 goal,
Emms, 6.9, Hooks 6.8, Coulson 6.8, Mason 6.8, Vipond/Mole N/A

Hooks sustained a bruised head & will be out for 9-12 days.

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 12:43 AM

Jul 12, 2011

26 y/o American LWB/LD Andrew Peterson agrees to come in on trial until the end of the preseason. He's had a cup of MLS coffee with Columbus, played in 2009 for the Minnesota Thunder in the 2nd division. Mostly looking for some pre-season depth here, hoping maybe to find a useful player to shore up our left side depth.

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 02:01 AM

July 13, 2011
A veteran comes in on trial, 39 y/o Kevin Parr who spent most of the past decade with Stalybridge but appears to have been inactive for the last couple of years. He's a CM that at least warrants a look during the pre-season, depth is never a bad thing & his experience & attitude might be useful.

July 13, 2011 (evening)

Blythe v Ayr (Friendly)

We'll quickly find out the difference in caliber of the Scottish First Division, after rolling smoothly against a lower division side from the same league.
Trying out another version of the lineup, but the familiar names are waiting patiently to sub in.

GK - Knight
D: Peterson - D'Laryea - Jones - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Slaughter - Groves - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Mole

10:51 - A quick shot by Ayr from the top right of the box goes harmlessly wide, but they look a lot more agile than us so far.

25:44 - D'Laryea free kick blasted well wide, no serious threats so far but they seem content to let us control possession. I almost feel as though we're getting sucked in here.

38:00 - Mole gets a chance in close but it's blocked. Ayr turns things around & Jones gives up a throw-in deep in our end. Powerful shot by Shaun Miller is blocked & an offsides ends the threat.

41:30 - Vipond's corner goes to Jones but his header is wide.

44:30 - Vipond's corner from the other side again reaches Jones but his header is over the bar.

Halftime - We've outshot Ayr 7-2, been on target 2-0, have a 68-32 edge in possession yet somehow I feel like we're just weathering the storm. Phillips and Purvis are both looking weathered, we'll sub Kendrick for Phillips at WML and McCabe for Purvis (Groves to RWB)

47:30 - Sives does everything but finish on a nice run that found him free about 10 yards out

51:30 - Kendrick plays a long ball ahead to Armstrong who takes a long shot with the keeper coming out to meet him but it goes well high & a bit wide.

55:10 - Vipond fires a long shot but it's high & wide right. We decide to try to shake something loose & flip flop Mole & Armstrong up front.

69:00 - Vipond plays it to Kendrick about 35 yards out, his quick shot is blocked & richocets deep to an opportunistic Armstrong, he passes through three defenders to Mole who was waiting in front & knocks it home (1-0) ... we sub Mellish in for a tiring Vipond (D'Laryea to RWB, Groves back to CMR), also sub Bannister in for Armstrong ... we also change our approach for the first time all season, switching to counterattack from standard.

80:00 - Fatigue certainly starting to show now, we tell D'Laryea to lay back as a FB, switch strategy from counterattack to defend. Also sub Emms in for Groves (shift McCabe to CMR)

87:30 - D'Laryea draws a yellow from Miller, we sub Forster in for Slaughter who is spent. Hoping the energy gained is worth the tackling lost. Sub doesn't take place until the 90th minute, there's three minutes of injury time added.

91:15 - Near disaster, Knight's long goal kick was played ahead to a streaking Parker but Knight made the save on a long shot easily.

92:00 - Long ball for Bannister is taken away, Ayr gets organized but the long shot is wide. Scrum at midfield, Mellish draws a foul & kills some time before the free kick. A deep ball to no one and time expires.

The press said we should expect "a basketball score", instead it's a baseball score & we get a surprising win. Great effort all around, we outshot them 12-7, finished with 53% of possession, could have been higher except for struggling in the passing game on the defensive end. That's forgivable since the defenders didn't allow a single on-target shot all night.

Knight - 6.5
Peterson 7.2 - D'Laryea 6.7 - Jones 6.9 - Purvis 6.8
Phillips 6.8 - Slaughter 6.7- Groves 6.8 - Vipond 6.8
Armstrong 6.8 & 1 assist - Mole (MOM) 7.4 & 1 goal
Subs
Kendrick 6.8, Mellish 6.8, McCabe 6.7, Bannister 6.5, Emms/Forster N/A

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 02:44 AM

July 14, 2011

30 y/o Jamaican DC/DL Stevland Angus will come in on a trial until the end of the pre-season. Good jumping ability would be a plus.

30 y/o DL/WBL Brendan Gallen comes in on trial as well, has bounced around six different teams without making a match appearance. Initial scouting impressions are pretty favorable, I'm wondering whether he's a head case or something (although it's more likely that his 5 stamina & 3 strength are the problems)

We also add depth in a surprising area: Striker. 20 y/o Jason White comes to us for a 1 yr deal on a free, more likely he'll see time at CMF where's he's also comfortable.

July 15, 2011
Dionatan Teixeira's work permit application was turned down. Blyth have appealed against the decision.

Izulde

03-12-2012, 03:01 AM

Blyth looking good in preseason. :D

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 04:21 AM

July 16, 2011

Blythe v Guisborough (Friendly)

Hoping for an easy one here as we welcome a visitor from the Northern D1. They're a pacy bunch but not much else going for them on paper so we'll try out a new tactic & play some of our backups. Hopefully that doesn't backfire on us.

GK - Johnson
D: Cave - Angus - Coulson - Pearson
MF: White - Parr - Emms
AM: Forster
F: Taylor - Bannister

11:24 - Remember what I said about backfiring? We dominate play from the outset & allow a goal for the first time all year off a simple corner to Tony Challinor. He was free & just bounced it past Johnson. (0-1)

12:51 - Taylor wasn't going to have it, he just dribble past three defenders & blasted it home (1-1)

17:40 - Emms corner to Coulson was true & the defenseman didn't miss out on his opportunity (2-1)

35:00 - Forster picks up a knock & comes off for treatment. We decide to take no chances & sub here. Groves in for Foster (Emms to AMF, White to MR, Parr to ML, Groves at CM)

43:00 - Emms corner kick goes to Angus who steps into a diving header & scores a nice one (3-1)

45:33 - Angus plays a long ball that Bannister runs down on a bee line for the goal, he's tangled up by Anthony Bostock & a foul is called. Wait, there's Mathieson talking to Bostock, goes to his pocket & brings out a red card. A free kick from the edge of the box sails over & we head to the break.

Halftime - 12-1 shot advantage, 63% of possession, passing well. It's all going our way after giving up the easy goal, something that the attitude during warmups might have predicted. We sub Mason in for a complacent looking Bannister, Gallen in for Cave.

51:00 - Timmons on for Pearson (Coulson to RD)
60:00 - Alexander on for Taylor, Vipond on for Parr, Mellish on for Coulson
74:00 - Buchanan on for Emms (Angus to CM, Vipond to AMC), Peterson on for Groves (Gallen to LMC)
76:17 - Vipond to Mason on the run one on one, easy peasy (4-1)
Sub Hunter in for Johnson at GK

87:45 - Challinor gets behind the defense, hits the crossbar

Full time - If you outshoot a outmanned team 25-2 you'd kind of like to win by more than 4-1 but considering the first time formation & several players who spent time playing out of position, it's probably to be expected

GK - Johnson 6.8
D: Cave 6.8 - Angus 7.8 & 1 goal - Coulson 7.5 & 1 goal - Pearson 6.7
MF: White 7.1 & 1 assist - Parr 6.8 - Emms 8.2 & 2 assists
AM: Forster 6.8
F: Taylor 7.6 & 1 goal - Bannister 6.8

Mason 7.3 & 1 goal, Vipond 6.8 & 1 assist, Peterson 6.6, all others 6.8

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 04:22 AM

Blyth looking good in preseason. :D

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm afraid of. However we've got a couple of friendlies coming up that should take care of any overconfidence ;)

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 04:44 AM

July 17, 2011

Blyth fans are exicted by the signing of 18 y/o striker Leeroy Chinthengah from Zimbabwe. An above average dribbler with a good first touch, he's got a certain flair about him. A former Oldham prospect, he scored 3 goals in 4 gams for Leigh Genesis in the NPD1 in 09-10.

We also sign 15 y/o AMR Chris Ferguson. He's shown considerable young promise with penalties & has a decent work rate. We expect to have to work to keep him away from the media however, he's not what you'd call, umm, media friendly.

And we add depth to our coaching staff with the addition of 33 y/o Dean Harris. He's got talent at teaching both sides of the ball and should improve our gains from coaching.

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 09:01 PM

July 18, 2011
Blyth has signed 18 y/o DC Tom Seery, a youngster with good aerial ability. There are concerns about both his concentration level & his marking skills but he's still young so there's room to improve on both things.

23 y/o DR Junior Osborne has joined Blyth on a trial basis until the end of pre-season. Has limited match experience with Aldershot but spent 4 of the past 6 seasons with Watford (only 1 appearance).

July 19, 2011
Blythe v Blackburn (Friendly)

For as well as things have been going, I can only hope that we don't get beaten down so badly here that it has a lingering impact on the club. This is a major step up in weight class but we're hoping the gate makes the likely outcome worthwhile.

GK - Knight
D: Peterson - Purvis - Jones - Groves
MF: Kendrick - Slaughter - McCabe - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

00:30 - It's took them less than a minute to work the ball down for an easy shot on goal, luckily it went harmlessly into the side of the net. It may be a looooong night.

3:12 - Next shot hit the crossbar but it only saved us for a second as Modeste pounced on the rebound and gently headed it in (0-1)

23:00 - Modeste again, this time he spins past Purvis & just fired it home from just inside the box (0-2)

31:30 - Formica fires from just outside the arc, Knight makes a diving save to his right but Olsson puts home the rebound ... wait, he was offside & the score remains the same.

40:30 - Emms puts up our first shot of the match, an horrible wide effort from looong range that was generously called a shot.

44:00 - Holy crap, signs of live. Emms finds Armstrong on the break, his shot is saved by Bunn, Kendrick gets the rebound but it's blocked by Ramm.

Halftime - Not a pretty picture, but not as ugly as it could be either. Outshot only 8-3, possession almost even now at 49-51. Problem is that we've got some players who seem to be taking things a little more lightly than intended (Groves, Purvis, McCabe, Kendrick). Meanwhile Jones is trying but isn't playing well at all (5.9), neither is Purvis (5.7)

Subs: Vipond on for McCabe (tired), Coulson for Jones, Buchanan for Purvis (Coulson to LCD)

48:30 - Formica finds Modeste 10 feet away & he lazily bonks it off the right post, Groves puts it out for a corner. Daly's ensuing header sails over the bar.

51:30 - Emms fires an agonizingly close shot that sails a foot wide of the post

56:00 - Blackburn subs Modeste out, we'll make changes as well, with D'Laryea in for Groves, Phillips for Kendrick, Cave for Petersen

61:40 - Vipond hits a rocket that Bunn saves over the top for a corner. Emms left the set piece short & Blackburn clears with ease, right into a fastbreak for Formica & two wingers but Cave cuts in & clears the danger.

63:00 - Forster in for Slaughter, Chinthenga for Mole

78:50 - Armstrong & Chin. play a little two man game at the top of the box, the captain finds Emms breaking in from the right for a good chance ... but he's offside ... Parr subs on for Emms (Vipond to RM), Taylor on for Armstrong

81:45 - Morris with a long free kick ... Olsson steps off the defender & scores (0-3). That was disappointing as he simply went unmarked for an easy one.

89:00 - Forster plays a long one for Taylor that he one-times to force a save over the bar for a corner but it comes to nothing.

Fulltime - Outshot 15-7, ended up winning possession battle 51-49. Did a nice job denying their crosses (16%), there were some good physical things on the field at times although it seemed that Blackburn let up a bit after taking the early lead. Could have been worse though, and if not for that last goal I'd actually be feeling even better about this. Modeste is, predictably, MOM with 2 goals and an 8.7 rating.

Knight 6.5
Peterson 6.4, Purvis 5.7, Jones 5.9, Groves 5.8 (last three had poor games)
Kendrick 6.5, Slaughter 6.6, McCabe 6.5, Emms 6.7
Armstrong 6.5, Mole 6.4
Subs: Chinthengah/Buchanan/Vipond 6.8, Forster 6.5, Phillips 6.4, Cave 6.3, D'Laryea 6.1, Coulson 5.8, Taylor/Parr N/A

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 10:15 PM

July 21, 2011
Andrew Peterson's move to Blyth has been put on hold after his initial application for a work permit was turned down. Blyth have appealed against the decision. I think this one is hopeless but might as well try

July 23, 2011
Blythe v Spartans (Friendly)

No, we're not playing against ourselves. These Spartans are a semi-pro club from the East Scotland Premier League. Honestly, no idea what to expect here as we're going with several backups after playing most of our expected starters very hard duty against Blackburn. Back to our usual 4-4-2 with a more balanced focus.

GK - Johnson
D: Kendrick - Mellish - D'Laryea - Pearson
MF: Phillips - Parr - White - Osborne
F: Taylor - Chinthengah

17:40 - Kendrick has a free kick from the far right outside the box, plays it in but the defender Rae has it measured ... he stumbles, hits the ball awkwardly ... it's an own goal. Well that was certainly different. (1-0)
Let's switch to a Control philosophy & see if we can catch them in a doldrum.

Halftime - So much for them suffering a lapse or anything. Once again we looked a little overconfident in warm ups & it should have foretold a rather dull performance. We've outshot them 5-0, conceded 58% of possession, and have been uncharacteristically lazy defensively to pick up 5 fouls (to their 2).

Just before the half Pearson took a knock, so we'll sub Jones in for him (D'Laryea to RWB), and also bring Hooks on for Parr (shift White to LCM). Parr had three off-target shot opportunities in the 1st half, maybe White can get the same but capitalize on them.

46:30 - Osborne takes a random elbow to the face, the offender gets a yellow card for his troubles.

50:32 - Kendricks throw in from near the corner leads to a shot by Taylor that gets tipped aside for a corner. Chinthengah gets it to Jones on the opposite side of the box but his header sails harmlessly wide & out.

53:34 - Taylor gets a little bit of space & tries a long whistler that just goes high & out

58:00 - Another corner, this time to Mellish in traffic but it's blocked & cleared.

61:20 - Phillips finds Taylor who broke the offside trap, he's headed in alone, the keeper starts out, hesitates, Taylor lobs it up and ... in (2-0)

Sub Ferguson in for Osborne, Forster for White, Bannister for Chint., and Gallen for Kendrick

74:00 - Sub Angus for Mellish, Mason for Taylor (Bannister to DLF)

88:00 - Bannister shoots one about a half mide wide as the two teams just plod along toward the finish

Fulltime - A yawner as we outshoot them 11-1 despite only 48% possession. 10 fouls is our highest total of the year IIRC, 7 of the 11 shots were off target, only 67% pass completion. It's a win but it's just meh. The Non-League Paper was surprised, I wasn't particularly.

Johnson 6.7
Kendrick 6.8, Mellish 6.8, D'Laryea 7.3, Pearson 6.8
Phillips 7.0 & 1 assist, Parr 6.8, White 6.7,Osborne 6.8
Taylor (MOM) 7.4 & 1 goal, Chinthengah 6.8 & 1 assist
Subs: Jones/Gallen 6.8, Forster/Bannister 6.4, Ferguson 6.3, Hooks 6.2, Angus/Mason N/A

JonInMiddleGA

03-12-2012, 11:09 PM

July 25, 2011
Andrew Peterson's proposed move to Blyth has been cancelled after the appeal for a work permit was turned down.

July 25, 2011 (PM)

Blythe v Linfield (Friendly)

Only three friendlies left before the season begins, this time it's a member of the Northern Ireland Premier Division. Should be a step up from our last opponent, Non-League Paper says "Linfield will win with ease". We shall see.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Angus - Purvis - Osborne
MF: Slaughter - Groves - Vipond - Ferguson
F: Mole - Armstrong

0:10 - Armstrong gets warned after a careless trip, avoided a card though.
2:00 - I sure hope my crappy pre-match pep talk doesn't cause us to play below ability.
15:17 - Slaughter gets a nice run going on the left and is dragged down by Alan Morrison of Linfield ... That's going to be a penalty ... the youngster Ferguson will take it, strikes it smartly ... and it's off the woodwork to his left :(

18:00 - Vipond has suffered an injury, let's take him off & bring on Parr (have to make a decision on whether to offer him a contract soon)

20:30 - Armstrong with a nice run deep on the right but he's soon caught up in traffic ... Beattie sticks out a leg & catches him ... that's going to be another penalty .. No card, just a warning though .. Armstrong spot kick is a mile high over the bar :(

30:00 - Ferguson quickly to Armstrong in the box, another shot missed wide.

45:00+ - Cromie runs past Parr & gets off a shot, Knight punches it away & Angus clears it over the side.

46:49 - Too much possession allowed to Cromie & his mates, he finds Morrison in the box with a little room & Knight can't get to him in time (0-1) ... Groves protests that he was offside but to no avail, looked close to me for sure.

Halftime - Shots equal at 3 but possession is 64% their way. Not sure what to think after two missed penalties, you'd think we'd have gotten at least one. Then again, you'd think that I'd have managed not to have Ferguson playing up front with Mole stuck on the right side of the midfield too.

Sub Jones in for Angus who has been awful (5.8)

47:41 - Parr is down after fouling Dean McCann, have to sub in McCabe for Parr. Will also sub White in for Osborne (move Groves to RWB)

55:05 - Mole gets roughed up by Crawford, he's going to the side & we'll take no chances with him, on comes Taylor for our leading scorer

66:00 - Now White takes a knock, he can stay on but we'll get him out as soon as possible. Gallen on for White (Kendrick to LMF)

89:42 - Armstrong finds Ferguson at the point, he lets fly maybe our best chance of the night but Cairnduff makes the save against his body & holds on.

Fulltime - We outshot them 5-4 but allowed them to control far too much of the match (only 38% possession for us). Much more physical game than we've had thus far, got knocked around more than usual. Now we await the physio reports

Knight 6.7
Kendrick 6.7, Angus 5.8, Purvis 6.8, Osborne 6.0
Slaughter 6.8, Groves 6.8, Vipond 6.8, Ferguson 5.3
Mole 6.0, Armstrong 6.4
Subs: Parr/Gallen/Jones 6.8, McCabe 6.7, White 6.6, Taylor 6.4

July 25, 2011 (late PM)
Physio reports hit my office. Jason White suffered a pulled hamstring & will be out for 4-5 weeks while being treated by the club. Shaun Vipond suffered a damaged elbow after a heavy fall & will be out 2-3 weeks while being treated by the club physios.

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 12:48 AM

July 27, 2011 (PM)

Blythe v Airdrie Utd (Friendly)

Next to last friendly, this time it's a club from the Scottish 2nd Division. Media says they'll have too much quality for us, I'm thinking otherwise frankly.

GK - Johnson
D: Cave - Angus - Coulson - Osborne
MF: Peterson - Hooks - Emms
AM - Forster
F: Mason - Chinthengah

17:00 - First shot of the game finally comes, an off-target speculation from the point by Emms.

23:00 - Only a brilliant save denied Chinthengah a goal on a shot from the right side of the box

30:00 - Osborne gets a yellow for tripping Murphy

33:00 - Cave is injured & has to come out, Phillips in (Peterson to LWB)

Halftime - Outshot 3-2, possession in their favor about 60-40. We'll switch to our more familiar 4-4-2 for the second half. Sub in Seery for Osborne (he simply hasn't impressed us at all during his trial unfortunately) and move Coulson to RWB

49:00 - Murphy feeds Allison in the box & he just overpowers Johnson (0-1)

55:00 - Taylor on for Chinthengah

57:15 - Mason was denied on a diving stop after a beautiful feed from Taylor. Almost drew level there

62:32 - Mellish on for Peterson
70:00 - McCabe on for Hooks
80:00 - Switch to Attacking strategy, Groves on for Emms (McCabe to RM)
84:41 - Forster finds Phillips for a shot but he was clearly offside ... Bannister on for Coulson (Groves to RWB)

Fulltime - Not much to see here, outshot 8-7 but it was losing the possession battle (44-56) that cost us.

Johnson 6.8
Cave 6.8, Angus 6.6, Coulson 6.7, Osborne 6.8
Peterson 6.7, Hooks 6.6, Emms 6.7
Forster 6.6
Mason 6.0, Chinthengah 6.1
Subs: Taylor 6.8, McCabe 6.5, Mellish 6.4, Phillips/Seery 6.1, Groves/Bannister N/A

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 02:07 AM

July 29, 2011

Brendan Gallen earned a spot on the squad with his play during trial & we've reached agreement on a contract. Nothing permanent though, just a $375 appearance fee deal.

Also, we've extended the contract of Carl Jones to 2014 at a small increase to $500 per week. Our second highest player value at $18k, seemed worth keeping around.

July 30, 2011
World Cup Quals (EUR) draw is today. England is drawn into Group 8 as the #1 seed along with Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, San Marino & Ukraine. Matches start 9/8/12.

Jamie Mole, our highest valued player at $50k, signs a one year extension with a raise to $625/wk.

Luton's Ed Asafu-Adjaye, a talented DR, rejects our loan offer

July 30, 2011 (PM)

Blythe v Barnsley (Friendly)

Our final friendly could get ugly, as Championship side Barnsley visits Croft Park for an afternoon affair. We'll be in a defensive posture in our 4-4-2 and hope for the best (which probably mean no injuries)

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones- Mellish - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Slaughter - Groves - McCabe
F: Armstrong - Mole

7:00 - A sudden counter sees Armstrong hit McCabe on the run but he had to hurry his shot as defenders closed & it sails well wide. Got a buzz out of the crowd though.

10:15 - Another unexpected rush through midfield sees Mole with the ball eyeing Armstrong ahead when Scott Golbourne took him down with both feet. That's a red card & we'll be up a man for almost 80 minutes, perhaps the complexion of this game just changed.

29:00 - Digby finds Gray who outpaces the field but Knight managed to tip the shot up & over.
41:25 - A wild clearing attempt after Armstrong lost the ball in the box leads to a corner. Mellish fires one that wildly hits the crossbar & gets knocked out for another corner, which also comes to naught.

Halftime - Interesting times, outshot 3-1 despite being a man up, although possession is in our favor 52-48. Barnsley has been content to clear the ball out of play whenever possible (15 throw-ins for us in the half)

Sub at the break will be Emms for McCabe (who is tiring), we'll also gamble and switch to Standard from Defensive.

50:00 - Forster on for a tiring Slaughter

60:00 - Kendrick sends a free kick just high, if he had kept it down the velocity might well have been enough ... Bannister on for Groves (he'll play out of position in the midfield, hoping for a little more offense)

70:00 - Gallen in for Phillips (Kendrick to LM), Taylor on for Mole, who has had a rotten day (5.8)

81:00 - Knight makes a nice safe to keep things scoreless ... Hooks on for Kendrick (Forster to LM)

88:00 - Disaster, as a corner produces a loose ball out in front that everyone seemed to lose sight of, except for Barnsley's Ngoma who just tapped it in (0-1) ... on replay we see that Knight came out in front too far & Ngoma slipped behind him

90:20 - In full overload, Taylor sends one just high on a decent chance.

Fulltime - So close, but realistically only because they were playing with 10. Outshot 7-5, possession 50-50. Still, we tell the team we're happy (even though we're disappointed inside) and they seem pleased with that.

Knight 6.4
Kendrick 6.9, Jones 6.8, Mellish 7.1, D'Laryea 6.7
Phillips 6.8, Slaughter 6.7, Groves 6.7, McCabe 6.7
Armstrong 6.8, Mole 5.8 (lousy 1/9 on tackles presumably killed his rating)
Subs: Bannister/Emms 6.8, Forster 6.7, Gallen/Taylor 6.5, Hooks N/A

July 31, 2011
18 y/o Striker Shane Bennett has agreed to terms & will join the club after two seasons in the Shrewsbury system. He brings decent pace (10) and a left-footed option although he'll have to play his way into match shape before being able to contribute

Hull MR Daniel Emerton rejected our loan request, pity because he would have given us a quality option on the outside

We decide to keep Graeme Armstrong as Captain for the upcoming season but name Brian McCabe as Vice-Captain (replacing Shaun Vipond)

Aug 3, 2011
Leeroy Chinthengah has been called up by Zimbabwe U20 for their Aug 9 match against Algeria

Of the various trialists still around, not much to be done at this point.
Andrew Peterson was denied a work permit but we'd love to have kept him
Nathan D'Laryea got miffed at our negotiations & won't discuss things further
Kevin Parr was a prick at the negotiation table & can go hang
Stevland Angus was a disappointment after his first outing & we're not going to make an offer
Junior Osborne was just disappointing period & will not be offered

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 02:34 AM

August 4, 2011

Versatile 25 y/o MF Paul Matondo has agreed to join Blyth on a per appearance basis. A good passer with decent pace & the ability to finish, he could bring a new dimension to the Spartans attack. He comes on a free from Drogheda Town of the Leinster First Division.

August 5, 2011
One day until my official debut in the Blue Square Bet North season opener. Managed to get through the pre-match presser without peeing in any of the punch bowls (as far as I could tell).

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 04:12 AM

August 6, 2011

Blythe (0-0) v Workington (0-0)

The schedule makers give me a gift, opening the season at home against a team that may be fighting against relegation just like we're expected to do. It's Workington who comes to call as my career officially begins.

The oddsmakers are being nice too, making us 6-4 favorites on a dry 69 degrees Saturday afternoon.

We'll stick with what we know best to start things, 4-4-2, Balanced & Standard.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones- Purvis - Groves
MF: Matondo - Hooks - McCabe - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

3:00 - First shot of my tenure comes from McCabe, who headed a nice cross from Matondo right over the bar

28:00 - McCabe picks up a yellow, just about a minute after Kendrick got one. We've got to stop tripping people almost randomly.

28:32 - And now Armstrong gets a yellow (he almost got one earlier)

36:42 - Armstrong pushes the ball to Hooks just outside the arc, he finds Mole in deep ... a little nubber and a GOAL (1-0)

Halftime - Two good chances just before the half sends us to the break with a feeling of momentum. 7-2 edge on shots, 62% of possession. The three yellows have me a little nervous. Purvis seems nervous too & I can't calm him even with a little chat. Mole is really showing signs of wear, must have taken a knock somewhere along the way, no chance that he'll finish the match but I'll try to squeeze a little more out of him before subbing.

47:40 - McCabe bangs one off the post, that could have been a huge goal
48:35 - Kendrick sent Bell diving to make a save, another near miss
59:30 - Phillips on for Mole (Matondo to F)
71:00 - Buchanan on for McCabe (Groves to CMR)
74:45 - Kendrick goes in hard & gets his second yellow, we're down a man
Slaughter on for Armstrong as we figure to go into a shell, Phillips drops back to LFB
79:38 - Hooks gets a yellow trying to make something happen in the offensive end, played a little too rough with Hewson. If you're keeping score at home, that's our fifth card of the match
88:15 - Emms gets a ridiculous card for doing little more than sharing the same pitch with Workington
88:40 - Purvis stumbles a bit & the Reds get a clear shot but it goes into the side of the net
90:00+ - Two fouls in stoppage time only earn warnings for Workington

Full time - Whew. 8 yellows (6 on us) and 1 red, Mole gets MOM but it should go to Referee Scott Duncan who had more action than any player on either side. We outshot them 14-4, had 59% possession, passed well enough. On the whole we'll take it.

Knight 6.7
Kendrick 6.7, Jones 7.0, Purvis 7.1, Groves 7.0
Matondo 6.7, Hooks 7.2 & 1 assist, McCabe 6.2, Emms 6.8
Armstrong 6.7, Mole (MOM) 7.3 & 1 goal
Subs: Buchanan 6.7, Phillips 6.3, Slaughter N/A

July 6, 2011 (PM)
Kendrick is, of course, suspended for our next match.
We've been fined $800 for failing to control our players.

July 7, 2011
Our final season ticket sales amounted to 200

July 8, 2011
Next up for us is Colwyn Bay tomorrow. They're a Pick'Em favorite at home, we're an 11-5 underdog on the road.

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 11:29 PM

August 9, 2011

Blythe (1-0-0) at Colwyn Bay (0-1-0)

Our first match away from the friendly confines of home, we'll be without Kendrick (suspended 1 match) and Chinthengah (Zimbabwe U20).

With fatigue & absences, we'll start out in our 4-3-1-2 (Counter), trying to relieve our issues at MF a bit.

GK - Knight
D: Cave - Buchanan - Mellish - D'Laryea
MF: Slaughter - Forster - Groves
AM - Taylor
F: Armstrong - Bannister

09:55 - Knight goes high in the air to rob McEvilly of a goal, nice header off a corner, even better save.

Halftime - That's right, it's halftime already. Not much in the way of highlights to talk about, we outshot them 4-3, each team had only 1 on target, possession 54-46 in our favor. Groves picked up a yellow but otherwise reasonably quite, although we could have gotten a couple more.
Content for now, eyeing subs & possible formation change but not just yet.

60:00 - Forster has picked up a yellow & isn't playing well in the middle (5.8), might be time to try to spark something here. Phillips on for Forster (although he'll be playing out of position & could be ineffectual). Would love to go to McCabe but am trying to keep him fresh for the weekend.

67:00 - A legit chance for Corwyn Bay on a quick cross to Newby but he put it wide left.

68:00 - Phillips answers with a shot just a little high & over. Cave pushed way upfield on the attack but it seemed to work out okay I guess.

73:20 - Taylor finds Armstrong deep on the right side & he puts it home ... but was well offside before doing so. We're showing signs of wear here, let's bring McCabe on for Groves and Jones on for Cave. We'll gamble & push Buchanan into the midfield horribly out of position, drop Phillips back to LWB to give us fresher legs. Would like to get out of here with at least a point if we can.

78:50 -- Mellish plays it forward on a free kick just short of midfield, CB's Hughes climbs above Armstrong and heads it away. Sinclair gains possession for CB, Bannister tries to tackle ... and the foul is called on COLWYN BAY. It's a PENALTY ... Sinclair gets a yellow for his troubles.

80:00 - After a sub by CB, Bannister runs up ... and puts it harmlessly wide left. A very weak attempt.

81:40 - A corner on the other end, into an unmarked Allen who taps to a well positioned Hughes & it's an easy goal. (0-1) Oh how quickly fortunes can turn. We'll go on the attack here & try to salvage something, would just as soon lose by two as by one.

90:00+ - Sinclair fouls Armstrong hard, he'll have to get some treatment. Less than a minute later Taylor took down Sinclair & left him writhing in pain & seeking treatment.

Fulltime - Nothing doing in extra time & we basically pissed away a point with poor set piece defense. I know we were on the road, I know we were playing people out of position, I know we were a little shorthanded, but we had at least a point here in our hands. And if we could figure out how not to look silly on penalties we might have gotten more than one point. I'm disappointed & I tell them so. (Groves & Phillips appear motivated, McCabe & Jones appear fired up, no negative body language from the others, maybe I got the tone right).

Knight 6.8
Cave 6.8, Buchanan 6.8, Mellish 6.7, D'Laryea 7.1
Slaughter 6.1, Forster 5.9, Groves 6.7
Taylor 6.5
Armstrong 6.7, Bannister 5.6
Subs: Phillips/McCabe 6.6, Jones 6.5

Aug 9, 2011 (post-match)
I schlep through a brief post-game media session to learn afterwards that Colwyn's Player/Coach Jon Newby announced that "it was clear to everyone that we had the better side even before the match started". I'm none to impressed by his mouth & give the press a little something to play with, telling them that Newby's comments were unprofessional and that on a personal level "I'm not his biggest fan, put it that way". I'm surprised to discover on this screen that Newby "has a fairly poor opinion" of me ... the feeling is now mutual peckerhead.

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 11:35 PM

Aug 10, 2011
Leeroy Chinthengah played 78 mins with a 6.0 rating in Zimbabwe's U20 4-1 loss to Algeria.

Shaun Vipond has resumed full training

In international action, U.S. & Mexico play to a scoreless draw at Lincoln Financial Field, England & South Korea play to a 1-1 draw at Wembley

JonInMiddleGA

03-13-2012, 11:50 PM

Aug 13, 2011

Blyth U21's fall to Corby U21's 2-1. Shane Bennett scored & "looked lively". Michael Pearson played like crap (5.4) & gave away a goal, Tom Seery had a 6.3, Chris Ferguson just a 5.9, Matty Hunter a 6.1 in net. I doubt I'll comment much on these, just figured I'd mention the names that have come up in the dynasty previously

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 01:20 AM

August 13, 2011

Blythe (11th, 1-0-1) vs Altrincham (6th, 1-1-0)

Back home, but at 4:5 underdogs to Altrincham. We're 3:1 to win, 2:1 to draw. A good early test here, as I don't think we're at the level of team that was just demoted from BSP. We'll go back to our standard 4-4-2 and see how it goes.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - Jones - Purvish
MF: Phillips - Matondo - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

04:15 - Matondo casually plays it to Groves near the arc, he calmly gives it up to Mole about 8 feet inside the box, and Moles takes one sidestep to make some space & fires .... GOAL !!! (1-0) ... that stunning turn of events puts Altrincham into more of an attacking mode (hope we didn't just wake a sleeping giant or something)

14:31 - Groves blew past one of their Flynn brothers (I assume they're bros anyway) and fed Mole who made a steady run to get off a solid shot on goal. Right in the breadbasket of their keeper but it was quality.

23:58 - Emms corner to Mole, his header goes over but was reasonably close. We've got the better of them in the midfield right now, Groves particularly looking sharp ... but I wonder if we're being rope-a-doped here.

36:54 - Oops. Lee hits Twiss on a beautiful long pass that he takes in stride, long run, Knight has to come wide to meet him ... and Redshaw puts the pass into a wide open net to even things up (1-1) ... and Altrincham "goes back to their familiar style"

42:23 - Emms on the corner, into the box for Matondo, he soars for a twisting header and ... SCORES (2-1)[b/] Right back atcha

Halftime - Well, can't say it's been boring. We've outshot them 8-2, 4-2 on target. Possession is 55-45, and we've scored more in a half than in the last 2 matches. Groves & Phillips have done much to contain them in the midfield, Jones & Mellish are a combined 8/9 winning aerial battles, Mole is getting his shots (4) which is probably one of our keys to success. Have to watch fatigue, but this has been pretty pleasing so far.

51:00 - Kendrick's long free kick is a ferocious blast that has the keeper beaten ... but not the crossbar. So close there.

55:45 - Emms with a corner in low, Jones is off-balance & plays it away from the net ... right into the defender Barnes, the balls caroms off his leg & their keeper never had a chance. An own goal makes it [b](3-1)

Hooks on for Armstrong (Matondo to DLF)

74:00 - Mason on for Groves, who has been brilliant but is dragging now. Matondo back to the MF. We'll spend a few minutes in counter mode before probably going into a shell.

77:00 - Diddling away some time in the midfield, Mason to Mole back to Mason ... who spots Phillips with space wide left ... in stride, fires ... GOAL (4-1) ... Mason hadn't looked as though he could get rid of the ball soon enough to suit him, suddenly he does just the right thing at the right moment ... We also notice that Jones fitness is suddenly way down, let's bring Coulson on for him

84:41 - Still defending well, Altrincham maybe a little frustrated as Barnes bangs into Kendrick & picks up his second yellow in less than three minutes. Yellow+Yellow = Red, so we'll finish this one a man up.

Fulltime - Wow. Didn't see this coming at all. 11-5 shot advantage, actually only 49% possession, passing was sharp, we frustrated their crosses (10%), won in the air. Just. Wow.

Knight 6.9
Kendrick 7.3, Mellish 7.1, Jones 7.4, Purvis 7.4
Phillips 7.9 & 1 goal, Matondo 7.9 & 1 goal,
Groves 7.6 & 1 assist, Emms 7.3 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.8, Mole (MOM) 7.9 & 1 goal
Subs: Mason 6.8 & 1 assist, Hooks 6.8, Coulson N/A

Aug 13, 2011 (post-match)
A happy press conference indeed.

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 01:50 AM

Aug 16, 2011
Paul Matondo was selected in the BSB-N Team of the Week first eleven.

Blyth has signed 18 y/o MF Jack Harrison. An aggressive dribbler, he's seen as a prospect for the future as well as a bit of depth for the present.

England has move up to 4th in the current World Rankings, Holland ascends to the #1 spot, supplanting Spain. Germany remains 3rd, while Uruguay, Brazil, Italy and Portugal round out the top 8. The U.S. climbs three spots to #29.

-----
Meanwhile, I've decided it's nice to have a week between matches. Lots of scouting going on, a little less frenetic pace for the first time since I've taken the reins at Blyth.

Aug 19, 2011
"Record Low Expected for Hyde" ... that's not a weather report, that's the anticipated attendance for our match at Ewen Fields tomorrow.

Now if you think that's interesting, try this on for size:
We're 2-0-1 and in 5th place
Hyde is 0-0-3 and dead last, with a -11 goal differential
{wait for it}
Hyde is a 4:7 favorite at home, Blyth is a 4:1 underdog

Oh wait, I bet I see why ... "The referee for the match is Scott Duncan"
----------
Aug 19, 2011 (PM)
Blyth has signed 18 y/o striker Matt Rickard. A versatile forward with a great deal of flair for his age, he's a youngster with some potential.

Aug 20, 2011
Blyth U18's got their first win, beating Dorchester 2-1 thanks in part to an own goal in the 8th minute. MF Joe Lamb's tap-in made it 2-0 before the half. The young Magpies got a consolation goal in the 80th minute to deny Matty Hunter a clean sheet.

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 02:50 AM

August 20, 2011

Blyth (4th, 2-0-1) at Hyde (22nd, 0-0-3)

On the road again, but how will it treat us? Curious game ahead, Hyde has been terrible so far, we're coming off a great outing ... so why are we such underdogs? What do the bookies know that I don't? Is it the ref? Meanwhile BBC Manchester at least likes us "I think they have enough quality to see off the challenge of Hyde today".

4-4-2 again, Vipond gets his first action since returning from injury

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Coulson - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Matondo - Groves - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Mole

4:41 - Here we go again. D'Laryea gets a yellow. Apparently my instructions to be cautious when tackling weren't enough.

9:10 - Mole's second shot of the match is saved & put out for a corner. This one much more online than the first one a minute or so earlier.

12:00 - Mole gets manhandled & goes down rather hard. Referee Duncan issues a stern verbal reprimand. That'll teach 'em {rolls eyes}

25:25 - Vipond gets taken down from behind while awaiting a throw-in. PENALTY ! Haigh gets a warning. ... Mole fires and SCORES ! (1-0)
Finally, one of those pays off.

37:30 - Second yellow card for Hyde in the past minute, this one lowers Matondo's fitness (85) but we'll keep him on for a while & hope he can play through at least until the half ... or not, he's going to have to come off for good. Emms comes on (Vipond to CMR, Groves to CML)

41:41 - Griffin with the corner for Hyde, Havern knocks it home with a header (1-1)

Halftime - That could have been better. Outshot 5-4, slight possession edge for us (53-47). Since the early going, it's now 4 yellow on Hyde to our 1. Neither team is passing well, our crosses aren't working today either. Hated to have to use a sub so early, we're looking tired already in several spots.

65:04 - Purvis on for Coulson (D'Laryea to DCR)

89:30 - Vipond takes a knock, we'll try to get Hooks on for him.

93:15 - Armstrong red carded, almost inexplicably, after tangling briefly & mildly with Richman. WTF? Luckily the ensuing free kick sails high over the bar, nowhere near.

Fulltime - Harumph. My assistants are all thrilled, I'm in a different frame of mind about this one. I take a deep breath & calmly tell the boys they were just unlucky today. More than half the squad "appears motivated" by that, so I guess it was the right call. Still, we outshoot 'em 8-7, dominated 2nd half possession (59% total), we passed well ... just couldn't get another decent crack at it. Eh, we'll take the point on the road & go home happy enough I suppose.

Knight 6.7
Kendrick 6.8, Jones 6.8, Coulson 6.8, D'Laryea 6.8
Phillips 6.8, Matondo 6.8, Groves 6.8, Vipond 6.8 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.7, Mole 6.8 & 1 goal
-------
Aug 20, 2011 (post-match)
We've looked at the tapes & we'll appeal Armstrong's suspension. That was as inexplicable a red as you'll ever see. He actually had his back to the defender the entire time.

Meanwhile, bad luck for Paul Matondo (and the rest of us). A bad ankle sprain will keep him out 7-8 weeks while it's treated by club physios.

And the media recap explains the red, called for a deliberate handball. We'll stand by the appeal & hope for the best.

The press conference didn't go too well, I get warned by the FA for my comments about the red card. Touchy they are, all I said was that it looked harsh from where I was sitting. Replay allegedly show it was the right decision, but how can the replay judge whether it was deliberate? Guess that tells me how the appeal will go :(

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 03:06 AM

Aug 21, 2011

Jason White has resumed full training after his hamstring injury

We've signed 16 y/o AMC Craig Cresswell to a youth contract. He shows good work rate, influence, and flair for his age. We're hopeful he might become a useful part of the team sooner rather than later.

--------
Aug 23, 2011
Sigh. I'm getting too familiar with the sound of physio Ewen Fairgreave's voice on the phone. Leeroy Chinthengah suffered a calf strain during training. My options are injections that would get him through the next game but keep him out 6-7 weeks or therapy that would have him back in about a month. Duh. I don't like needles anyway.

As expected, the FA disciplinary committee upholds Armstrong's one match suspension.

We've signed 18 y/o DR Jordan Kay to a part-time contract for just $80/wk. Former Nottingham Forest prospect is a pretty good tackler, better pace than most of our players already. At worst he's cheap depth on the back line, and he's on board until 2014.
-----------
August 25, 2011
We sign 16 y/o DC Rory McKeever to a youth contract. Probably the best jumper on our squad at any level, he's got a lot to learn in other phases but he's already good enough that I wouldn't be afraid to play him if I absolutely had to.
-----------
August 26, 2011
We sign 18 y/o DC Lloyd Foot to a contract. He's an older, ever so slightly less physically gifted version of young McKeever. Lacking mentally but his basic skills are good enough to see some action.

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 03:48 AM

Aug 27, 2011

Blyth U18s beat Colwyn Bay 2-1. Goals by Bennet & Cresswell. Lloyd Foot was MOM (7.5)

Next up for us will be 11th place Harrogate today. We're 6:4 favorites at home.

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 08:53 AM

Just FYI, in case anyone is reading, this is probably delayed until Friday night. My son (and his FM running laptop) are headed to his grandparents for a couple of days.

BYU 14

03-14-2012, 08:56 AM

Just FYI, in case anyone is reading, this is probably delayed until Friday night. My son (and his FM running laptop) are headed to his grandparents for a couple of days.

You should let him run the squad for a couple of days :)

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 10:00 AM

You should let him run the squad for a couple of days :)

He's got West Ham to deal with, better keep his hands off my Spartans ;)

Barkeep49

03-14-2012, 10:04 AM

Just FYI, in case anyone is reading, this is probably delayed until Friday night. My son (and his FM running laptop) are headed to his grandparents for a couple of days.
How is your son's squad doing? You seem to be off to a great (if penalty filled) start.

JonInMiddleGA

03-14-2012, 12:26 PM

How is your son's squad doing? You seem to be off to a great (if penalty filled) start.

I think he paused after playing through his first couple of friendlies, at least in part because he also got Civ 5 at the same time. Might be a bit intimidated by seeing the depth that I go into things versus his more familiar "dive in & play" approach.

He was actually handling the basic mechanics pretty well as far as I could tell (I haven't been asked a single question yet) but given that his soccer knowledge is even less than mine, a little bit of shellshock is to be expected I think.

JonInMiddleGA

03-16-2012, 10:42 PM

August 27, 2011
Blyth (5th, 2-1-1) vs Harrogate (11th, 2-0-2)

Back home, would love a win to keep things rolling smoothly. Especially against one of our "other rivals". They're not Gateshead by any means but there's still some rivalry here.

Armstrong serves his 1 game suspension, Chinthengah & Matondo both out. Where do we find enough help for Mole to generate any offense?

My usually lukewarm assistants want me to tell the team they're expected to dominate, I settle for "expecting a win" and get no real reaction at all.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - Jones - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Slaughter - Groves - Emms
F: Taylor - Mole

10:20 - Emms corner swings out high, Jones loses the aerial battle to a defender (which is kind of unusual for him). Harrogate gets out on a little fast break but Purvish broke it up.

15:45 - Harrogate is pressuring us more than we're accustomed to seeing, we're having problems making consecutive passes without them breaking the flow. Groves comes up with a lose ball in the midfield & turns, see Taylor down the middle & hits him with a little lob ... in space just outside the box & he fires ... GOAL !!! Taylor from some ways out for the lead (1-0)

19:30 - Groves again to Taylor, this time stationary from the opposite side of the arc & he puts it right into the keeper's gut.

22:33 - Slaughter to Phillips at about the spot where Taylor scored from, but he puts it wide to his left. Decent chance there

31:39 - Phillips from deep on the left plays one into the box for a sliding Mole ... it's about a foot wide to the left

37:49 - Slaughter plays one into the center of the box for Mole but it's tackled away ... Emms scoots in for the loose ball on the right edge ahead of a sliding Radcliffe ... finds Taylor in acres of space about six feet out ... GOAL !!! (2-0) Not too shabby there, not shabby at all.

44:00 - Taylor on a looong run from nearly midfield, into the box, takes a shot but it's punched out. Denied a hat trick but it was a fair crack at it

Halftime - 9 to 1 shot advantage, 58% possession, we're crossing well & denying them entirely. Would almost like to be up by more here but let's not get greedy. I tell them I'm pleased & to keep it up, to a man everyone looks delighted. I'd love a couple of early goals here in the half & a chance to comfortably go deep on the bench.

61:00 - Purvis & Phillips both pick up quiet yellow cards, we'll sub in White for his first action, replacing Phillips (Slaughter to LMF). Did I mention who the ref was today? Yup, you guessed it, our pal Stuart Duncan.

70:15 - They get a yellow for knocking Kendrick down. We'll bring on D'Laryea to replace Purvis, no sense letting him get a second yellow here. While we're preparing the change, White picks up a foul & after a stern warning avoids a card. See what I mean?

78:00 - Groves clears a spot of danger & the ball covers about half the pitch ... Mole actually catches up to it near the box but his lob goes high & wide.
Our star has looked a bit complacent so, even though he's fresher than Taylor, I'll sub Forster in for him at MF (White to DLF). Figuring they'll have to attack here, we'll switch to a Counter strategy for a bit.

82:54 - Harrogate doesn't appear too stressed here, pushing the ball upfield, suddenly Brayson finds himself in space in the box & leaves no doubt. (2-1). Let's make that strategy Defensive & not fall prey to disaster here.

90:00 - 3 minutes of added time. C'mon boys.
92:00 - Emms plays a corner long for Jones ... his header is ... over for a goal kick.

Fulltime - Good start, meh finish. We hang on but I'll just be neutral in the locker room. It's a win, and that's good. It wasn't pretty when it could have been, and that's not so good, especially our tendency to be lackluster after about the 80th minute. 12-3 shot edge, 52% possession edge.

Knight 6.6
Kendrick 7.1, Mellish 6.9, Jones 7.0, Purvis 7.1
Phillips 6.9, Slaughter 6.7, Groves 7.3 & 1 assist, Emms 7.4 & 1 assist
Taylor (MOM) 8.8 & 2 goals, Mole 6.7
Subs: D'Laryea 6.5, White 6.4, Forster N/A

Aug 27, 2011 (Post-match)
Nothing fancy in the presser, we move on, it's just three days until we visit Bishop's Stortford.

JonInMiddleGA

03-16-2012, 10:57 PM

August 29, 2011
Prematch press conference for the match at Bishop's Stortford, where we'll be a 6:4 favorite against a team currently 20th in BSB-North. Noting here that the referee is Darren Bond, who has handed down only 4 cards (3y/1r) in his three matches this season. Kind of the anti-Duncan.

Nothing notable in the presser.

August 30, 2011
Glen Taylor was named to the BSB-North Team of the Week first eleven

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 12:07 AM

August 30, 2011

Blyth (4th, 3-1-1) at Bishop's Stortford (20th, 1-1-3)

We're actually a fairly mild favorite on the road against a team that's really been struggling. With another match coming up on Saturday, we're going to roll the dice a little bit here and give Max Johnson his first action in net. I mean, if you can't play him against a team in 20th place that's scoring only 1 goal per game then when could you play him?

We'll try to help him out a bit early, starting in a defensive minded 4-4-2.
GK - Johnson
D: Cave - Jones - Coulson - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Hooks - McCabe - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Bannister

5:00 - A throw-in falls in the box for a shot that bangs off the right post. Jones quickly clears and we avoid early disaster. That ought to get Johnson's heart pumping.

15:43 - Hooks from the arc shoots just wide left. Nice to get our first shot finally though.

24:50 - A corner out high gives Bish another crack at it, this time a header pings off the crossbar. Johnson is living a charmed life at the moment.

42:23 - McCabe gets his pocket picked at midfield by Prestedge, who plays it ahead to Shulton, who finds Quainoo just inside the box, touch pass over to Sappleton moving in, his right footed try finds nothing but the back of the net (0-1)

Halftime - Well that was rather dismal. Outshot 4-1, even gave up possession 52-48. Defensive posture not suiting us at all, we'll go back to our standard, also flip Vipond inside & McCabe to the outside. No subs yet but there could be one forthcoming fairly early in the second half if things don't pick up. I assertively tell them I expect much better, about half the team looks motivated, the other half is kind of "yeah, whatever".

50:30 - Hooks gets another chance from near the arc, it's right at the keeper for a save.

54:45 - Hooks another chance, this time from the edge of the left box, keeper has to hop up to make the grab.

56:30 - Armstrong into the box deep on the left side but he can't get turned for a shot, gives it up to Phillips who puts it wide.

60:30 - We get a lot of pressure on the right side but Bish finally concedes a corner. Armstrong is furious that nothing was called on Prestedge for a hard tackle in the box, a clear penalty that gets no call at all. Sub White in for Hooks who has suddenly taken a dip in fitness.

68:15 - Bannister from the arc, Gudalevic juggles the save but holds on.
Sub Mole in for a tiring McCabe (Bannister to CMR)

79:27 - Phillips plays one down low from the left side, Bish heads it up & over for a corner. We'll go full on Attacking mode here, have to level this up.
Philips corner flies untouched the width of the field & we turn it over.

89:43 - Gallen on for an exhausted Cave, we've got two minutes of added time to get a miracle goal.

90:00+ - Instead of a goal all we managed to do is defend against two minutes of pressure.

Fulltime - Yuck. Just bloody ugly. I think at least some of this falls on me, although I didn't cause them to suck I also didn't give them the best chance to succeed by going defensive in the first half either. We ened up outshot 8-5, but sure more chances would have improved our chances at getting a goal. We didn't complete a single cross in the entire match.

Johnson 6.8
Cave 6.2, Jones 6.6, Coulson 5.8, D'Laryea 6.6
Phillips 6.5, Hooks 6.8, McCabe 6.8, Vipond 6.7
Armstrong 6.7, Bannister 6.5
Subs: Mole 6.5, White 6.4, Gallen N/A

Aug 30, 2011 (post-match)
I avoid trouble by declining comment on the denied penalty.

I take a cheap shot from the Bishop Stortford coach about my ability, I respond that he's probably not the man to take them anywhere either. Bunch of pricks coaching in this league, apparently trying to get their names in the paper any way possible.

August 31, 2011
Somehow we lose that match & manage to climb a spot in the standings. We're now 4th, two points back of 3rd place Hinckley, one point ahead of a five team pack in 5th, and five points behind FC Halifax & Droysden who are tied for the lead. Through 6 matches we've played teams that are 6th, 7th, 8th, 16th, 17th and 22nd. Next up is 9th place Worcester at home.

Also today, our U18's lost to Eastwood 4-3 at home in the opening round of the U18 Cup. Shane Bennett was MOM with two more goals (in extra time before the half & in the opening minute of the second half) but Matty Hunter was awful, allowing three goals after Bennett had given us a three goal lead. Tom Seery added

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 12:20 AM

Sept 1, 2011
FC Halifax striker Lee Gregory is named Player of the Month for August with 5 goals in 6 appearances.
FC Halifax coach Neil Aspin is Manager of the Month, deserved with a 5-1 record.

Assistant Gavin Fell tells me that Groves (aerobic) and White (strength) have not impressed in training but that Kyle Barlow (strength) has. Nothing particularly positive nor negative from the youth.

English transfer window has closed, with $180m in spending (dollars, not pounds). Man City dropped nearly a third of that, including $16m to acquire midfielder Danny from Russian club Zenit. Arsenal gave up $23.5m for MF Walter Montillo from Cruzeiro. MF Clint Dempsey joins Liverpool for $9.5m.

Blyth Spartans were the most active team with 14 new acquisitions.

The Board is satisfied with my coaching of the team, underlined by the fan's joy at the 2-1 win over Harrogate. Fans were still disappointed by the 0-1 loss to Colwyn Bay. We lost nearly $47k last month.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 12:37 AM

Sept 3

We sign 39 y/o utility man Simon Osborn to a $190 appearance contract. He's here to provide some additional depth & versatility, capable of playing inside or outside in the MF. No stamina to speak of, he's pretty much a backup that might be a useful mentor. Could end up being our youth coach at some point (13 working with youngsters).

Our U18s lose to Gainsborough 1-0, on a free kick in the 86th minute.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 01:26 AM

Sept 3, 2011

Blyth (4th, 3-1-2) vs Worcester (11th, 2-3-1 )

We're favored at home again, 6:4. Would really like a win here, to put the bad taste of the last outing aside. Back to our standard 4-4-2, mostly the usual lineup as well.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Slaughter - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

4:40 - Mole chases down a lob into the offensive end, splits two defenders to run onto the ball, a few strides & fires, it hits the post & banks into the net ... GOAL !!! (1-0)

18:32 - Armstrong dials up a long distance shot from well beyond the arc & it flies wide. Our fifth shot of the early going, we're definitely playing aggressively in the offensive end.

19:16 - Carey-Bertram dribbles past two men into the box, Jones tackles it away ... ball skips straight to Smith who fires it past Knight & we're all even (1-1)

22:15 - Armstrong feeds Mole, who takes flight just right of center, on the run & fires, big punch out save.

29:05 - Purvis lobs a pass to the penalty spot for Armstrong, his header is stopped by a stumbling Dormand just short of the goal line. A promising look that I really haven't seen us produce before.

37:30 - Kendrick reverses thing with a pass to Emms in deep, a diving header and it's in ... but it's waved off, offside call. Armstrong is incredulous, and rightfully so from the replay.

Halftime - Outshooting them 11-4, 6 of those shots were on goal, but we're still even at 1. Let's stick with it, surely they'll start to get into the net.

47:19 - Slaughter picks up a lose ball & feeds Mole, takes it in on the left side & fires ... into the side of the net. Should have scored, had the keeper beaten. Too many long shots, we give touchline instructions to work pump the ball into the box, let's see if that produces higher quality chances.

51:04 - Emms corner kick to the near post ... Jones is alone, his diving header beats the keeper (2-1)

66:00 - Worcester has now made all three of their subs in the last few minutes, looking for fresh legs I guess. It's produces a couple of minutes of sustained pressure but our back line is up to the challenge.

68:00 - Buchanan on for a tired Mellish who has played well. Jones stays in despite having picked up a yellow along the way. Vipond on for Slaughter.

76:15 - Carey-Bertram gets off a shot from the arc as he dribbled in 1 against 3. It goes inches wide but Knight was late getting there, that could have been the equalizer.

80:20 - Thorley takes a header from a corner, it goes high & over.
New acquistion Osborne on for Purvis (Groves to RWB)

84:00 - Groves goes down, will have to get off for attention. We goes defensive & try to hang on here.

85:50 - Vipond has space for a shot from outside the box but it goes wide right.

90:00+ - 3 minutes of extra time, two of which are spent with us on offense.

Fulltime - Whew, got a little close for comfort there at the end but we finally close one out properly. This one was about the pressure we put on them early, leading to a 17-10 edge in shots, 8-3 on-target. Jones was brilliant in the air (5/6 headers) and provided the game winner on the set piece. Really tough not to be happy with them, and we tell them so, to their delight.

Knight 6.8
Kendrick 7.0, Jones (MOM) 7.9 & 1 goal, Mellish 7.1, Purvis 6.8
Phillips 6.8, Slaughter 6.8, Groves 6.9, Emms 7.7 & 2 assists
Armstrong 6.8, Mole 7.6 & 1 goal
Subs: Vipond 6.7, Buchanan 6.4, Osborn N/A

Post match stuff goes well, I exchange compliments with their coach through the media. Nice win to get with a week to prepare for our next match.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 01:33 AM

Sept 6, 2011

We sign 18 y/o MF Lewis Whiteley to a 2 year part-time contract. A pretty fair dribbler & reasonable tackler, we wanted him for his ability to play on the outside. He's not being looked at as an U18 guy, he's meant for at least spot duty on the main roster.

Sept 9, 2011
We sign 18 y/o DC Phil Stevenson. Already a better tackler & header than several of our back line veterans, there's concerns about whether he might be injury prone but we'll see how things go & where he might contribute.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 03:33 AM

Sept 10, 2011

Blyth (4th, 4-1-2) at Solihull Moors (17th, 2-1-4 )

13:8 underdogs on the road, against the only team that has beaten FC Halifax this season. In that matchup they took advantage to two late penalties to grab a stunning 5-1 win (they’ve scored only 6 goals total in their other 6 games). Six yellows hurt Halifax … so naturally you can guess what referee we’ve been assigned today: Stuart Duncan makes another appearance in our lives  I just hope we finish the day with 11 men on the pitch but the odds seems against it.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Groves - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong – Mole

02:47 – Jones gets a yellow for a tackle at midfield.
11:50 – Purvis gets a warning but no card (yet)
17:15 – SoliM takes their first shot, a dangerous chance from the left corner of the penalty box but it goes into the side netting. We’ve taken three inconsequential shots of our own, so shots lead yellow cards 4-2
21:45 – Mole gets a decent half chance but puts it wide on the run. Our 4th shot to go with 2 cards (Phillips picked up one)
23:36 – The woodwork keeps us scoreless, SoliM almost scored with a header from a corner. They try again but Vipond clears to safety.
36:15 – Phillips is taken down from behind but they get the benefit of the doubt. Seconds later Mole picks up our 5th yellow of the day (Emms & Purvis have been cared in the past ten minutes)
43:15 – Kendrick back heel pass to Vipond, who feeds Mole just into the box … it’s off the crossbar ! and they clear the rebound to midfield safely. So close.
45:00+ - SoliM’s Bennett goes down & has to leave after colliding with Groves and, you guessed it, we get our 6th yellow of the half.
46:25 – Phillips intercepts on our side of midfield & plays up to Armstrong center, he draws two defenders & plays it back to Phillips as the clock winds down … but Phillips immediately lobs it deep ... Mole runs onto it & fires from the arc, right between the wickets … GOAL !!! (1-0) An unexpected sparkle with just seconds left in the half

Halftime – 7 to 3 edge in shots despite conceding 55% of possession. Fouls are 11 to 4 against us, with 6 yellows to their 1. We’ve survived three corners & somehow haven’t allowed them to put a shot on target so far. But how on earth are we going to manage to play with a full side for another 45 minutes? I’m already advising caution on tackles, not sure what else I can do here, it seems that any contact at all brings a card. I go in and push individual tackling settings back to Easy for every carded player.

48:00 – Emms with a low corner into the area … Mellish lurches in & slides onto the ball … his left foot connects & puts it home ! A beauty of a goal extends the lead (2-0). Remarkable play.

51:23 – A flurry of action produces two chances, Vipond finally chases the ball down in the midfield & brings it forward again, lets go a sudden long shot that hits the crossbar .. and falls right to Armstrong who buries the rebound ! (3-0)

54:00 – A corner to the far side of the box lands perfectly on the foot of Simon Johnson who puts Moors on the board (3-1)

57:45 – We survive two corners and end up with a goal kick

63:15 – Purvis challenges at midfield … uh-oh … foul & yellow, his second which means red. We’ll be a man down the rest of the way, and I’m kicking myself because I’d been debating whether to sub him out for at least ten minutes. We sub Slaughter on for Phillips, shift Groves to RWB, will play this as a 4-3-2 for now, now looking for chances to counter since I’m not sure we’ve got enough goals to hang on here.

70:00 – In the offensive zone, Kendrick plays it forward for Mole but he’s dumped by a defender at the arc … Hinton gets a long lecture … and a red card, we’re even at ten aside … Kendrick’s free kick is desperately saved by Acton, Mellish runs down the rebound outside the box and shoots it just wide to the far side.

71:15 – Sub Hooks in for Mole, we’ll move Emms slightly forward on the right & leave Armstrong alone up front.

81:30 – We shift to a defensive mindset now as the Moors supporters begin to leave the stadium early. I wish I was as sure of the outcome as they seem to be.

89:10 – Groves is dragged down by McPike, earning SoliM another yellow. We’ll use our last sub here, bring on Buchanan for Groves who is one of several players pretty much spent at this point. He’ll basically play as a Libero for the extra time (Vipond to RWB)

Fulltime – Another game thrown into chaos by the whistle happy Duncan, but I’m actually pleased by the way the club responded. We outshot them 13-6, survived 8 corners, and an 8-4 card disadvantage, although the red against them late was big.

Knight 6.6
Kendrick 6.7, Jones 6.8, Mellish (MOM) 7.8 & 1 goal, Purvis 6.2
Phillips 7.0 & 1 assist – Groves 7.3, Vipond 6.9 & 1 assist, Emms 7.1 & 1 assist
Armstrong 7.5 & 1 goal, Mole 7.4 & 1 goal
Subs: Hooks 6.7, Slaughter 6.5, Buchanan N/A

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 03:33 AM

Sept 10, 2011 (post-match)
Predictably, we’re being fined another $800 for failing to control our players.
I’m probably happier than anyone would have expected in the post-game presser but honestly, at this point I don’t know what else I can do to keep Duncan from making a mockery of matches he refs. Shockingly, I’m asked very little about all the discipline.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 03:39 AM

Sept 11, 2011
The English FA Cup Second Qualifying Round draw is today, obviously we're hoping for a walkover caliber opponent.

We get a road match on October 1st against Belper Town from Northern Premier D1S. We've been named 1:4 favorites, with them as 9:1 to pull the upset.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 03:52 AM

Sept 13, 2011

Good news from our physio Mr. Fairgreave. Leeroy Chinthengah (calf strain) is very close to a return to full fitness & could be ready for our next match on Saturday. Paul Matondo (sprained ankle) is still a couple of weeks away from a return to full training but the FA Cup Qualifying match on Oct 1st could be considered a realistic target for his return.

We also made a surprise move today that could pay big dividends. We signed 21 y/o GK Greg Hartley to a deal through next season for $140/wk. He's virtually equal or better to Knight in every way with the exception of having lower reflexes. Most importantly he's signed through next season, unlike Knight or Johnson.

Sept 15, 2011
Time for bad news from the physio ... you knew it had to be too good to last, right? Young MF Jack Harrison is suffering from a sports hernia & will be out 6-7 weeks while being treated.

Sept 17, 2011
U18 action saw our group manage a 2-2 draw at Eastwood today. Trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes, we rallied after they went a man down for a professional foul. An own goal in the 82nd minute brought us within one and Louis Linighan tied things up in the 85th minute from the edge of the area.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 04:09 AM

Sept 17, 2011

Blyth (4th, 5-1-2) at Guiseley (20th, 2-1-5)
We're 13:8 underdogs for another win on the road, the Lions are 6:4 favorites in spite of having scored only 4 goals in 7 matches thus far. You'd almost think we'd get more respect since we've allowed only 7 ourselves, the fewest in the league thus far. Go figure. It's 3 matches in 8 days for us, hosting last place Gainsborough on Tuesday before a big showdown with FC Halifax a week from today. We'll play mostly the regular lineup today, go with backups on Tuesday & of course the best available players for the 2nd place battle. Interesting to see that we'll be playing on a wet pitch for the first time this season, 62 degrees & drizzling at Nethermoor.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - Jones - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Groves - White - Emms
F: Armstrong – Mole

15:00 - All us so far, 62% possession & 5-0 shot edge. And nothing yet on target.
16:22 - Emms plays it ahead to Mole, quick shot from an angle ... GOAL (1-0)
31:25 - Emms freekick from the far left, plays it to Mellish but he puts it over & a bit wide. Shots now 8-0 with 59% possession.
39:45 - Kendrick picks up a yellow card in a scrum at midfield. Frustration foul on his part as he'd just been dispossessed. We let him know to take it easy.
40:15 - Knight punches out a save on a hard shot & Jones clears the danger
Halftime - 8-1 shots, 54% possession, passing reasonably well except by the defense. Giving up to many crosses (33%) but we're dominating in the air (87% won). The wet field seems to be slowing us just a little bit.

47:30 - White with a nice chance but no goal..
49:45 - Emms corner to Jones for a header but it goes a little high.
53:15 - Walshall has a decent chance for Guiseley but it's harmlessly wide
58:26 - D'Laryea goes down hard at the hands of Walshall, he's got to get a little treatment
58:52 - Mole looks for some room, finds nothing, gives it up to Groves, to Armstrong, back to Mole just outside the arc, he takes a couple of steps & fires ... saved by Cairns ... but it ricochets off the post and in (2-0) ... Osborn on for D'Laryea (Groves to RWB)
63:35 - O'Neill takes advantage of a lucky break, grabbed a rebound & fired immediately, giving Knight no chance to recover (2-1). Things just got more interesting unfortunately.
78:15 - Mellish picks up a foul & a yellow card
79:30 - Slaughter on for White
81:00 - Knight's reflexes allow him to punch out a rocket shot that could have tied it, carom goes to Kendrick who pokes it out to Phillips, who rather stupidly puts it out of play instead of downfield ... Sub Cave on for Kendrick here, hoping to avoid another yellow/red combo meal. We'll get defensive from here on out.
82:15 - Cave wins an aerial challenge in a dangerous spot & clears it out of trouble. Lions cry for a foul but no call.
86:20 - Osborn gets a yellow, although it was probably influence by a hard tackle seconds earlier by Slaughter that left Burns lying on the pitch
90:00+ 4 minutes of stoppage time
91:30 - Mole on a breakway after a booming goal kick by Knight, he's caught from behind by Bower & gets no shot, but a throw-in follows.
93:00 - A flurry in our end but Groves finally clears the danger.

Fulltime - Whew, again. 11-5 shot edge, 53% poss., but a narrow win. It's on the road, so I'll take it, and passionately tell the club so, to their obvious delight.

Knight 6.7
Kendrick 7.2, Mellish 6.8, Jones 7.1, D'Laryea 7.0
Phillips 6.8, Groves 6.8, White 6.8, Emms 6.9 & 1 assist
Armstrong 7.1 & 1 assist, Mole (MOM) 8.8 & 2 goals
Subs: Osborn 6.6, Cave & Slaughter N/A

Sept 17, 2011 (post-match)
I'm very happy with Mole & wasn't particularly shy about admitting it. Wasn't going to say anything about the no-call on Cave, although I'll admit to you that we've certainly seen cards for a lot less than his takedown.

Sept 18, 2011
Hard not to be happy for a few minutes, as our tipped-for-relegation club finds itself in 3rd place after 9 matches. Just two points back of Droylsden for 1st, only goal differential behind Halifax for 2nd (+13 to our +7). We've been lucky so far no doubt, I've gotten my feet wet against some of the weakest club in BSB North and the road surely gets tougher from here, but for the moment it's a pretty good feeling. Our third straight win matches Nuneaton for the longest active streak, we're 6th in attendance thus far, 6th in goals scored, 2nd in goals allowed. Emms leads the league in assists (8), Mole is second in goals scored (7), tied for first in MOM (3), and 7th in average rating (7.38). What's not to love?

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 06:29 PM

Sept 20, 2011
Jamie Mole was selected in the BSB-North Team of the Week first eleven.

Sept 20, 2011 (evening)

Blyth (3rd, 6-1-2) vs Gainsborough (21st, 2-1-6)
The second half of our bottom-feeder twinbill will be at home on the Croft Park pitch. We're a 4:5 favorite and will hope to avoid a letdown. Going to look to rest as many key players as possible in advance of the weekend showdown with 2nd place FC Halifax, but we can't let an easy three points (nor our momentum & morale) get away in the process. Since we're a bit lean on the left side of the midfield at the moment, we'll see if we can manage in the 4-3-1-2 today. We'll also get the first team debuts of both Hartley, Pearson, and Whiteley (and hope their lack of match fitness doesn't become an issue)

GK - Hartley
D: Gallen - Buchanan - D'Laryea - Pearson
MF: Slaughter - Hooks - Whiteley
AMC: McCabe
F: Taylor - Bannister

6:30 - Gallen draws a foul, launches a free kick from high & outside the box on the left on the head of McCabe deep in the right, it's just over the bar. Pretty good look off the set piece after appearing a little tentative early.

09:15 - Disaster. We close down the attempt to get into the box, Buchanan lays an easy pass back to Hartley ... and it rolls untouched into the net for an own goal. Rolling so slowly that a toddler could have caught up to it. (0-1)) Communication breakdown apparently.

16:50 - Whiteley holds up play in his own end (something we rarely do), waits, waits, and fires a long ball meant for Bannister down the right side but the defender Sandwidth is going to get there first ... Bannister tips it free into the box and is immediately dumped by Sandwidth in the tangle ... foul called on Sandwidth ... and a penalty ... and a yellow ... spot kick saved easily with just one step & a small jump to the right. We botch the ensuing throw-in and another opportunity wasted

19:50 - Free kick from beyond the arc for Gallen ... puts it harmlessly high & over
26:30 - Slaughter plays a ball into the box for Taylor, he's alone ... great save denies us again

Halftime - We've outshot them 5-2 on 58% possession, although managed little in the latter portions of the half. Neither team has completed a single cross all day (and several of ours have looked pitiful). Gallen, McCabe and Bannister all rated under 6. We're probably lucky not to be behind by more and I'm none too happy at the moment. Switch to the standard 4-4-2, sub Cave on for Gallen.

48:30 - Free kick by D'Laryea from near the touchline out high ... onto the head of Cave but it's just a bit high & wide left. Another nice look, just couldn't quite finish.

58:30 - Nice give & go with Taylor & Slaughter but Taylor puts the shot way wide. Taylor also picked up a yellow a few minutes earlier ... but it's going to be Bannister that we bring off with Chinthengah coming on to try to find some spark as we go to Attack mode. Probably ought to get McCabe out as well but I'm trying to hold one sub back for just a little longer.

73:55 - Vipond on for McCabe
83:36 - Vipond cranks off a shot from the top of the arc, nice velocity but insufficient targeting, harmlessly high. They're in full on time wasting mode now.
85:38 - Whiteley certainly hustling hard, gets shoved down by Roma and draws a foul to end a threat. We'll Overload for the finish with 4 mins of extra time coming.
90:00+ - Nothing doing to this point, our runs end with crappy passes.

Fulltime - Unbelievable. I assertively make it clear to the team that our effort was simply not good enough & that we should have won the match. I also make sure to go have a private word with Slaughter, Hooks, D'Laryea and Pearson to let them know that I appreciated their effort. Truth is, mad as I am, not everybody sucked as hard as a few guys did.

Hartley 6.6
Gallen 5.8, Buchanan 6.7, D'Laryea 6.8, Pearson 6.9
Slaughter 6.7, Hooks 6.6, Whiteley 6.6
McCabe 5.7
Taylor 6.6, Bannister 5.6
Subs: Cave 6.6, Chinthengah 6.5, Vipond 6.4

Sept 20, 2011 (post-match)
This probably won't be pretty, and I figure the press may actually be easier on me than the supporters will. Turns out the reporters were pretty lenient.
To my surprise, the supporters are only "slightly concerned" after the loss. That's a lot more big picture view than I've been able to take.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 08:42 PM

Sept 24, 2011 (afternoon)
Our U18s picked up a 2-0 win over Salisbury, Shane Bennett gets an early goal to spark the win.

Sept 23, 2011 (evening)

Blyth (4th, 6-1-3) vs FC Halifax (2nd, 6-3-2)
We're rightfully a slight underdog at home against a team that looks like a major step up in quality versus what we've seen so far. Halifax is a 4:5 favorite, we're 3:1 dogs, 2:1 for a draw. We'll go back to the 4-4-2 but start out a bit more defensive than usual, trying to avoid giving up anything too quickly. The plan would be to settle in & then move toward our usual balanced approach. With the exception of Matondo who is still recovering from his injury, we've got exactly the lineup we want for this one, everybody in good shape & ready to go physically.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - Jones - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Groves - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

11:00 - Vipond has to go off for treatment after a knock at the hands of Foster ... lovely ball by Phillips for Armstrong, takes a run down the left side & into the box but his shot is blocked for a corner ... Emms sends a hanger over, and I mean over everybody.

13:50 - Purvis with a takeaway in our half of midfield, immediately launches a long ball downfield for Armstrong to run onto ... he's hauled down from behind by McManus ... that's a penalty, Mole will take it ... (deep breath) steps up and fires ... GOAL !!! skipped it along the ground to the keepers left, the opposite of what Humphrey expected (1-0)

16:14 - A turnover in their own end falls right to Armstrong in the middle of the box, he fires but Humphrey makes an instinct save to tip it out by a fingertip ... Emms corner into traffic is headed to safety & Halifax takes over.

23:11 - Emms corners flies right to Jones ... but he heads it just over. Had a good chance there if he could have kept it down
31:03 - Mole & Armstrong attack 2 on 4 after turnover at midfield ... Phillips races down in support & gets the pass ... he's offside
36:15 - Phillips nice pass to Mole for a quick shot ... off the post
44:17 - Emms corner goes all the way across for Jones for a long header but DC Toulson clears it off the line. Had the keeper beaten completely, only denied by a sparkling effort.

Halftime - The 5-1 shot advantage is the difference so far, we've simply avoided letting them threaten very often. Jones & Mellish playing great both in the air and on the ground. So tempted here to open things up a little bit offensively, hardest halftime decision I've had so far in my career. Maybe we'll look to counter a little more often for now but I tell them I'm happy with the performance & the boys look delighted by that.

49:03 - Armstrong & Mole against go two against the world, a 50-50 race between our captain and their keeper, we win it but the shot hits Humphrey right in the shins and caroms away to be cleared for a corner ... two good chances ensue but the Halifax defense manages to deny us

63:00 - Kendrick with a throw-in to Armstrong at midfield ... plays it ahead to Mole who starts on a little run down the left center ... past his man, sidesteps right to avoid another tackler, suddenly fires ... GOAL !!! (2-0)) ... magical stuff by Mole right there for his second of the match ... Slaughter subs on for Vipond who has battled bravely since taking that early knock ... We'll go back to a Defensive posture now

73:40 - Mole moves in offensively on the right, looks for Slaughter at the arc but the pass is blocked ... caroms straight to Emms who dribbles forward & puts up a little speculation ... it powers through Humphrey's fingertips and into the back of the net !!! (3-0)

Osborn on for Phillips (Slaughter to LMF)

75:15 - Jones intercepts in the defensive end, fires a long ball down the right for Mole who has a head of steam ... driving for the net with the keeper sliding over ... find Armstrong unmarked at the spot & he buries it !!! (4-0)

76:44 - White subs on for Purvis (Groves slides back to RWB)

82:42 - Holland splits two defenders in the area, sticks one in past Knight to avoid the shutout. (4-1)

85:52 - Umm ... guys? Hatfield goes deep into the right corner for Halifax, crosses to Hogan, easy header for a goal (4-2)) ... we'll go into a shell here & try to finish this one without any further damage.

Fulltime - If not for the last 10 minutes, I'd probably have pissed myself with glee. As it is I'm still pretty darned happy. This one was about the defense, limiting them to just 3 shots to our 9. Mole was brilliant, Jones was again awesome in the air, Armstrong had a huge day as well. Could hardly have played any better at all for about 80 minutes, and that was good enough.

Knight 6.6
Kendrick 6.8, Mellish 6.8, Jones 7.0, Purvis 7.3
Phillips 7.2, Groves 6.8, Vipond 6.8, Emms 8.3 & 1 goal
Armstrong 8.3 & 1 goal & 2 assists - Mole (MOM) 9.2 & 2 goals & 1 assist
Subs: Slaughter/Osborn 6.5, White N/A

Sept 24, 2011 (post-match)
If you're happy & you know it, be nice at the presser :)

Sept 25, 2011
With the stunning victory we find ourselves in 2nd place, five points behind 1st place Droylsden, ahead of 3rd place Hinckley by goal diff (+8 to +7). Halifax slips into 5th, tied with Nuneaton ... the team that will be our next League opponent, on the road, in two weeks.

In the meantime we've got the FA Cup 2nd round Qual. match at Belper coming up next Saturday. Noticing earlier that the board expects us to get to at least the 4th round, I may go with more regulars than I would have otherwise, especially since we've got a full week off in the meantime.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 09:05 PM

Sept 27, 2011
Chris Emms, Jamie Mole and Graeme Armstrong were selectedin the BSB-North Team of the Week first eleven. Well deserved gents.

Physio Ewen Fairgreave phoned to let me know that there are no current health problems & that the squad has a clean bill of health.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 09:35 PM

Oct 1, 2011

Ass't coach Gavin Fell reports that there were no major developments in training for the senior players. On the youth front Tom Seery (tactics) and Matty Hunter (strength) impressed the coaches with their recent progress.

Droylsden striker Dale Johnson was named BSBN Player of the Month. Mole was snubbed for the top three, in spite of being tied for the league lead in scoring & 2nd in average rating.

Droylsden manager Aeon Lattie was BSBN Manager of the Month. I came in second, Kevin Wilkin of Nuneaton was third.

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 10:47 PM

Sept 23, 2011 (evening)

Blyth (4th, 6-1-3) at Belpers (Nor. Prem. D1S)
Prohibitive 1:4 favorite in this 2nd Round Qualifier for the English FA Cup. The Nailers don't appear to have a lot outside of 29 y/o striker Dave Nurse, who is probably about on par with several members of our roster offensively, so long as he doesn't go insane & we don't do some incredibly stupid stuff then we ought to be fine.

Speaking on insane, there's a distinct possiblity for that ... three guesses who today's ref is and the first two don't count. If I get through this season without killing Scott Duncan with my bare hands it may qualify as a miracle.

We'll start out 4-4-2 Standard, figure out what to do from there. We've got 7 subs available for this one, so there's some starters available if things get dicey, some deep bench guys if we're comfortably in control.

GK - Hartley
D: Cave - Buchanan - Coulson - D'Laryea
MF: Slaughter - White - Hooks - Vipond
F: Taylor - Chinthengah

2:45 - It takes less than three minutes for the first yellow card, on Chinthengah who bumped Hollis on a chase for a long ball down the right side. I've now set every single player to "Easy" tackling

14:17 - after White narrowly escapes a card for a trip (or was that a dive?), a free kick by Pritchard swings to the opposite side and Cooke knocks it home past Hartley (0-1)) Another horrid start in a match controlled by the presence of this control freak referee. We switch to Control mindset

26:15 - We finally manage our first shot of the game, a fairly mild effort by Slaughter that was caught easily

38:30 - Taylor sees the keeper rushing way out to meet him, puts up a lob that appears destined for the net ... instead it goes harmlessly over.

Halftime - Egads that was bad. Outshot 4-3 by a team that shouldn't be able to compete with our U18's. Outpossessed, out everythinged really, we can't even complete simple passes. I'm obviously unhappy & the club knows it ... doesn't seem to care much one way or the other.

Mole on for a disappointing Taylor. Yes, I'm that upset & that desperate.

53:37 - Clifford from way downtown, BANG. 25 yarder right past Hartley who looks utterly f'n clueless when a shot comes his way. (0-2)

Groves on for an miserable White. We go to Attack strategy, if we're gonna lose then it might as well be by five as by two at this point.

57:00 - Groves wins an aerial challenge at midfield, bangs it into the offensive end ... Mole runs through two men, sees the keeper coming towards him ... waits ... fires ... GOAL (1-2)). Whaddya know, a sign of life perhaps?

66:00 - Slaughter plays it to the spot for Mole ... he starts to shoot/shoots but it's tackled cleanly away from behind by Gardiner ... and heads straight into the net for an own goal (2-2)

66:57 - Mole gives it up to Chinthengah to the left of the spot, he shoots ... it's off the crossbar ... Slaughter heads the rebound back toward the net but he's offside

72:30 - Matondo on for Buchanan (Groves to RWB, D'Laryea to RCD). We switch back to Standard strategy just hoping now to escape here with a draw

90:00+ - 3 minutes of added time ... at 90:53 Mole gets into the area but it's blocked out for a corner. One last chance here perhaps? Vipond takes the corner & blasts it across the pitch & out of play. So much for that idea. One more minor rush that comes to nothing

Fulltime - Clearly we're lucky to escape here with a draw. We just got outplayed for most of a match by a team that shouldn't have stayed on the field with us. The blame lies with me for trusting reserves that clearly can't be trusted to carry any sort of load at all. If not for Mole, we would have lost this one. Shots end up 8-8, possession ends up 51-49 our way. We couldn't cross, we passed like crap, about the only bright spot other than our star striker is that the early yellow was the only one we picked up all day.

Hartley 6.8
Cave 6.6, Buchanan 5.8, Coulson 6.6, D'Laryea 6.7
Slaughter 6.9 & 1 assist, White 5.9, Hooks 7.0, Vipond 5.9
Taylor 5.9, Chinthengah 6.6
Subs: Mole 7.2 & 1 goal, Groves 6.8, Matondo 6.7

JonInMiddleGA

03-17-2012, 10:54 PM

Oct 2, 2011
I guess it could have been worse. NW Counties Premier side Congleton Town knocked off Solihull Moors, likewise Chorley advances after beating Colwyn Bay. Other winners included Barkingside and Woking.

It still ain't real good though. Now we have to deal with the replay on Wed 10/5, with a league match against surging Nuneaton on Sat 10/8, with another league match against Stalybridge on Tue 10/11 and a third round FA Cup Qual. match (if we win) which would be against fellow BSBN'er Gainsborough sometime within a few days of that most likely.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 12:05 AM

Oct 5, 2011 (evening)

Blyth (4th, 6-1-3) at Belpers (Nor. Prem. D1S)
Prohibitive 1:8 favorite in this 2nd Round Qualifier Replay for the English FA Cup ... of course we've seen about how much that means.

We'll start out 4-4-2 Standard, hope for better results than the last time. Not the full group of regulars, we'll try to hold some of them back for fitness purposes for Saturday's league match, but certainly more than we used the first time around. Notice that young master Bennett gets his first team debut today, paired with the captain Armstrong up front.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - D'Laryea - Pearson
MF: Phillips - White - McCabe - Emms
F: Bennett - Armstrong

10:54 - Kendrick's second free kick opportunity in a two minute span is saved over the crossbar & generates a corner ... Emms swings it in, D'Laryea's header is saved for another ... same play, opposite side, this time the header is just inches over the crossbar for a goal kick

16:50 - McCabe tries one with his off foot but it sails wide left. Not a bad idea though.

20:30 - Kendrick jukes & jives down the left side, lays off to Bennett ... the youngster turns to find White headed into the fray ... he wiggles & jiggles, decides to launch one from about 30 yards out ... GOAL ! (1-0) ...

31:50 - Phillips has a great chance popping through on the left side, off the post and cleared for a corner ... Cooper clears the set piece out of danger

36:50 - Emms plays an excellent ball ahead to Armstrong on the counter attack ... he's in the clear ... keeper starts to come out and the captain blasts it past him on the way (2-0)

Halftime - 8-4 shot edge, in spite of conceding 54% of possession. We're giving up too many crosses and we're really not passing all that way, but it's still a two goal lead. I remind the team to stay focused & about half of them appear pissed off about it. I'm able to sooth McCabe & settle the suddenly nervous Bennett, Mellish & Kendrick are still ticked apparently. I wish it were more so that I could pull the usual starters.

53:50 - Phillips was all by his lonesome way out on the left, Bennett finds him but the ensuing shot went wide.

55:00 - Nurse finds himself in alone on Knight & buries the shot ... but he was offside, goal is waved off

58:04 - White threads the needle on a pass to Armstrong, who outruns two defenders and puts up a lob ... over the keeper & in (3-0)

Sub Matondo on for Emms, Groves on for Phillips, and Stevenson on for Mellish

82:00 - We'll play more defensive from here on out

Fulltime - That was certainly more like it. Expensive in terms of player condition for our next league match, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do I guess. 15-7 shot edge was the big thing, we just kept putting balls in play, although we didn't really dominate any other phase of the game

Knight 6.8
Kendrick 7.2, Mellish 7.1, D'Laryea 7.6, Pearson 7.7
Phillips 6.8, White 8.3 & 1 goal & 1 assist, McCabe 6.8, Emms 7.4 & 1 assist
Bennett 7.1 & 1 assist, Armstrong (MOM) 8.8 & 2 goals
Subs: Stevenson/Matondo 6.8, Groves 6.6

Oct 5, 2011 (post-match)
Blyth have been awarded $7.2k for winning against Belper. We'll advance to play at Gainsborough on Sat Oct 15 in the 3rd Qualifying Round. I praise Armstrong in the presser, admit that I wish our next round match had been drawn for Croft Park, and try to get ready for Nuneaton.

18 replays on the night, including Bradford PA upsetting FC Halifax on penalties 3-2

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 12:43 AM

Oct 8, 2011 (afternoon)
Incidentally, we've added 30 y/o LD/LWB Narada Bernard to the roster. Meant to provide some additional depth, maybe in a pinch even sees some time at midfield. Nothing fancy, he's in on a $170 appearance fee basis, so if we don't use him then he's costing us nothing.

Oct 8, 2011 (evening)

Blyth (2nd, 7-1-3) at Nuneaton (4th, 5-5-1)

Not exactly an optimal situation thanks to the necessity of the FA Cup Q. replay, but it is what it is and we'll go from there. Nuneaton is a dangerous opponent for us, 3rd most goals scored (22), fewest goals allowed (10). That makes them the only team that's given up less than us. They're also pretty adept at avoiding a loss, as evidenced by their record. If we could manage to steal a draw here on the road, I'd be pretty close to thrilled. The Boro is rightfully a 4:7 fave, we're a 4:1 dog.

We'll manage to start something that at least resembles our best lineup, but can't quite put it together since we've got to keep some players ready for Saturday's next league match too. We'll open up in a 4-4-2 Defensive posture.

GK - Knight
D: Slaughter - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Vipond - Groves - Emms
F: Chinthengah - Mole

6:47 - Emms picks up a yellow card on a clear dive by Nisevic
9:50 - A header from out high cracks off the woodwork & Slaughter is lucky to have it land so he can clear it
15:00 - Outshot 4-0 in the first fifteen minutes
25:13 - Vipond with a free kick from the touch line miles away, looks to play one to Purvis but it's off target and actually curled onto goal, surprising GK Collett who tipped it out for a corner. An unlikely first shot of the match fo rus. The corner nearly led to disaster, played out immediately 2/3rds the length of the field to Leech, who works it to Armson for a shot that missed wide by inches.
32:00 - Slaughter goes down hard & has to come off for treatment, pretty rough treatment there by Leech
33:39 - Walker has a free kick from 30 yards out, puts up a wicked curveball that rattles in (0-1)
43:00 - An Emms free kick eventually results in a shot by Emms but it's fairly wide
44:00 - Albritton launches one from 35 yards out, a screamer that ends up in the side netting although half the grounds thought it was bound to go in

Halftime - The other coaches are ready for me to rip on the boys but frankly I'm surprised we've stayed this close. Nuneaton is the sharpest passing team we've seen, tactically different than all other opponents too. They're pushing 7 men into the attack & playing only three on the back line and we're not handling it very well. They're also the first team I've seen have the better of us in the air regularly. We'll try things at Standard strategy to start the half, also bring on Kendrick for Slaughter, that knock he took earlier still hasn't been shaken off fully. Going to flip-flop the forwards, see if Mole as target man can get something going.

49:00 - Battle at midfield results in Purvis taking Leech down pretty hard with no call forthcoming. A little payback for his bang into Slaughter earlier? Maybe ;)
50:28 - Nothing out of the ordinary here, Vipond slowly coming on looking for someone in close ... suddenly he fires one from 25 yards out and IT'S IN ! Just enough spin toward the post, just enough of a surprise that Collett couldn't quite get there (1-1)
52:28 - Thornton gets up a little head of steam & tries to duplicate our goal. Knight is lucky to tip it over ...
55:38 - ... but not lucky enough to stop a header by Albrighton off the corner (1-2)
62:15 - recent sub Mitchley fouls Jones at midfield and draws a yellow card ... Sub Armstrong on for Chinthengah (5.9)
69:47 - Armstrong gets a feed from Vipond & turns for a quick shot, right into Collett's hand though
70:47 - Phillips brings down Mitchley, draws a yellow (lucky it wasn't a red) ...
72:00 - Sub Hooks on for Emms, he's just spent & it's showing (5.9)
We'll gamble here & go into Attack strategy
84:00 - Hooks takes down Armson with a foul, the free kick is saved easily

Full time - Hard to be too upset, would have been tough on the best of days & we hung right in there until the end. Got outshot 17-6, out possessed 53-47, didn't complete a cross all day. Nuneaton looks to be simply a more talented group than we are, even moreso when we're a bit tired. The club responded pretty well to my "just unlucky" pep talk.

Knight 6.6
Slaughter 6.1, Jones 6.7, Purvis 6.8, D'Laryea 6.8 & 1 assist
Phillips 6.7, Vipond 7.3 & 1 goal , Groves 6.7, Emms 5.8
Chinthengah 6.5, Mole 6.6
Subs: Kendrick/Armstrong 6.8, Hooks 6.5

Oct 8, 2011 (Post-match)

Gainsborough has fired coach Steve Housham, 22nd place makes it hard to keep your job I guess. That's the second dismissal of the season, Boston Utd dumped their coach a week or so ago

We also reveal the signing of 18 y/o RD Sam Sawyer. Versatile youngster who can play across the back line as well as CMF if needed. Good aerial skills, decent tackler with some real potential. We'll give him a chance to get into match shape with the U18's and see what happens from there.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 01:42 AM

Oct 11, 2011 (evening)

Blyth (4th, 7-1-4) vs Stalybridge (8th, 5-4-3)

Shortest turnaround we've had for a match IIRC, just have to suck it up here and get it done somehow. Also unusual to find ourselves as underdogs playing at home, Celtic is actually a 4:5 favorite, we're 3:1 dogs, 2:1 for the draw. Kind of a makeshift lineup tonight as well, just going with the best that seem in good enough shape to play a full match if needed

GK - Knight
D: Cave - Mellish - Jones - Pearson
MF: Matondo - Slaughter - Hooks - Emms
F: Armstrong - Taylor

8:50 - Cave intercepts a pass & plays it ahead to Matondo, he cranks one off from about 30 yards out on the left, it arcs wide
12:30 - Celtic threatens on a header, it sails over harmlessly
17:30 - Same thing, same result
20:00 - Pearson picks up a knock, we'll leave him on for now but he probably won't make it to the end (74%)
24:10 - 3rd times the charm, Brogan free kick played perfectly to Marsh who heads it in (0-1)
29:10 - Brogan corner, another header just off line
33:55 - Marsh passes across to Banks who's running free, easy goal (0-2)
45:00+ - 3 possible chances for us, two balls that carom off the crossbar within seconds of each other. No dice. Corner from Emms, Hooks header goes wide
Halftime - Outshot 8-3, but with only 39% possession that's not surprising. We're doing nothing defensively either, they can pretty much do whatever they want tonight. First time I've seen us come out looking flat all season. Not much to say other than trying to get them motivated, not much success

52:39 - Brogan corner to an umarked Ellams on the near post, easy goal (0-3) Just getting our asses handed to us at this point.
Sub Groves on for Armstrong who has simply sucked tonight (Matondo to F)

58:45 - Ball hits Mellish in the side of the head while he seems to be looking the other way, finds its way into the corner of the net for an own goal (0-4)
Phillips on for Emms, just trying to conserve energy for our other outside winger

61:04 - Cave drags down Marsh, gets a yellow card for his troubles
65:36 - Slaughter plays one into the area for Taylor, defender stands off a bit too much, Taylor indecisive but finally shoots ... and scores (1-4) Pretty meaningless but we'll take it
74:00 - Fans already heading for the exits, we'll sub Purvis on for Jones ... naturally Cave takes a minor knock right afterwards

Fulltime - Thank goodness that's over. Outshot 9-6, had the ball 49% of the match though. The stats don't tell the story of how easy this was for Stalybridge. Maybe, just maybe, if we get one of those balls before the half to go in instead of hitting the woodwork ... but probably not. This wasn't worse because they took their foot off the gas. Too many players chose to have their worst game of the season on the same night.

Knight 6.1
Cave 5.6, Mellish 6.4, Jones 5.9, Pearson 5.6
Matondo 6.0, Slaughter 6.8 & 1 assist, Hooks 6.1, Emms 5.6
Armstrong 5.7, Taylor 7.2 & 1 goal
Subs: Groves 6.6, Phillips 6.5, Purvis N/A

Oct 11, 2011 (post-match)
Not much to say to the media, it was what it was. We fall back to 6th place (tied for 4th in points, but not G.D.), out of a playoff position for the first time since the opening week of the season. Nothing to do now but get ready for the Cup Qual. match on Saturday.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 01:38 PM

Oct 13, 2011

U18 MF Craig Cresswell suffered a calf strain in training & will be out 4 weeks for treatment.

Oct 14, 2011
Our fans are pessimistic about our chances in the 3rd round Q. match at Gainsborough. Their fans are optimistic and the bookies agree, making them a 4:5 favorite, making us a 3:1 underdog. I have little to say at the pre-match presser.

We make a very minor roster move, adding 16 y/o GK Tamer Dalton to the youth squad. Wanted to have a backup there at least.

Oct 15, 2011 (morning)
Blyth U18's beat Boreham Wood 4-0 at Croft Park. Matt Rickard had a hat trick, Tamer Dalton makes his debut with a clean sheet. Adam Forster added a goal just before the half to put us up 3-0 at the break. The win puts us in 2nd place (17 points) in U18 Group 10, with a match in hand on leader Dover (18 points). 3 of the top 5 average ratings in the group belong to our players: 1st Rickard (7.24), 3rd Bennett (7.10), 5th Kay (7.00)

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 02:26 PM

Oct 15, 2011 (afternoon)

Blyth (6th, 7-1-5) vs Gainsborough (22nd, 3-1-9) 3rd Rd FA Cup Qual.

Yes, we're underdogs to the last place team in the league. Apparently our recent poor showings against equal division clubs combined with the (then) mystifying loss to G'borough 1-0 on an own goal make for very little reason for optimism pretty much anywhere. Even with them missing key LD Kevin Sandwidth (6.84) they're still touted to win. Hopefully we'll put some egg on some faces today. 4-4-2, Standard strategy ... and our buddy Stuart Duncan as the referee,just what I needed

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Phillips - White - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

2:54 - Groves gets a yellow card for tripping ... and here we go
4:03 - White gets the benefit of the doubt after a foul, opponent clearly took a dive
4:53 - Kendrick ahead to Mole, has room, gets free, misses wide
12:45 - Groves has a nice chance saved by the keeper
13:30 - Phillips has a shot blocked
17:50 - Emms corner to Jones, header is saved, Mellish rebound is saved out for another corner. We certainly haven't lacked for pressure
26:00 - Half-hearted shot by Armstrong produces nothing
38:20 - Mellish loses it in our own end, the ensuing shot goes well wide
43:00 - Phillips shot is punched away, rebound goes right past Armstrong who didn't react in time but could have been staring at an empty net if only
44:34 - Armstrong gets a yellow for dumping someone at midfield
Halftime - 7-2 shot edge on 51% possession. Neither team can cross, we're not tackling as well as they are either. Just feels like we're kind of muddling along here but no changes for now

47:15 - Freekick after a carded foul on Roma, Emms drew it & takes the kick ... well placed to Mellish but his header is saved away & out for a corner ...
looks to Mellish again but nothing there ... a possible chance on the ensuing scrum but Phillps is offside

56:22 - Kendrick throws in to Purvis, back to Kendrick on the right side ... looks in deep to Mole, Barnes steps forward to intercept ... and misses it, Mole slides onto the ball for a GOAL (1-0)

59:30 - Sub Slaughter on for Phillips (basically because of the previous yellow)

62:19 - G'borough sub a man, we switch to Counter strategy
63:19 - Mettam trips Purvis, draws another yellow on G'borough
64:25 - Purvis free kicks long down the right side for Mole, he catches up just short of the goal line, stops on a dime & turns ... he see Armstrong open for a quick pass & shoot ... GOAL (2-0)

Sub McCabe in for Groves (removing another yellow carder player here)

69:00 - Armstrong decent chance goes wide left ... switch to Defensive strategy

82:30 - Vipond on for Emms

89:00 - Slaughter crosses for Armstrong, half volley is kicked away by Barnes

Fulltime - A hearty "well done lads" seems to make the team almost as happy as I am relieved. Outshooting an opponent 14-2 is one way to increase your chances of winning. Second half defense was stout, the play by the forwards was awfully big as well, the second goal seemed to take the wind out of G'borough's sails. Not a single yellow on us in the second half either (4 on them).

Knight 6.8
Kendrick (MOM) 8.2 & 1 assist, Jones 7.2, Mellish 7.2, Purvis 7.3
Phillips 6.8, White 6.8, Groves 6.8, Emms 6.8
Armstrong 7.5 & 1 goal, Mole 8.1 & 1 goal & 1 assist

Oct 15, 2011 (post-match)
Blyth have been awarded $12k for winning in the Third Qualifying Round
Easy enough presser afterwards.

Several upsets elsewhere on the night, including Isthmain Premier side Leatherhead knocking out Woking 3-1 and Bashley beating Salisbury City 5-3.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 02:27 PM

Oct 16, 2011 (morning)
Best of all, besides the win, is that we get a full week before starting a stretch of three league matches all on the road, with Corby (4th) followed by Hinckley (3rd) and then Boston Utd (16th) before returning home to play a mid-week match against Eastwood (20th)

Oct 16, 2011 (afternoon)
Add another road match to our fixtures list .. the English FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Road draw was today and we'll be headed to Park View Road to play BSBS mid-table side Welling United on Sat 10/29

Oct 19, 2011
Our match at Hinckley has been moved to Wed 11/9 due to the conflict with the Hinckley/Telford Cup match (not to mention our own 4th Q. Round match the same day)

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 02:51 PM

Oct 22, 2011 (morning)
Blyth U18's get a tough 1-0 win over Altrincham U18s. Tamer Dalton has another clean sheet outing, Matt Rickard's goal in the 12th minute held up and puts our youngsters atop the Group 10 standings. We outshot them 12-11 but Shots On Target favored us 2-0.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 06:34 PM

Oct 22, 2011 (afternoon)

Blyth (6th, 7-1-5 ,+6) at Corby (4th, 7-1-5, +11)

We're underdogs on the road, what a surprise. The Steelmen are 4:6 faves at home on the Steel Park pitch, we're 7:2. Not sure how the drizzle might affect things, or even if it will. A 4-4-2 with a Defensive strategy to open. Random note, today marks the 300th career league appearance for Armstrong, the 100th for Mole and the 50 for us for Groves.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Mellish - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Matondo - Groves - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

11:00 - They've taken a couple of long shots that went wide, we've had a couple of longish shots that went over
21:45 - Corby's Jordan Smith left Mellish in the dust and went in clear, shooting from the right of the arc but Hartley punched it away
25:02 - Smith again on a bit of a break, outrunning Kendrick to a casual ball in the right channel, he cuts loose a shot but is flagged offside. It was wide anyway
29:04 - Free kick from the right by Mayo, floats it into goal area, header by Gulliver looks easy peasy (0-1) D'Laryea lost contact with his man on that one
32:00 - Tons of pressure by Corby, Kendrick blocks a shot & then recovers to head another opportunity clear in about a fifteen second span.
34:30 - Matondo plays a long ball ahead to Armstrong, he's on it but Gulliver marks him ... the captain comes ahead cautiously, spots the keeper inching out and lobs one ... it's in !(1-1)
40:00 - Emms speculates from about 40 yards out, just goes over the crossbar
43:40 - Mayo too casual with a clearance attempt & Armstrong blocks it, takes a quick shot that's saved by MacKenzie
45:00+ - in the final seconds of extra time, a Corby corner gets them a header that goes just inches high
Halftime - Playing surprisingly well frankly. These guys are faster than we're used to, that's led to a lot of longer passes that we normally run onto becoming turnovers. Outshot 8-6 and we've had little possession (38%) but they're foul prone (10, to our 3). I'd happily leave here with one point, so we'll remain defensive for now at least.

46:21 - Corby threatened right off the whistle, Vipond has three touches in the sequence and kept them just out of synch enough until they get flagged for offside

50:45 - Emms corner gets to Vipond's head charging into the middle, the shot bangs off the crossbar, they concede a throw-in that comes to naught

57:00 - Give and go between Mole & Groves produces a quick shot from 30 yards out by Mole, MacKenzie blocks it and Armstrong is just a stride too late to snag the rebound before a defender knocks it out for a corner. Emms plays it too long & over the touchline

60:00 - They earn two more shots, Mellish blocks one, Hartley gathers up the other

63:40 - Sub Slaughter on for a tiring Vipond ... they'll also have to replace DC Cavener who took a hard tumble that required treatment while trying to mark Matondo

67:35 - Matondo down the left sideline, cuts a pass over to Armstrong in the middle, he trots closer, fires a shot that's agonizingly close but just wide & over. That's our best opportunity to make something happen, Matondo is fast enough to get a little room if we can only finish what he starts

They sub, so do we ... Phillips on for Kendrick (Matondo to LCM, Slaughter to LWB)

70:25 - Phillips gets a half chance near the spot, it's blocked and cleared away.

82:53 - Corby's corner goes right into the middle of the box ...Jones has the better of Mellish and the header is past Hartley ... damn (1-2)

Our end game woes continue ... Sub Taylor on for an exhausted Mole and we'll switch to Attack mode to try to get an equalizer

90:00+ - We'll have four minutes of added time to work with ... and do nothing with it

Fulltime - Fought hard, no lack of effort today, just not enough horses. Got outshot 16-10, gave up 60% of possession, but they were something we hadn't really seen: a team that was quicker than us in our offensive end.

Hartley 6.3
Kendrick 5.7, Mellish 6.7, Purvis 6.7, D'Laryea 6.1
Matondo 6.9 & 1 assist, Groves 6.0, Vipond 6.8, Emms 6.7
Armstrong 7.2 & 1 goal, Mole 6.7
Subs: Phillips 6.7, Slaughter 5.9, Taylor N/A

Oct 22, 2011 (post-match)
No presser but we hear in the hallway that Altrincham has fired Lee Sinnott. At least I'm not out of a job yet

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 06:38 PM

Oct 23, 2011 (morning)
On the urgent advice of Graham Fell, I hold a team meeting.
I calmly suggest that we don't drop our heads, that we've got the ability here to change our fortunes. Captain Graeme Armstrong wants to speak, he calmly says he knows that we haven't played well of late & that he's not the only one to think that. Of all people, Wayne Buchanan speaks up & tells Armstrong that it's good to know we're on the same page here. Veteran Brian McCabe reluctantly adds that "we need to buck our ideas up and we need to do it soon". after Googling to figure out what the hell he meant I calmly say that's the reaction I was after ... and the meeting ends

23 players reacted well (Buchanan best), 3 players reacted badly (Mellish worst, Kendrick & Gallen also).

Ah, the joys of not winning.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 07:09 PM

Oct 27, 2011

We've signed 25 y/o LD/LWB Stuart Giddings to an open $170/p.a. deal. Good passer, decent tackler, I'm hoping he'll turn into our second option behind Kendrick frankly. Cave is okay, Gallen is definitely not the answer there.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 11:18 PM

Oct 29, 2011 (morning)
Blyth U18's lose at home to Dover 3-0. Not much to say about that.

Oct 29, 2011 (afternoon)
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
Blyth (9th BSBN, 7-1-6) at Welling (7th BSBS, 6-5-3,)

We're 9-2 underdogs on the road, they're 1:2 faves at home, sounds about right given our recent form. The Wings should have enough to handle us on their own pitch frankly, but we'll hopefully give it a good shot. We'll also gamble a bit here, debuting 18 y/o DC Phil Stevenson with the first team. Call it a hunch ... or incredible stupidity. Defensive minded 4-4-2 to open

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Stevenson - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Matondo - White - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

2:17 - Corner into the middle, header by Harris, right through Knight's hands (0-1) Well that didn't take long did it?
9:30 - Mole makes two of his best tackles of the season & ends up on a breakaway with what looks like half of Welling chasing him down the right side. Plays it off to Emms, who takes a weak dribbler of a shot that goes harmlessly wide.
14:00 - Fazakerley fires one off from about 30 feet out, just inside the upright & he beats Knight badly (0-2) This is not going well at all.
17:15 - Kendrick with an enormous free kick from at least 45 yards away, straight to the GK Holloway ... who inexplicably drops the ball and is saved by the quick thinking of a defender who puts the ball into Row Z before Armstrong could pounce. Funny looking play I haven't seen before.
21:30 - McBean dribbles all the way into the goal box, weak shot but even that is only pushed aside by Knight who now looks completely out of sorts
33:03 - Another miserable effort by Knight, D'Laryea then drags down the shooter in desperation after the rebound, that's a penalty ... Healy from the spot, no chance for Knight at all there (0-3)) I'm not sure how much longer he can/should stay out there
41:41 - Mole tries to find some space on a little run, takes a pop to no avail
43:31 - Purvis is laid out at midfield by McBean, they run 3 on 2 but miss badly wide left.
Halftime - Sigh. Purvis out, Jones in. I expect better & tell them so, to a room full of blank stares.

49:56 - White finds Armstrong in the area, he fires at the onrushing keeper, shot blocked ... but the rebound falls straight to Mole who buries it (1-3) At least we won't get shutout

60:00 - They miss a decent chance from the right of the spot, we'll just switch to Attacking here & try to generate a miracle in the now increasing rain

65:40 - Emms corner Stevenson at the near post, he can do nothing with it & plays it straight back to Emms ... long pass to the opposite post for Jones right-foot .... GOAL !!! (2-3)

67:00 - Mellish on for Stevenson, he was just overmatched today
68:15 - Matondo out, Vipond in
79:00 - Phillips leaves with an injury, we're down a man since there's no subs left ... let's just go all out here & see if there's anything left
84:10 - Healy on a breakaway into the vacant space, taken down by Mellish, luckily just a yellow card there ... Day takes the freekick, it's blocked out for a corner ... Harris does us a favor & puts it up & over
89:00 - they put it over the touch line sloppily, we'll have 4 mins of injury time ...
89:30 - And it won't matter as Armstrong turns it over, McBean embarrasses Mellish and scores easily 1-on-1 against the onrushing Knight (2-4)
93:00 - White comes off injured now as well, we'll finish a few seconds down two men
Fulltime - I actually gave them credit for some effort as a team, spoke to several individuals independently afterwards to address either good (Mole, Jones) or bad (Stevenson, Matondo) performances. The comeback was actually pretty impressive to me, even though we were outshot 15-6 we managed to make a match of it until we found ourselves short a man. Only 39% possession, once again didn't pass well off the back line.

Knight 6.1
Kendrick 6.2, Stevenson 5.8, Purvis 6.2, D'Laryea 5.5 not sure why so low
Phillips 6.6, Matondo 6.0, White 6.0, Emms 6.8 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.6 & 1 assist, Mole 7.4 & 1 goal
Subs: Jones 7.4 & 1 goal, Vipond 6.5, Mellish 6.2

Oct 29, 2011 (post-match)
Horrible news from physio Fairgreave: Wayne Phillips suffered a broken ankle in the collision with Fazakerley, he'll be out 3-4 months

The presser afterwards isn't much fun, but truth is I'm more worried about the loss of Phillips than I let on, "hopefully they'll rally round" answer not withstanding

Our 11/2 match with Boston Utd has been moved to 11/16 ... what with them still alive in the FA Cup and all

Just before midnight we acknowledge the signing of 19 y/o MF Hassan Janneh. Has some ball skills & pace, not much in the way of mental strengths though. Just wish he was a lefty instead of a righty.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 11:34 PM

Oct 31, 2011
FA Trophy 3rd Round Draw is today ... we get a match at home on Nov 26 against Northern Premier D1S side Carlton Town

Nov 1, 2011
Training report from Fell hits my desk ... Groves & Mellish (tactics) and Chinthengah (aerobic) are notable improvements, Cave (ball control) and Osborn (strength) are disappointments. Among the youth, Rickard & Foot stand out with their progress (strength)

Histon striker Dan Holman's 7 goals make hime BSBN Player of the Month
Nuneaton's boss Kevin Wilkin is once again BSBN Manager of the Month

We also hear from the board, who are very pleased with my overall leadership, notably our overall performance in BSBN. They note that the fans are voicing concern over the recent performance of Chris Emms and suggest that's something I should think about. We lost only $29.67k last month, thanks to the FA Cup revenue.

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2012, 11:43 PM

Nov 2, 2011
We add 35 y/o veteran Dutch FB Jalmard Kulsten to the roster. I suspect we're going to need some help on the back line, with Kendrick being considered as a replacement for Phillips at midfield. Problem is whether we can get him into match shape anytime soon

JonInMiddleGA

03-19-2012, 12:51 AM

Nov 5, 2011
Blyth (10th, 7-1-6) vs Eastwood (21st, 3-4-7)

We haven't won a league match since shocking FC Halifax, so this one feels a good bit bigger than it might have otherwise. On paper I'd think we have a chance, even with the loss of Phillips who had quietly solidified our lineup on the left side. They aren't a team that scores a lot (15 goals/14 games) so maybe just maybe Mole and/or Armstrong can provide enough here. The bookies don't agree, making the Badgers a 6:4 favorite even at Croft Park.

We're going to roll the dice again today, giving Johnson the start in net. Expect to flip flop Kendrick & Slaughter at some point depending upon how thingsgo. Also taking the fans concerns with Emms into consideration here although frankly I think we'll miss him on corners particularly. Emms, Knight, Purvis, Taylor, and Giddings are available as subs. 4-4-2 Standard

GK - Johnson
D: Slaughter - Jones - Mellish - Groves
MF: Kendrick - Matondo - Hooks - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Mole

16:20 - Groves gets a ball forward to Mole, who bangs a pass off Caines for a corner. Neither team has a shot to this point. Still don't, as Vipond fires the corner over everyone & out of play.

18:14 - Armstrong on the run into the penalty area, finally feeds to Mole who puts a diving header back out to Matondo to the left of the spot, a thunderous blast sails high

28:02 - A low cross from Istead ... Maloney finds a couple of inches of spaces, wheels & fires from the spot... just past a diving Johnson to his right (0-1). That all started with Jones getting dispossessed at misfield on a slick tackle by Knox

31:30 - Vipond plays a pass down the channel to Mole ... he goes deep and then crosses into the area for Kendrick ... header into the ground, bounces up & past Sambridge (1-1). If that was intentional it was pretty slick.

37:28 - Jones with a horrible looking long pass into the zone on the right side ... Mole manages to run it down somehow ... cross to the near post for Armstrong ... GOAL !!! (2-1)

45:00+ - Eastwood springs a man past the last defender, clear for a bit but he waits on Johnson to commit, that gives Jones time to catch up & he rushes the shot over the bar as the minute of added time expires

Halftime - The difference in this one so far has been Mole, playing for the first time today as a deep lying forward rather than as an attacking forward. He's been sharp enough to set up a pair of goals, matching his assist total for the season to date. We've only outshot them 4-2 but the two on target tries have been highly productive. We've got the better of control (54%) and our crosses have been better (28% to 10%), all leading to the advantage. I tell the team I'm happy with how things are going, just keep it up. They mostly look delighted ... I'll be happier if they give me more of the same in the second half, not going to touch anything at the moment.

49:30 - Nice tackle by Slaughter, quickly plays a long ball to Armstrong in space ... only the keeper to beat ... he doesn't strike it cleanly & it bends wide to the left. That was a blown chance to break things open right there.

52:20 - Vipond corner kick from the left, they manage to clear but Armstrong runs it down about 40 yds away, gives it back to Vipond who fires ... high & over. Had the keeper beaten if he could have kept it down.

56:33 - Armstrong with an interception & open space into the area on the left side. Shoots it wide again.
57:58 - Vipond with a blast from the top right corner of the area ... inches wide
58:52 - Hooks plays a loose ball just beyond the arc ... fires high & wide left
63:04 - Slaughter goes down & is ordered off for treatment ... Sub Emms on for Slaughter (Kendrick to LWB, rest of the MF shifts one spot left)
65:52 - Mole gets a yellow card for a trip ... we'll switch to Counter for just a bit ... I think I know the plan from here, just need a little more time to pass
73:11 - Keane knocks Mole down, a little retaliation perhaps? Keane visits with the referee and gets a yellow card of his own.
Sub Giddings on for Mole (Matondo to F, Kendrick back to MF)
74:40 - Kendrick free kick to Mellish, tries to volley on the run & misses wide
88:50 - A dangerous shot from about 20 yards out cannons off the crossbar, Jones manages to head it back upfield, we were very nearly tied
89:33 - Corner upcoming after Matondo got off a shot ... we switch to Defensive and hope to bring on Taylor for Hooks (Matondo back to MF)
3 minutes of injury time coming up
90:39 - Emms corner flies over everyone & out. Taylor makes it on.
Fulltime - Assistants aren't as happy as I am, I cautiously give the club a well done. Certainly feels better than the atmosphere after recent matches, caliber of opponent be damned. 11-4 shot edge, 60% of possession, this went about as well as we could have hoped for frankly.

Johnson 6.8
Slaughter 6.9, Jones 7.1, Mellish 6.9, Groves 7.3
Kendrick 7.8 & 1 goal, Matondo 6.8, Hooks 6.8, Vipond 6.9
Armstrong 7.3 & 1 goal, Mole (MOM) 7.8 and 2 assists
Subs: Giddings 6.8, Emms 6.5, Taylor N/A

Nov 5, 2011 (post-match)
Standard presser afterwards. Not much time to enjoy this one I'm afraid, have to turn around & play Hinckley on Wednesday night. Schedule oddity coming up, back to back Wednesday matches but nothing on the Saturday in between.

JonInMiddleGA

03-19-2012, 12:56 AM

Nov 6 , 2011
Blyth U18's draw 3-3 on the road at Hyde. We've dropped back to 3rd place in Group 10 but are 3 points down with a match in hand on the leader Dover (same number of games as 2nd place Eastleigh)

Bad news for Jack Harrison, the young MF will be out 4 weeks with a twisted knee suffered during the match.

JonInMiddleGA

03-19-2012, 02:03 AM

Nov 9, 2011
Blyth (10th, 8-1-6) at Hinckley (4th, 9-2-4)

Tough game to have on the road on a short turnaround. The Knitters are a 4:6 favorite here, probably deserve to be under the circumstances. We'd be happy to steal a point. 4-4-2 Standard to open, might find myself wishing that I'd gone Defensive instead, but oh well. Giddings & Slaughter are the left side starters today, with Kendrick in reserve & likely to appear at halftime. Emms back in the lineup as well, so is Knight.

GK - Knight
D: Giddings - Jones - Purvis - Groves
MF: Slaughter - White - Vipond- Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

6:02 - Giddings to Armstrong who runs deep on the left ... pass back to Giddings wide ... he crosses into the box for Mole ... Deeney tackles & knocks it in to his own net, a gift to put us out in front (1-0)

15:56 - Jones wins an aerial battle, plays a long header to Armstrong, who then looks to Mole in the area ... he's immediately dragged down by Richards-Everton ... that's a penalty and a yellow ... Mole to the spot ... blasts it to the right side & into the back of the net (2-0)

24:00 - Hinckley gets a couple of shots that were decent tries, we'll switch to Counter and see if we can catch them off balance

39:29 - Farrell gets behind our defense down the right channel, draws men to him ... finds Hopper right down the middle for an easy goal (2-1)

44:03 - Belcher free kick, right to Gray at the far post, he beats Groves for it & scores with ease for their second goal in five minutes (2-2)

45:00+ - They narrowly miss a shot, by maybe a foot, just before time expires.

Halftime - A great start & a lousy finish to the half. We're back to Standard because Counter sure as hell didn't work out. We've now been outshot 7-4, gave away the early possession edge too (only 46% now). We didn't completed a cross in the half either, we're lucky to be on the board at all if you look at the numbers. No changes other than strategy ... yet

50:34 - Being marked tightly, Vipond cranks one on net, tipped over and ...

52:00 - Vipond has been awful (5.8), I can't take any more of that. Sub Kendrick on for Vipond (Slaughter to LCM)

57:43 - Emms with a corner ... lofts a hanger toward the near post ... Jones is there all alone for a header ... GOAL !!! (3-2). Beauty, right off the keeper's hands

65:45 - Giddings starting to look tired ... Mellish on for him (Purvis to RWB, Groves to MF, Slaughter back to LCM, Kendrick to LWB)

75:00 - Emms with a free kick from left channel ... plays it out high to Jones, another header, this one just a little bit over the crossbar.

82:08 - Hinckley with a corner, dropped in just outside the goal area, scramble ... Richards-Everton buries it after Jones appears to stumble (3-3) The replay shows that Deeney banged into Jones, Richards-Everton comes off the pick to score

Sub Matondo on for a tired Slaughter a.s.a.p. (finally get the change at 85m)

90:00+ - 3 minutes of added time results in only the barest chance for Hinckley just before the whistle

Fulltime - Coming in I'd be happy to steal a point away from this match & I'm going to stick with that, although we had three within reach. Outshot 12-9 but we actually played well enough in the 2nd half to gain 51% possession for the match. Lousy crossing probably cost us another chance or two. Let's just take our point & enjoy it, chalk it up to some bad luck at the end.

Knight 6.7
Giddings 6.9, Jones(MOM) 7.7 & 1 goal, Purvis 6.0, Groves 6.6
Slaughter 6.6, White 6.5, Vipond 5.8, Emms 7.2 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.5, Mole 6.7 & 1 goal
Subs: Mellish 6.7, Kendrick 6.0, Matondo N/A

Nov 9, 2011 (post-match)
I admitted in the presser that I thought the penalty, which Hinckley is still unhappy about, was the right call.

JonInMiddleGA

03-19-2012, 02:29 AM

Nov 12, 2011
Blyth U18's draw Hinckley 3-3 at Croft Park. Matt Rickard continues to shine with a pair of goals in the first half.

Got news from Doc Fairgreave again ... young winger Chris Ferguson suffered a torn calf muscle during the match. He'll be out 4-5 months

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 12:02 AM

Nov 12, 2011 (evening)

Just sitting in the office browsing some stats & things, noticed something interesting. We've scored 27 leagues goals this season, Emms & Groves have been on the pitch for every one of them. Put another way, we haven't managed to score a goal without them on the pitch. Certainly some of that has to do with nothing more than how much they've played but ... well, it's an interesting tidbit anyway.

We also do something we've been remiss in not doing earlier, we set up a friendly intended for our deepest reserves. That'll be Tue 11/22 at Northern D1 side Penrith. Even found someone that was willing to pay us a small appearance fee for being there, although the real benefit will be improving match fitness for some players that are too old to play u18 but haven't been able to crack our senior squad rotation at all.

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 12:19 AM

Nov 14, 2011
Carl Jones was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven.

We've added a new coach to the staff, after the board agreed to approve $275/wk. Matthew Naylor is a 33 y/o who seems good with youngsters & is quite determined. He's most skilled with fitness & defending, could eventually lend a hand with technical training as well.

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 01:46 AM

Nov 16, 2011
Blyth (9th, 8-2-6) at Boston Utd (18th, 3-6-7)

First of two games this week, another coming up on Saturday. We're on the road at York Street where Boston U managed to draw contender Nuneaton just a week ago, but they haven't won a league match in five weeks, which was the debut of new head coach Steve Fallon. They're also a little thin due to injury & this is the middle of a three games in 8 days stretch for them so I think we've got a chance in spite of being a 13-2 underdog on a cool drizzly day.

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard here to see if we can push them physically, same lineup as last time out except we'll see the first team debut of 19 y/o Sam Sawyer in the midfield & Kendrick returns to start at LWB.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Purvis - Groves
MF: Slaughter - Vipond- Sawyer - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

1:45 - Quick chance right off the bat, Emms corner leads to a Purvis header that goes just over
5:04 - They answer with a chance but the Mannix freekick sails high
11:21 - Heavy pressure with a nice sequence of passes from Sawyer to Mole to Armstrong, who gets free at close range but has his shot blocked, Slaughter keeps the rebound alive to Emms, who passes out to Groves over to Sawyer, who takes a 30 yard try at the top corner ... GOAL !!! Instant impact (1-0)

27:33 -Kendrick free kick goes up & over harmlessly. Nice just to get some pressure off of Knight after a couple of touch & go minutes.

28:20 - After Groves intercepts a goal kick, Vipond & Mole play a little give & go, Mole streaks into the box ... shoots for the far left post ... GOAL ! (2-0) Two shots on target, two goals.

Halftime - Boston hasn't lacked for pressure, 65% poss & a 7-5 shooting edge, but we've made the most of our chances. We're not passing well most of the time but we've strung together just enough to score. Meanwhile both Armstrong & Sawyer are banged up, to the extent that I'm going to have to replace the youngster who made quite an impression in a short time, Matondo on for him, let's see if his speed pays off here. Will swap Kendrick & Slaughter for at least a bit as well.

57:12 - Mole finds himself free in the area, rocket shot is saved & punted out by Bastock, nearly broke it open right there

65:25 - Sub Mellish on for Emms (Groves to CMF, Vipond to RM)
69:54 - Vipond takes the corner from the right, lays it up for Mellish ...GOAL ! (3-0) Talk about pushing the right buttons, man have I been lucky today. Vipond drifted it in, Mellish stepped around his man & was free
77:45 - Sub Taylor for Armstrong, switch to Defensive the rest of the way
Fulltime - An impressive outing, especially strong in the second half. We finish with a 12-9 shooting edge, put 5 on target while limiting them to none. 31% crossing was key, as was committing only 5 fouls to their 13.
It's a happy locker room, players & staff alike.

Knight 6.8
Kendrick 7.4, Jones 7.5, Purvis 7.5, Groves (MOM)* 8.1 & 1 assist
Slaughter 7.1, Vipond 7.1 & 2 assists, Sawyer 7.4 & 1 goal, Emms 6.9
Armstrong 6.9, Mole 7.7 & 1 goal
Subs: Mellish 7.3 & 1 goal, Matondo 6.3, Taylor N/A
* Groves had 12 interceptions and was generally all over the field today

Nov 16, 2011 (post-match)
We won't have long to celebrate but that was a nice win on the road, especially given our recent form

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 01:52 AM

Nov 19, 2011 (Morning)
Matt Rickard scored a goal & Tamer Dalton put up a clean sheet as our U18's beat Histon 1-0 to move back into first place in Group 10.

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 02:31 AM

Nov 19, 2011 (evening)
Blyth (6th, 9-2-6) vs Histon (9th, 8-3-6)

Back at Croft Park to take on The Stutes, who are actually 6:4 favorites against us. They're dangerous up front with Dan Holman among the leaders in goals (12) and two others combining for 9 (Taaffe 5 & Sparkes 4). We could really make a statement by winning here, but at least a point at home seems to be a step in the right direction.

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard again today, switching up the lineup based on fitness

GK - Knight
D: Giddings - Jones - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Kendrick - White - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

6:33 - Groves just misses on a header off a corner
8:16 - Holman just misses for them, a bit wide right from 35 yards
8:55 - Holman misses another long one, high this time. They're certainly coming at us
15:42 - Armstrong sets Mole up perfectly 20 yards out & he misses high
25:15 - Mole again 1-on-1 with the keeper, just a horrible effort that misses by 10 yards wide
29:00 - A breezy day has turned rainy

Halftime - Some might have thought it a drab half but I thought it was rather exciting except for a lack of finishing by both side. Histon outshoots us 6-3, we've got 58% possession. Both teams are crossing at will (40%-25%) and passing easily enough (78% for us), just neither able to finish. Somewhere along the way Kendrick got banged up, down to 58% fitness. We'll go ahead & sub Matondo on for him, he's not going to be effective like this.

51:15 - Sparkes pounces on a loose ball in the box & pounds it home. Just like that we're down (0-1) and they do it with just 10 men as Breeze was getting treatment at the time. We had two defenders there, they got crossed up and split the shooter.
60:00 - Matondo runs unopposed down the left side, crosses into Mole who lays it back for Armstrong ... the captain has all day & fires at least five feet wide of the net
68:46 - Purvis picks up a yellow card for tripping just across midfield. Not intentional but fairly well deserved
69:40 - Taaffe finds himself all alone in on Knight, no chance for the keeper after he shook his defender & came unmarked (0-2)

Sub Kulsten in for Giddings, who is running out of steam, also Sawyer on for White who is hobbling after an earlier collision that sent a Histon player to the showers early. All in here I guess, we'll go to Attack mode with the fresh legs & see if we can shake something loose

83:43 - Armstrong misses a header by a whisker
89:04 - Groves is denied a header goal by a great save off the corner

Fulltime - Today it was us who ran out of steam. We didn't play well, White & Emms were pretty bad in particular. Not quite flat, only got outshot 10-8, crossed beautifully (53%), we just couldn't finish to save our lives. Harumph, we could have beaten them & probably should have.

Knight 6.5
Giddings 6.8, Jones 6.3, Mellish 6.6, Purvis 6.3
Kendrick 6.8, White 5.9, Groves 6.6, Emms 5.8
Armstrong 6.8, Mole 6.6
Subs: Kulsten/Sawyer 6.7, Matondo 6.6

Nov 19, 2011 (post-match)
No presser, but we do announce the signing of a youth contract for 18 y/o defender Andy Williamson. Good tackler & a fit youngster, needs a lot of work but there's some talent to build upon

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 02:55 AM

Nov 22, 2011 (morning)
Shaun Vipond was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven

Nov 22, 2011 (afternoon)
Our first reserve friendly of the year, something we've been neglecting frankly. A 3-0 win at Penrith, goals from Cave & Mason, Chinthengah was MOM (7.5). Hartley played 60 mins in net, relieved by Johnson. We need to do more of those when time permits, definitely have to improve match fitness in order to have these players at least be available for spot duty on the first team if needed.

Nov 24, 2011 (night) Graham Fell says Neal Hooks had some concerns & wanted to speak with me. Reluctantly Hooks says he feels like he warrants first team soccer & is concerned he might have to leave to get it. I tell him I'll work him in (which I was planning to do in the Trophy match anyway), he seems satisfied by that for now. We'll see how it goes, certainly the disappointing performance of White in the last match opens the door for Hooks to return to more playing time.

Nov 25, 2011 (afternoon)
I ho-hum my way through the FA Trophy pre-match press conference, our fans aren't exactly enthused, a new all-time low attendance is anticipated.

Nov 26, 2011 (afternoon)
Our U18s beat Solihull Moors 2-0 as Jack Harrison returned from injury to score a goal, our newest addition Andy Williamson added the other as Tamer Dalton put up another clean sheet. Lloyd Foot was MOM. Not all the news was good however, CMF Hassan Janneh twisted his ankle & is expected to miss 5-6 weeks. Defender Rory McKeever is going to be out 6-8 days to recover from a dead leg after a collision during the match.

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 03:07 AM

Nov 26, 2011 (evening)
Blyth (9th BSBN) vs Carlton (Northern Premier D1) - FA Trophy 3rd Qual. Round

This is supposed to be easy enough. We're 1:6 favorites at home, they needed a replay to advance against Atherstone, winning 1-0 at home after a 1-1 draw on the road. Still, with anything less than a clean victory we risk screwing up our scheduling so we'll play mostly familiar names today & try to put this one away. Only 5 subs can be named, so our options are a little limited there too.

GK - Johnson
D: Slaughter - Jones - Stevenson - D'Laryea
MF: Kendrick - Sawyer - Hooks - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Bennett
(Available subs are Mellish, Groves, Mole, White, and Hartley)

10:27 - Sawyer with a long blast that goes high. Same ball he played for a goal in his first team debut vs Boston Utd. We switch from Standard to Control, surely we can manage that today.
34:12 - They just skimmed the top of the bar with a shot from the point
37:51 - Finally we get something going, Kendrick runs down the left side, centers back across to Vipond & he heads it home (1-0) Only our second shot of the match. Let's see if going to Attack will improve that for the rest of the half.
Halftime - Outshot 3-2, possession is 50-50. A very blase outing thus far other than the goal.
56:42 - Vipond plays a corner the post, Jones barely denied
68:15 - Sub Groves on for Hooks (tiring)
76:51 - Sub White on for Bennett ... Vipond's corner for Groves finds him in the box, denied from point blank range
80:09 - Carlton turns it over in their own end, White backpass to Groves, who picks out Vipond in the right channel, he turn sit inside & fires from 20 yards ... Goal ! (2-0)
Sub Mellish on for Kendrick, switch to Counter
86:51 - Vipond free kick outside the area to the left, plays it across to Stevenson for a header ... off the far post and in (3-0)

Fulltime - Certainly not a masterpiece but it'll have to do. Probably should have just run the regular lineup out there instead of pissing around like we did but it worked out reasonably well I suppose. Ended up 50-50 possession, outshot them 6-4. What we didn't do was dominate the way we should have.

Johnson 6.9
Slaughter 7.3, Jones 7.6 & 1 goal, Stevenson 8.0, D'Laryea 7.3
Kendrick 7.1 & 1 assist, Sawyer 6.9, Hooks 6.8, Vipond (MOM) 9.4 & 2 goals & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.9, Bennett 6.8
Subs: Groves 6.9 & 1 assist, Mellish/White N/A

Nov 26, 2011 (post-match)
Blyth have been awarded $6.4k for winning against Carlton in the English FA Trophy 3rd Qual. Round
I'm happy at the presser but I make it clear that we're now focused on the upcoming match against Droylsden

Surprise results elsewhere tonight included Northern Premier side Rushall Olympic over Altrincham and Belper Town advancing with a win over Hinckley

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 03:52 AM

Nov 28, 2011
English FA Trophy First Round draw is today, let's see what we get {drumroll please}

Blyth Spartans will host Lincoln City at Croft Park on Sat 12/10
The Imps are currently midtable in BSB Premier and should provide a fairly stiff challenge for us to overcome

JonInMiddleGA

03-20-2012, 04:02 AM

Nov 30, 2011
Brockworth has accepted an offer for a friendly tomorrow at Croft Park. Hopefully the minnow from the Lower Division will help us with our match fitness

JonInMiddleGA

03-21-2012, 10:39 PM

Dec 1, 2011
Correction, that friendly with Brockworth is Fri 11/2, not today. Imagine my surprise when I showed up in the office ;)

Nuneaton has set a new BSBN record with 18 straight games without a loss.

Despite that run, Colwyn Bay's Jon Newby gets the Manager of the Month Award, beating out the bosses of FC Halifax & Workington

FC Halifax young centre-back David Haggerty had consistent month to claim the Player of the Month award, edging Lee Gregory (FC Halifax) and Sean Doherty (Colwyn Bay)

Not much training news for us, nothing remarkable among the senior squad, Matt Rickard (tactics) among the youth.

The board is very pleased with my overall leadership, citing our fantastic overall performance in BSBN as a highlight. The fans remain disappointed by our FA Cup loss to Welling. We lost $35k and change last month.

JonInMiddleGA

03-21-2012, 10:52 PM

Dec 2, 2011
We continue to stockpile leftside defenders, this time snapping up 18 y/o Liam McGovern on a youth contract. With good teamwork, work rate and natural fitness, we hope he can develop into an effective WB for us.

After a quiet first half, our reserves handled Brockworth 2-0 in an evening friendly. Matt Rickard & Lee Mason both scored, Adam Forster & Jordan Kay had assists, Greg Hartley & Max Johnson combined for a clean sheet. In addition to our scorers, Phil Cave had a nice game (7.3) while Michael Pearson had an off night (5.9). Ultimately though, this one was really about match fitness.

Dec 3, 2011 (morning)
Our U18s claimed a 2-1 decision over Stalybridge today, with Matt Rickard potting the gamewinner in the 83rd minute. Our other tally came courtesy of an own goal. Matty Hunter did manage to defend a penalty that could have put them up just before halftime. We're unahppy to hear that Adam Forster will miss a month recovering from a twisted knee suffered during the match.

JonInMiddleGA

03-21-2012, 11:52 PM

Dec 3, 2011 (afternoon)
Blyth (9th, 9-2-7) vs Droylsden (2nd, 12-1-5)

The Bloods are heavy favorites, not only because they're at home but because we simply don't look to be at their level at this point. 3rd in goals scored, 6th in goals against, their striker tandem of Dale Johnson & Carlos Logan are the 4th & 5th rating players in the league thus far and GK Paul Phillips has five shutouts already. It's no wonder they're 1:2 faves and we're 9:2 underdogs.

We'll start out 4-4-2 Defensive today, try to slow things down a bit & hope for the best.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Slaughter - Groves - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

1:30 - Emms corner to the near post to Jones, he heads it just up & over. Wouldn't that have been huge?
2:27 - Great cross by Slaughter, Emms with a header ... it's off the crossbar. Are you kidding me?
4:01 - Armstrong dribbles past Kerr, takes a crack from 15 feet but it's wide
17:00 - Kendrick picks up a yellow for a nasty trip
18:27 - Armstrong misses over the bar by maybe a foot on a tough shot from about 16 feet out. We're coming ridiculously close to scoring
19:28 - Emms pass intended for Mole is headed away, comes straight back to Emms & he tries again ... this time Mole times his break perfectly & finds himself one on one with the keeper, jukes ... and SCORES ! A little roller right into the net (1-0)
29:18 - Mole lays a quick pass back to the arc for Vipond who runs right onto the ball and fires ... wide right by about 18 inches
39:27 - Jones plays a long ball that covers half the field, Mole catches up with it but is denied on a brilliant slide tackle. Mole is furious, wants a penalty and sprints over to argue ... WTF? He just got a yellow, apparently for the argument.
40:11 - Armstrong runs to an open ball, gets taken down in the box by defender Chris Brown, not only an obvious foul but an equally obvious penalty although there's no booking ..
40:46 - Moles takes a deep breath and fires ... right down the middle and in over the keeper's left shoulder(2-0)
44:00 - rain begins to fall
44:28 - D'Laryea with a pass to Vipond into the area on the right, he's coming hard shoots one step short of the box ... GOAL ! (3-0)

Halftime - An unbelievable half of action. I don't think anybody saw this coming, 8-2 shots edge, virtually even on possession, we're passing beautifully & honestly it could easily be 5-0. I'm pretty sure Droylsden didn't expect it, otherwise they might not have started their 18 y/o backup GK. We'll have to be careful with Mole & Emms carrying yellow cards, they've got to play smart. We flip Kendrick & Slaughter since our loaner is getting fatigued. Just noticed that instead of the defensive tactics I intended, we've played that whole half on standard. Not touching it for now, not just yet anyway

48:45 - Purvis clears with a very long ball ... the defender missed it in the air & it lands right in front of a streaking Mole who is free on the attack ... keeper starts out & Mole lobs from about 32 feet out ... it takes an eternity but it's into the back of the net to complete the hat trick (4-0) Mole even adds a little dance on the goal line to celebrate :)

54:30 - We'll switch to Counter tactics, maybe they'll work better today than usual
56:30 - Mole with a takeaway as we refuse to let The Bloods clear their own end, he's upended by Chris Brown ... that's a foul ... that's a yellow card ... that's Brown's second card for fouling Mole in the last 90 seconds ... that's a red card & we're now up a man
62:00 - Sub Matondo for Kendrick, Sub White for Mole
68:05 - Loose ball in the box, White nudges it toward the goal ... it's in (5-0) White's first senior goal
71:00 - Sub Sawyer for Emms (Vipond to RMF)
77:45 - Knight with a sparkling 1-on-1 save at the edge of the box to deny Kilheeny and keep them scoreless
81:00 - Switch to Defensive
90:30 - Knight was a step slow getting to a loose ball out in front, Kilheeney makes him pay for that by knocking it home (5-1)
Fulltime - A unimaginable demolition of the 2nd place team on their own pitch.
Our defense was as good as our offense, their striker duo only managed two off-target shots all day. In fact, Kilheeney's late efforts were the only shots they put on target. 15-8 shot advantage despite only 44% possession. We were tackled well, we were good in the air, lots to be happy about here.

Knight 7.1
Kendrick 7.3, Jones 8.0, Purvis 8.0 & 1 assist, D'Laryea 8.2 & 1 assist
Slaughter 7.9 & 1 assist, Groves 7.1, Vipond 8.1 & 1 goal, Emms 8.1 & 1 assist
Armstrong 7.9 & 1 assist, Mole (MOM) 9.5 & 3 goals
Subs: White 7.3 & 1 goal, Matondo 6.9, Sawyer 6.7

JonInMiddleGA

03-22-2012, 12:01 AM

Dec 4, 2011
We've done it again, signing 21 y/o LD Matthew Martin to a contract through next season. Good tackler, good dribbler, notable teamwork. I'm looking forward to seeing him get fit & onto the pitch in league action.

Of course nothing is ever simple. Greg Hartley wants more first team action. I tell him he'll get a chance.

JonInMiddleGA

03-22-2012, 12:11 AM

Dec 6, 2011
Shane Bennett was examined after training today & found to be suffering from a sports hernia. He'll be out 6-7 weeks.

Dec 7, 2011
Northern D1 side Spennymoore has agreed to host a friendly against our Reserves on Sun 12/11

JonInMiddleGA

03-22-2012, 01:17 AM

Dec 10, 2011 (evening)
Blyth (4th BSBN) vs Lincoln City (10th in BSBP) - FA Trophy 1st Round

This isn't going to be easy. The Imps are more talented than we are but we've responded to that situation surprisingly well at times this season. We'll go with a very similar lineup to the stunning win over Droylsden, except we'll give Hartley & Hooks playing time to try to keep them quiet. I've got a buck that says we'll regret both decisions before halftime. In case you're wondering, they're a 1:3 favorite, we're a 7:1 underdog.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF:Matondo - Groves - Hooks - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Mole
(Available subs are Sawyer, Slaughter, Mellish, White, and Knight)

9:43 - Corner kick by Vipond is headed clear easily but D'Laryea captures it ... he comes forward unexpectedly, dribbles across field to the left, looks & finds Armstrong with a lovely pass into the area, the captain edges forward & shoots with his off foot ... GOAL !!! (1-0)

18:46 - Another corner that's cleared easily but Vipond chases it down in the unexpected rain shower ... plays it to Hooks who immediately spots Mole with a pass & an easy shot into the net ... but Mole was offside so it's waved off

31:12 - Hooks to Groves on the offensive end, he puts a quick pass inside to Matondo who is block tackled neatly but the ball stays right at the winger's feet ... Matondo sidesteps left and fires ... GOAL !!! (2-0)

44:01 - Kendrick with a distant freekick, he plays it forward to Purvis who's got a clean shot here ... just wide of the far side post

44:48 - D'Laryea flies forward in his own end to head out a goal kick, the ball is placed perfectly to Mole who takes off toward the arc ... he's shoved down from behind by Josh Gowling ... the referee looks unhappy ... he's shown the Lincoln defender a red card ... suddenly we're up a man

46:26 - Kendrick's second free kick in the past minute goes to Purvis wide to the right ... he's unmarked & advances a bit before shooting ... a miserable effort that sails well away from the far post

Halftime - If you thought I was surprised at the last halftime, imagine what I'm thinking now. We've outshot 'em, kept the ball more, generally outplayed them in every way except crossing (a miserable 9% for us, a frightening 40% for them). I've got plenty to worry about, even with them down a man. Kendrick is just about spent, Matondo is starting to show signs of wear as well. This one isn't over but maybe the high morale can keep us out front for another 45 minutes. We'll go defensive at least to start the half, maybe start bleeding the clock a little bit.

57:00 - A defender misses a header & that allows Armstrong to receive a long pass from Jones & take a run down the left channel. He crosses to Mole but that's broken up ... until Mole makes a slick tackle and gets off a shot than Anyon can only parry, Robson punts it into Row Z

62:09 - D'Laryea tracks down a long pass into our end but has it tackled away immediately by Smith ... he plays it ahead to the arc to Taylor who is 1-on-1 with Hartley ... backpass to the left to Harriott, Vipond missed the interception, and Harriott immediately bangs it home. Uh-oh. (2-1)

Sub Slaughter on for Purvis, switch to a little 4-4-2 Diamond we've been working on in practice. Hooks is the DMC, Matondo the AMC, Kendrick moves up to MFL, Groves to RWB, D'Laryea to RMC, Slaughter to the back line.

66:18 - Kendrick with a throw-in to Mole right into the box, to Armstrong in the area but Anyon saves ... rebound comes loose to Matondo 8 yards away, he waits for a second & then puts the ball into the upper right corner of the net GOAL !!! (3-1) Matondo's second goal of the match

68:05 - Slaughter lays a pass ahead to Mole on the counter, he's running alone in the right channel & into the area, shoots .. Anyon makes a brilliant save & concedes the corner ... Vipond's corner is knocked out but he makes the recovery, feeds Slaughter ... he finds Armstrong unmarked ... the captain unleashes a fierce shot & scores ... but he's ruled offside

78:45 - Sub Sawyer on for Kendrick, switch back to a regular shape 4-4-2 now

Fulltime - Just when I thought I couldn't be any more amazed ... well done lads, well done indeed. 12-5 shot advantage, 58% of possession, a double dip by Matondo. Sure, they were a man down for quite a while but if you think I care about that then you're nuts. A couple of streaks ended today, Armstrong's goal was his first in 492 minutes while the goals allowed by Anyon were the first scored against him in 271 minutes.

Hartley 6.9
Kendrick 7.6, Jones 7.1, Purvis 6.8, D'Laryea 8.0 & 1 assist
Matondo (MOM) 8.8 & 2 goals, Groves 6.9 & 1 assist, Hooks 6.8, Vipond 6.7
Armstrong 7.6 & 1 goal, Mole 7.1
Subs: Slaughter 6.9, Sawyer N/A

Dec 10, 2011 (post-match)
Blyth has been given $8k for winning aginast Linconln in the English FA Trophy First Round
Fun post-match presser, hard not to let the elation show

A bit later I hear from Graham Fell that John Alexander wanted to see me. He's concerned that he doesn't feature in the first team plans, yadda yadda. Umm ... yeah, that's a pretty good guess. I offer to find him a loan, he wants to go permanently. Umm ... okay. Fine by me, a non-contract player who had not appeared in a league match or cup match all season and was barely a sub in friendlies. A 26 y/o holdover from the past, there was very little to recommend him, I hope he finds a spot elsewhere. (Now watch me discover that he was secretly the most popular guy on the team or something)

JonInMiddleGA

03-22-2012, 01:40 AM

Dec 11, 2011
Our reserves are unexpectedly and unceremoniously pounded at Spennymoor in a friendly, losing 3-0. Max Johnson gave up a hat trick to 26 y/o journeyman Danny Simpson in the first 43 minutes. We managed only four shots all day, basically didn't do much of anything right. The starters were just awful, the subs a bit better. An unusual lineup since most of our u18 members were tired from the previous day & were replaced by various and sundry players looking to get match fit, although they did themselves no favors going forward with this performance.

Dec 12, 2011
The FA Trophy 2nd Round draw was held this morning. The good news is that we get another match at home at Croft Park, Sat Jan 14. The bad news is that we'll be hosting Gateshead, a team currently sitting in second place in BSB Premier. That would be our fiercest rival incidentally.

Dec 13, 2011
Looking ahead at the schedule, things are about to get downright crazy. We'll host Vauxhall this Sat 12/17.
Then we're off for 9 days
We play at Gloucester on Mon 12/26, at Workington on Wed 12/28, home vs Colwyn Bay on Sat 12/31 then at Altrincham on Mon 1/2 and return home to play Hyde on Sat 1/7. Then it's a trip to Harrogate on Wed 1/11 and back home for the FA Trophy 2nd Round matchup on Sat 1/14.

So after this weekend & the nine days off, we'll have 7 matches in a span of 20 days. I've got very little idea how we're going to be able to juggle the roster to both field a solid competitive squad while keeping some semblance of physical condition.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 08:26 AM

Dec 17, 2011 (morning)
Our U18's get 2-0 home win over Dorchester, Andy Williamson scored in the 78th minute, we padded that thanks to an own goal. Tamer Dalton posts another clean sheet and Jordan Kay (7.9) had a nice game as well.

A tiny spot of bad news from the physios afterwards, young D Tom Seery is battling dead leg after a collision very early in the game, he'll be out 6-8 days.

Dec 17, 2011 (afternoon)
Blyth (5th, 10-2-7) vs Vauxhall (8th, 7-9-3

Or not. Today's match has been postponed due to a waterlogged field at Croft Park & is rearranged for Wed Jan 4.

So now we're facing 16 days off and 8 matches in that aforementioned 20 day span. We're not that deep, lousy timing for a rain out.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 08:37 AM

Dec 18, 2011
We've extended the contract of Wayne Phillips through next season.

We also enhance the coaching staff with the addition of 33 y/o Phil Hunt, who brings abilities in Attacking, Fitness, and Technical areas as well as being quite good with youngsters.

Weather permitting, we'll have ourselves a friendly this week, hosting East Scotland D1 side Gala Fairydean. Don't want the boys just sitting around for two weeks. We've also got two friendlies scheduled for our reserves as we try to get them somewhere approaching match fitness.

Dec 19, 2011
Our reserves lose at Whitley Bay 2-1, a pair of early goals that we had no answer for until John Alexander scored in extra time. Max Johnson is victimized twice at the outset once again, our older players looked largely awful, we were considerably better once the generally younger subs came on.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 09:29 AM

Dec 211, 2011 (evening)
Blyth (8th BSBN) vs Gala Fairydean (E.Scotland D1) - friendly

This is all about fitness & morale, hopefully we'll make it look easy enough & can get everybody some work.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Jones - D'Laryea - Groves
MF: Slaughter - Sawyer - Vipond- Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole

10:00 - Jones misses high with a header from a corner by Emms
30:00 - A 6-3 edge in shooting has produced nada
Halftime - 10-3 shots, 63% possession, 79% passing ... and nothing to show for it. We look to be going through the motions a bit. Hartley bitches about playing time & then shows up particularly uninterested, not even a little heart to heart at the break seems to faze him.
We sub on Kulsten for Slaughter (Kendrick to LMF) and Purvis for Groves, not disciplinary or anything, just starting to move guys in for fitness & a look.
We open in an Attacking mindset.

47:37 - Armstrong plays a pass ahead to Mole on the right side ... runs onto it & shoot from about 20 feet ... GOAL ! (1-0) caught the keeper starting to come out & put it by him toward the far post
Sub Hooks on for Emms

61:00 - Sub Knight for Hartley, Matondo for Kendrick, White for Mole

66:45 - Matondo flips up a shot from outside the arc ... he banks it in off the far post (2-0) hit just inside the right post & rocketed into the back left corner of the net
Sub Osborn for Sawyer, McCabe for Vipond

72:23 - Osborn plays the ball to White just in front of the spot, he turns and fires ... (3-0)
Sub Mellish for D'Laryea, Taylor for Armstrong
81:00 - Sub Timmons for Jones

Fulltime - Eh, it was what it was. 14-10 shots, 55% poss, 76% passing.
I have little to say in the post game & that pisses off Hartley, D'Laryea, Sawyer, White, McCabe, Knight, and Timmons. Shit. A quick private word settles White & Knight, I throw Hartley a bone of mild praise & he's actually downright happy with that. Group talks makes some of the last reserves happy, a few others are still pissed. Can't please everybody I guess.

Hartley 6.8
Jones 7.4, Kendrick/D'Laryea 7.0, Groves 6.8
Slaughter 6.6, Sawyer 6.8, Vipond 6.9 & 1 assist, Emms 6.6
Armstrong (MOM) 7.7 & 1 assist, Mole 7.2 & 1 goal
Subs: Matondo 7.4 & 1 goal, White 7.3 & 1 goal, Purvis 7.2, Kulsten 7.1, Osborn 6.8 & 1 assist, Hooks/Knight 6.8, McCabe/Mellish 6.7, Taylor 6.6, Timmons N/A

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 09:53 AM

Dec 21, 2011 (morning)
We have a talk with physio Ewen Fairgreave, he's concerned that some of the younger players need a bit of a break, Lewis Whitely in particular. In going over things, we decided to give Whitely two weeks off, Jack Harrison, Sam Christensen and Liam McGovern one week off each. Let's see if that helps.

Dec 21, 2011 (evening)
Our reserves lose 2-0 at Whitby. A real pattern has developed with these matches, starters play poorly & Johnson gives up a couple of early goals, subs play better but can't score & we lose. Our U18's are hungry when they get in these matches, the rest don't seem to be.

Dec 22, 2011
Tough break for one of our shining youngsters, striker Matt Rickard suffered a groin strain during training today & will be out for roughly a month. With 9 goals in 15 matches and 5 MOM's, he'd been a real bright spot.

Our attempts to have Armstrong mentor Mason produced nothing, live & learn about the importance of complimentary personalities I guess.

Dec 24, 2011
Pre-match press conference for the Gloucester game on the 26th. I basically give them nothing, it's Christmas Eve for cryin' out loud.

Dec 25, 2011
Apparently there was some sort of miscommunication & those youngsters I approved extended leave for didn't get the word. We give Whitely 2 weeks off, Seery & McGovern one week off each.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 11:45 AM

Dec 26, 2011 (morning)
Lots of decisions to make with so many games looming on the schedule. Starting to day at Gloucester, we have 7 leagues matches in the next 17 days and that stretch culminates with our FA Trophy 2nd round match against bitter rival Gatehead on 1/14, so it's really 8 matches in 20 days.

In order, we'll face BSBN teams/at ... #20A, #11A, #15H, #16A, #10H, #13H and #17A. Then Gateshead.

That last one is big for us I think, so we want our absolute best ready to go there. But how do we manage that without killing ourselves in league play, we simply aren't that deep at some positions.

GK - Knight > Hartley ... Hartley is starting to seem like a whiny bitch but given Johnson's struggles in reserve play, he's clearly the #2 now. Hopefully we can get away with simply alternating them here, although 2-3 in a row isn't a big deal afaic if someone really starts to slump.

D - The RWB/RFB is pretty set. D'Laryea & Purvis are a good pair & of late D'Laryea has been a tiny bit better. We can rotate them for fitness quite comfortably. Groves is obviously an option but we probably need him more at MF.

The DC's aren't badly set either. Jones is a clear cut starter & I'm not hesitant about figuring Mellish as the second starter there. Buchanan ought to be better than he is but we may have to try him again after he was pretty much relegated to the reserves following an awful outing against Belper in the FA Cup opener. Sawyer seems to be better at MF but he's likely an option here as well.

The left side is where it feels so tricky. Kendrick is THE guy, but we're going to have to use him at MF at least some. Slaughter is the second option but he's also got to play some MF. Giddings & Kulsten might be answer(s) but both are severely lacking in match fitness, not sure how that would work out.

MF - Again, the left side is the tricky part. Kendrick/Slaughter both are fine here & Matondo is in the mix. Phillips is still 10 days away from returning to even light training and we certainly miss him. There's no help here in unused reserves or even U18's either. Before it's all over we may end up with one of the veteran LWB's trying their hand at LMF.

On the right side we ought to be okay. Emms set piece ability keeps him in the mix, Vipond is the other primary option. There's McCabe & Osborn but both are old & have no stamina, so you pretty much have to figure a sub there even if you start one of them. Groves could play here in a pinch but he's needed elsewhere.

In the CMF, Hooks/Sawyer are defensive options, Groves as well really (if he isn't forced to the back line). Matondo an offensive option, Vipond is more than capable here of course. Problem is those last two are needed elsewhere. White can slot in here as well, but he's likely to be seeing a fair bit of action at forward. It's going to be a hodgepodge most likely, whoever is freshest & available probably gets a call.

F - Duh. Mole & Armstrong are the guys here. Problem is that we haven't found a consistent third striker, much less a fourth. White is making a push to be the 3rd guy (and I like him as a sub since he can play MF) but Taylor has fallen off of late & Chinthengah hasn't show much in his chances either. Bannister may see some action as a sub, despite having played very poorly in three previous starts (5.9). How to keep the two stars fresh while needing to play them pretty much every match is a big concern.

Oh, did I mention that Mole & Emms are both one yellow away from an automatic suspension? You just know that's gonna happen at some point in all this.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 12:41 PM

Dec 26, 2011
Blyth (8th, 10-2-7) at Gloucester (20th, 3-7-10)

The Tigers have gotten off to a rough start & have only one win in their last 19 matches, that coming at the expense of last place Guiseley. They run an odd 4-2-4 so we could face pressure up front very quickly, we'll look to hit them on the counter most likely.

We'll start out 4-4-2 Counter today, try to slow things down a bit & preserve fitness as well as possible. We go with what might be considered "Lineup B"here, with some very key members of the "A" unit sitting in reserve if needed. Let's hope we don't need them very much. We're a 6:4 favorite today.

GK - Hartley
D: Giddings - Buchanan - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Slaughter - Sawyer - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Taylor
(Available subs: Mole, Kendrick, White, Jones, Knight)

7:07 - Emms plays a pass up to Taylor who starts down the right channel, starts to cut inside & thinks better of it ... dribbles in deeper then puts a pass into the area for Armstrong ... shoots ... scores (1-0) good timing by the captain, he didn't wait too long, shot halfway between the spot & the box

22:58 - We'll switch to Defensive, try to conserve a little energy maybe & kill time when we can

27:42 - Hartley makes a sliding save at the edge of the box to deny Glouchester. The threat started when Lock purely bulldozed Groves from behind at midfield but no foul was called

37:00 - Armstrong is going to need some treatment on the side after being knocked down hard by Lock.

Halftime - Not the prettiest half in the world that's for sure. Outshot 3-2, only 41% of poss and our passing has been atrocious (53%) ... but we've got the lead. Giddings & Armstrong fitness is a bit concerning, we'll get what we can out of them before going to the bench though. I give them a little encouragement, reassuring them (perhaps) that winning ugly is still winning. We'll look to Counter early in the half, maybe get another goal here

56:43 - We've got a corner coming up after Slaughter's cross was headed up & over by defender Coupe. Somewhere along the way Taylor has taken a knock & is really struggling (51% fit). We've got to get him off I think, White on for Taylor a.s.a.p.

57:04 - Emms corner is headed clear by Grainger ... Purvis flicks the ball toward Groves but it's taken away ... but only briefly as a nice tackle and a spin move just a moment later lets Groves fires off a quick boomer from 25 yards out... it's curving to the left ... and IN (2-0) His first goal of the season might be a big one ... Taylor comes off for White

68:15 - Hartley punches out a dangerous shot from close range, Mellish clears it deep & we draw a foul just across midfield

Sub Jones on for a spent Geddings, he gave us what he had. We'll try Sawyer out of position at LM, Buchanan out of position at LCM, drop Slaughter back to LWB

75:50 - Mustoe for Gloucester, plays a free kick into the box ... Coupe's header is in, and this one is going down to the wire apparently (2-1) Poor ball mgmt at midfield gave them possession & that opportunity

Kendrick on for Buchanan, Slaughter back to LMF, Sawyer back to LCM

85:45 - Slaughter already hurting, takes another knock & gets called for a foul as well. Physio on for a long time to try to keep him running for a few more minutes. Afterwards, it's a yellow card for him.

91:32 - With 4 mins of extra time, going into a full defensive Contain now. We've conceded a corner which gets Couple another try but Groves clears it after Hartley punched out a save. Still in danger, an offside call lets us breath for a moment. A long goal kick & we stall out the rest

Fulltime - I'm happier than most of the assistants, we got three points even while clearly seeing how tough it's going to be. This was not a good side we faced but we certainly didn't dominate in spite of the two goal win. Shots ended up even at 6 each, we gave up a bit of possession (46-54) and our passing was pretty rough (64%) But it's a win.

Hartley 6.6
Giddings 6.9, Buchanan 7.0, Mellish 7.0, Purvis 7.1 & 1 assist
Slaughter 6.8, Sawyer 6.8, Groves 7.5 & 1 goal, Emms 6.9
Armstrong 7.2 & 1 goal, Taylor 6.9 & 1 assist
Subs: Jones 6.4, White 6.3, Kendrick N/A
(Gloucester's Matt Coupe is MOM, 8.2 & 1 goal)

Dec 26, 2011 (post match)
I'm happy at the presser, I praise Coupe's performance as well as Armstrong's early goal which sparked us to a Boxing Day victory.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 12:54 PM

Dec 27, 2011
Less than 48 hours to get ready for the next match, but we'll take a moment and congratulate Danny Groves for his selection to this week's BSBN Team of the Week first eleven.

We also make a move that should please a number of players who've been griping lately. We hire Matt Burton as our new fitness coach, a 30 year old who is decent at Fitness and great with Youngsters (18).

Dec 28, 2011
Blyth (5th, 11-2-7) at Workington (12th, 9-2-9)
Match postponed due to waterlogged field at Borough Park. Rearranged for Wed Jan 18.

Umm ... I guess this is good, but now my plan to rotate the lineups is kinda screwed up a bit. We'll figure it out before Saturday

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 01:10 PM

Dec 31, 2011 (morning)
Our U18's lose to Colwyn Bay 1-0 on a goal in the 71st minute. Not a bad game, the squad is just missing guys like Bennett who is still out with an injury.

In the past 48 hours we've begun contract negotiations with several player on the current roster, we have very few under contract for next year so it seemed reasonable to try to tie a few more of them up now.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 02:35 PM

Dec 31, 2011
Blyth (7th, 11-2-7) VS Colwyn Bay (15th, 7-8-7)

The Seagulls beat us 1-0 at their place in the second game of the season, we'll try to return that favor with interest here at Croft Park. It might be a little easier than it would have been otherwise since their second leading scorer (4g/7a) Sean Doherty and 3rd leading scorer Lee McEvilly are both out with injuries.

We'll start out 4-4-2 Standard, look for an early jump perhaps. We're a tiny 5:4 favorite today with a draw being 11:5 and CB just 7:4 dogs.

GK - Knight
D: Kulsten - Jones - D'Laryea - Pearson
MF: Kendrick - Matondo - Hooks - Vipond
F: Mole - Chinthengah
(Available subs: Purvis, Groves, Armstrong, Sawyer, Hartley)

0:52 - it takes less than a minute for problems, Kendrick gets a yellow for a lazy trip
2:30 - it takes less than two more minutes for our mood to improve. Hooks finds Chinthengah at the arc, he passes short to Vipond beside him ... the ball is immediately tackled away and rolls into the area ... Chinthengah makes a beeline for it & shoots from about the penalty spot .... GOAL ! (1-0)
Lucky break there gets us off to a flyer

29:00 - Rain starts falling fairly heavily. Jones has picked up a yellow card to join Kendrick in a bit of jeopardy

30:12 - Vipond crosses for Mole, they win the aerial battle & knock it outside the area ... straight to Matondo who dribbles in and fires ... GOAL !!! (2-0) Another perfect bounce leads to a goal

Halftime - Hard not to be happy with that half. We outshot them 5-0, had 57% poss., passed great (80%). Kulsten is getting tired, Hooks too, but overall we're in reasonable shape aside from the 2 guys with yellows hanging over their head. We remind the team how quickly things can turn, to keep their focus & it seems to have had a good effect on them.

52:05 - Jones heads a pass out of our midfield & a long distance the other direction ... Mole catches up with it & has open field in front of him ... the keeper has no choice but to come out ... Mole has no choice but to put a little air under ball & plant it in the back of the net (3-0)
We'll back off a bit & switch to Counter

67:05 - Noon splits two defenders & is point blank on goal ... Knight knocks it away ... Newby pounces on the rebound but Vipond clear his pass away ... meanwhile a few minutes earlier Mole picked up a yellow, so we'll leave him on instead of subbing, since he's going to have a one match suspension to deal with ... Kulsten is well & truly spent at this point, so Sub Sawyer on for him (Kendrick to LWB, Matondo to LMF) ... switch to Defensive

75:00 - Groves on for a spent Kendrick, no choice but to play him out of position

87:03 - Purvis on for an exhausted Hooks (Groves to CMF, Purvis now at LWB)

Fulltime - Nicely done gents. Hard to top that first half, shots end up 7-4, Poss. 55% our way, we didn't allow a cross all day. It's a challenge to manage a tired lineup but the players themselves did great.

Knight 6.9
Kulsten 7.3, Jones (MOM) 8.1 & 1 assist, D'Laryea 7.5, Pearson 7.6
Kendrick 6.9, Matondo 7.9 & 1 goal , Hooks 6.9, Vipond 6.9
Mole 7.7 & 1 goal, Chinthengah 7.7 & 1 goal

Dec 31, 2011 (post-match)
As we knew, Mole will miss a match after getting his 5th yellow of the season
Nothing remarkable in the presser really.

We've extended the contracts of Richard Slaughter & Shaun Vipond through next season

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 02:45 PM

Jan 1, 2012

No shortage of news & info as we ring in the new year.

Ass't coach Graham Fell says that Phil Cave & Glen Taylor have failed to impressing training lately but GK Kyle Barlow has made strides with Handling.
Among the younger players, Matty Hunter & Andy Williamson (both Strength) have stood out while Hassan Janneh has shown little sign of progress

Lots of annual awards have been announced, including
World Golden Ball - Daniel Alves of F.C. Barcelona
World Player o.t. Year - Mario Gotze of Borussia Dortmund
African Footballer o.t. Year - Samuel Eto'o of Anji Makhachkala
Asian Player of the Year - Shini Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund
Asian Young Player o.t. Year - Rhys Williams of Middlesbrough
Oceana Player of the Year - Michael Boxall of the Vancouver Whitecaps
Irish Player of the Year - Jonathan Walters of Stoke City
U21 Player of the Year - James McCarthy of Wigan Athletic
Irish Young Player of the Year - McCarthy
Welsh Footballer of the Year - Gareth Bale of Tottenham
Welsh Young Player of the Year - Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal

BSN Player of the Month for December is Winger Daniel Sparkes of Histon, with 3 goals in 5 games. Bishop's Stortford's Lewis Thomas & Leon Osborne were 2nd and 3rd

BSN Manager of the Month for December is Rod Stringer of Bishop's Stortford, with Kevin Wilkin of Nuneaton 2nd and David Livermore of Histon 3rd.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 03:09 PM

Jan 1, 2012 (continued)

We've extended a contract with Graeme Armstrong through next season, and signed Sam Sawyer to his first professional contract which will keep the youth player here through next season as well.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 05:37 PM

Jan 2, 2012
Blyth (5th, 12-2-7) at Altrincham (16th, 8-2-12)

A 4-1 win over The Robins very early in the season at Croft Park helped get us off to a good start. Now the question is whether we can win on the road with players who are really in the grinder lately. They're a little beat up two with several starters, although not stars, missing with injuries.

We'll start out 4-4-2 Defensive,conserve some energy & maybe let them punch themselves out a bit. They're officially a Pick'Em favorite, us & Draw are both 11:5. Today mark the first team debut for youth D Tom Seery, an 18 y/o that we think has a good chance of handling the pressure in this spot start.

GK - Hartley
D: Giddings - Seery - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Slaughter - Sawyer - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Bannister
(Available subs: Jones, Osborn, White, D'Laryea, Knight)

1:25 - Bannister puts one low to the right but the keeper makes the save
3:50 - 4 fouls in the first 5 mins by Altrincham, including two yellow cards
09:17 - Giddings hobbles off for treatment
18:12 - Mellish sends a header wide off a corner by Emms
21:54 - Armstrong gets a yellow card for tripping, in spite of the fact the attacker didn't go down & was pulling Armstrong by his jersey on the play
23:51 - Giddings shoots wide on a long free kick

Halftime - A fairly quiet first half, shots (6-3) and poss (54%) favor us, neither team is passing well in the rain today, nor crossing well. We're tackling better & winning most of the aerials & that's kept them at bay. Giddings toughed out his injury for a half but he really needs to come out.
Sub White on (Purvis to LWB)

58:22 - Reeves strips Slaughter near the centerline & takes off on the run, has space, one on one, he beats Hartley ... and clangs it off the near post ... Groves kicks it out for a throw

59:31 - throw-in goes right to Groves in the box, he heads it perfectly out to Armstrong ... and the captain gets himself stripped clean by Densmore, the ball goes straight to Reeves, who immediately shoots & buries it. Damn. Just damn. Switch from Defensive to Standard ... wait a minute ... the goal has been disallowed, Reeves has been flagged for offside, Altrincham is ticked ... Lozano-Calderon gets a stern talking to by the ref who has had just about enough lip I believe.

We're gonna change things up a bit here, shift to our 4-4-2 Diamond, with White playing more toward the CMR than the MR.

70:00 - Sub D'Laryea for Armstrong (White & Bannister up front, back to a regular 4-4-2, Groves moves to CMF

77:36 - Slaughter with a throw in from the right corner ... to Bannister who turns and looks ... shoots a pass across to Purvis at the spot, he can't handle it ... recovers quickly & scoots left to pick up the ball & shoot .. GOAL !!! (1-0) past the diving keeper who didn't anticipate a shot coming after the bobble ... As you might suspect, we'll switch to Defensive strat here.

79:00 - Osborne on for Slaughter

81:00 - A long ball for Calderon deep into the left channel ... it looks like a foot race that we can't win, Hartley comes off his line & decides to stop, the ball will be going out ... except Calderon somehow catches up & and fires one toward an empty net ... Groves out of nowhere to head it to safety ... Rocket shot follows, Hartley can only tip it over for a corner, which is booted halfway downfield by Seery

87:08 - Tolson is free in the area, Hartley catches easily
90:00 + 3 mins of added time to survive, we switch to Contain mode
92:31 - Emms just missed from the right side, cold have clinched it

Fulltime - I'll take it. Outshot 12-8, our defense saved us time & again today.
Props to young Mr. Seery, his debut was solid indeed

Hartley 6.5
Giddings 6.8, Seery 7.3, Mellish 7.2, Purvis (MOM) 8.3 & 1 goal
Slaughter 6.8, Sawyer 6.8, Groves 6.9, Emms 6.9
Armstrong 6.5, Bannister 6.8 & 1 assist
Subs: D'Laryea 6.9, White 6.1, Osborn N/A

Jan 2, 2012 (post-match)
Narada Bernard (remember him?) wants to see me. He's not happy with his status being changed from Key Player to Rotation (how the hell I ended up with him as a Key in the first place is beyond me). I suggest that he's a professional & needs to keep doing his job. He aggressively asks if I'm trying to make things worse. I apologize since I meant no offense (I really didn't, I thought that was pretty neutral) and he seems satisfied by that, if not particularly giddy with excitement.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 05:45 PM

Jan 3, 2012 (morning)
Five Blyth players were named to this week's BSBN Team of the Week first eleven: Knight, Pearson, Purvis, Jones, and Matondo. Nice.

Jan 3, 2012 (afternoon)
Oh goodie, Bernard wants to see me again. Wants out. I calmly point out that he's being unprofessional & disrespectful to both me and the club. He feels he has no other choice. I'm am oh so tempted to give it to him good but frankly, he's here on a per appearance deal & his ratings ultimately didn't indicate any reason to put him on the pitch ... so I let him go. Jackass takes his gripe to the media after I grant him his release. "Balanced" personality my aunt fanny

Physios tell me that Jack Harrison has a virus that we don't want circulating around the club, so he's sent home for 3 weeks to recover.

JonInMiddleGA

03-23-2012, 05:52 PM

Jan 4, 2012 (morning)
We announce an agreement that extends the contract of GK David Knight through next season.

JonInMiddleGA

03-25-2012, 03:10 AM

Jan 4, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (5th, 13-2-7) vs Vauxhall (10th, 8-9-5)

This will be our first meeting with The Motormen, a team that has a dangerous striker in Leighton McGivern (10 goals) and a solid defender in Ryan Casey (7.15) but not necessarily many other true standouts. They're midtable, the sort of team that we need to beat at home if we're genuinely contenders for promotion.

This two day turnaround is rough, we're really showing signs of wear & it was tough to put together a lineup that didn't have players that were already fatigued. We'll open up 4-4-2 Standard & hope to grab an early lead, maybe be able to coast a bit at times to conserve energy. We're 4:6 favorites at Croft Park today, with breezy conditions, light snow & 32 degree weather. MF Hassan Janneh makes his first team debut, D Matthew Martin is available & could debut as well.

GK - Knight
D: Cave - Buchanan - Jones - D'Laryea
MF: Kendrick - White - Janneh - Vipond
F: Taylor - Mole
(Available subs: M.Martin, Osborn, Armstrong, Groves, Hartley)

07:49 - D'Laryea makes an ill-advised slide tackle on Casey as he entered the area along the end line, that's a foul and that's a penalty ... McGiven will take it for Vauxhall ... high & wide left, we dodged a bullet there

10:43 - Egerton corner kick ... plays it to Casey in the box ... header eludes Knight (0-1)

23:11 - Casey turns outside the area & plays it to McGivern coming down through the arc ... he's got space ... he's got a goal (0-2) Defenders were playing far too softly there, gave him too much room & now we're in a deep hole. We'll switch to Control & see if we can't get some possession to slow The Motormen's roll.

28:00 - Jones has picked up an injury, need to take him off here, sub Jones in for him

30:40 - D'Laryea takes a long shot that almost handcuffed their keeper, the ball bounces loose in the crease but it's finally cleared out. Almost a miracle goal there

44:55 - Moles, who picked up a knock earlier, gets an open shot & misses it wide by at least 15 feet.

Halftime - Dismal. And the team knows it, but inexplicably they look lost. Mole is "playing without confidence", Vipond & Buchanan have been poor, Janneh is nervous but at least that's understandable. We've actually outshot them 8-3 & took control of the ball well enough (54%), but our defense of crosses has been awful (50%) and we're getting beaten in the air.
Let's roll the dice a little bit, open the 2nd half in Attacking mode. Fatigue is going to be a problem in the front 2/3rds, better try to get a goal while we can.

64:45 - Kendrick corner, D'Laryea header ... over the bar
Sub Osborn for Janneh, he's just not in shape for a full match yet

70:00 - Sub Martin for Kendrick, might as well save a little energy, this one appears to be over.

Fulltime - Just a lifeless performance, not sure if the injury to Jones took it out of us or what. We managed only 2 shots in the second half, gave up the ball a lot, could pass to save our lives, didn't compete in the air. I make it clear that this should have been a win. Mole has taken a bizarre turn into the toilet mentally & nothing I say seems to get through. Maybe we just don't like snow.

Knight 6.6
Cave 6.7, Buchanan 5.6, Jones 6.1, D'Laryea 6.8
Kendrick 6.1, White 6.5, Janneh 6.7, Vipond 5.9
Taylor 6.1, Mole 6.5
Subs: Groves/Martin 6.5, Osborn 6.5

Jan 4, 2012 (post-match)
The injury to Jones doesn't appear to be anything serious, which is a relief.

JonInMiddleGA

03-25-2012, 03:22 AM

Jan 7, 2012 (morning)
Our U18's get a 2-1 win over Gainsborough, with first half goals from Rory McKeever & Louis Laws (penalty in extra time). Tamer Dalton picks up the win in goal, Janneh played well (7.4) on short rest, and Tom Seery looked good (7.0) as well.

Jan 7, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (5th, 13-2-8) vs Hyde (14th, 8-6-10)

A chance to shake off the horrors of the Vauxhall disaster will have to wait ... today's match has been postponed due to a waterlogged field. It has been rescheduled for Jan 25.

JonInMiddleGA

03-25-2012, 03:43 AM

Jan 10, 2012 (morning)
A bit of news from the higher elevations, as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly on the verge of being fired according to The Daily Mirror. The club currently sits 8th in the EPL, 18 points behind Man U and only 6 points ahead of relegation.

Jan 10, 2012 (afternoon)
After the rain out, we've had an opportunity to get enough rest as to have a fairly fit squad worth of options. There's a league match against Harrogate tomorrow and then the FA Trophy match against fierce rival Gateshead. The latter has to be a priority for us I believe, it could be a huge shot in the arm to win that one because of the opposition.

We also know what lineup we want for that match, hopefully we can steal points against Harrogate (who we beat earlier in the season 2-1 with a pair of goals from Glen Taylor) with a lineup that doesn't involve any of those players.

Tentatively we're planning to use Knight - Kulsten - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea - Kendrick - Matondo - Hooks - Emms - Armstrong - Mole against Gateshead

JonInMiddleGA

03-25-2012, 03:46 AM

Jan 11, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (6th, 13-2-8) at Harrogate (16th, 8-5-11)

32 degrees & sleet in the forecast. Our old pal Stuart Duncan as the referee. A match against Gateshead coming up next. Yeah, we're going to keep our key players as far from this mess as possible I think. It's one match out of dozens, but Saturday's FA Trophy tilt is more than that. We'll play 4-4-2 Defensive, hope to shorten this as much as we can.

GK - Hartley
D: Giddings - Seery - Stevenson - Pearson
MF: Osborn - Sawyer - Vipond - McCabe
F: Taylor - Bannister
(Available subs: Buchanan - Whitely - Chinthengah - Christensen - Forster) first time we've not dressed a backup GK

24:45 - A slide tackle at midfield by Nowakowski levels Vipond, no call, and our MF stays down ... the work the ball around efficiently, find Brayson just outside the box on the left ... he shoots & scores, right past Hartley to the narrow space to his right. (0-1) How Duncan could swallow his whistle on that tackle I can't understand. He's up slowly now, wants to stay on so we'll try to squeeze a little more time out of him if we can.

27:30 - Nowakowski gets a yellow for upending McCabe

Halftime - We've been outshot 4-1, have only 32% possession, haven't completed a cross, only completing 59% of our passes, trailing 0-1 ... and I tell the club that we've just been unlucky. Mind game seems to have worked, every player seemed to show renewed motivation.

47:00 - Harrogate appears to be in full on time-wasting mode early, we'll switch to Standard strategy
50:19 - Briggs missed on open net wide left, lucky for us.
58:40 - Osborn comes into the area, marked tightly by two men ... somehow he maintains possession and works his way toward the middle ... shoots ... GOAL !!! (1-1) The veteran has drawn us level with his first goal of the season.
Sub Chinthengah on for Bannister (ineffective) and Sam Christensen makes his first team debut on for Seery (ineffective)
65:00 - Pearson saves our bacon, clearing a ball off the line as Harrogate put us under intense pressure with a pair of shots at close range
66:06 - Chinthengah makes a long run, gets past his man & fires off a shot ... off the post and Liburd puts it out to safety
72:28 - Nowakowski plays the ball to Brayson about 5 yards outside the area ... he turns & fires ... and beats Hartley to the near post (1-2)
Sub Whitely for McCabe (tiring), switch to Attacking
76:27 - Vipond takes it deep into the right channel ... crosses into the area .. Osborn is there and ... GOAL !!! (2-2) A quick shot that simply beat the keeper, a huge clutch play right there ... We switch to Counter strategy
81:00 - Allen finds himself alone in the area, Hartley has to tip it over ... Osborn clears the corner & is playing his heart out ...
83:00 - Giddings picks up a yellow card
87:00 - Pearson gets a foul but avoids the yellow
Fulltime - It's only a draw but there were some positives for sure, the players are delighted by my reaction. What else could I say, we flat out stole a point here. Outshot 12-5, only 38% of possession, but the 39 y/o Osborn would not let us come away empty handed. What a performance, totally unexpected, even moreso since he was playing on the unfamiliar left side today.

Hartley 6.6
Giddings 5.9, Seery 5.8, Stevenson 6.7, Pearson 7.0
Osborn 8.8 & 2 goals, Sawyer 6.5, Vipond 6.9 & 1 assist, McCabe 6.0
Taylor 6.7 & 1 assist, Bannister 5.8
Subs: Whitely 6.9, Chinthengah 6.6, Christensen 6.3

JonInMiddleGA

03-25-2012, 04:59 AM

Jan 13, 2012
Gateshead coach Ian Bogie tells reporters he's not my biggest fan. I respond by acknowledging that we don't see eye to eye on much. A little rivalry fun I suppose.

The media really pounded the rivalry angle, probably the most questions I've faced in a pre-match press conference.

Jan 14, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s manage a 2-2 draw against Basingstoke, all the scoring coming in the first half. Sam Christensen put us in front at 5', they tie it at 27', Andy Williamson puts us back in front at 31', they tie it in extra time against backup keeper Matty Hunter And that's how it ended. Hassan Janneh was MOM with an 8.3 rating behind two assists.

Injury news from the match as well however, as Ewen Fairgreave tells us that Christensen will miss a couple of weeks with a bruised rib while Matt Rickard is going to be out for a couple of months with a badly sprained ankle.

One other youth note, we sign 19 y/o GK Anthony White, he's going to be some stiffer competition for Tamer Dalton I believe.

JonInMiddleGA

03-26-2012, 03:48 AM

Jan 14, 2012 (evening)
Blyth (6th BSBN) vs Gateshead (3rd in BSBP) - FA Trophy 2nd Round

We've spent weeks getting ready for this match, let's hope it works. You already know the situation. The Tynesiders are tough, led by Newcastle loan Phil Airey, a striker that's got 10 goals for them. He's got plenty of help, with Liam Hatch & Jon Shaw scoring 9 each on the season. GK Tim Deasy has 7 clean sheets in 13 games, has allowed only 6 goals in league play.

We'll start in a 4-4-2 Defensive, probably switch to Standard fairly quickly, just don't want to get jumped on quickly. They're 1:2 favorites, we're 9:2 underdogs. The weather could be brutal, forecast calls for gusty winds, 37 degrees, and hail possible.

GK - Knight
D: Kulsten - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Kendrick - Matondo - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole
(Available subs are Mellish, Hooks, White, Slaughter and Hartley)

14:00 - Matondo gets a warning after tripping up Newton, but no card. Gateshead has picked up two yellows already, one for Newton & one for Carruthers. Only 1 shot so far, that was by Gateshead in the opening minute, a harmless affair that went well wide.

20:21 - Emms passes to Matondo just inside the arc, his quick shot misses wide left by about 3 feet

34:20 - Airey outruns our defense, gets a shot away one on one with Knight ... parried fairly easily & Purvis puts it out of play

38:00 - A little mixup in the box, Airey wants a penalty but the ref will have none of it

38;45 - Mole trips up a defender, gets the benefit of the doubt. Tough for Gateshead, they've been booked four times already

Halftime - Outshot 6-1, only 45% of poss ... but it's scoreless & that means we're still in it. We've been sloppy up front, solid elsewhere. Kulsten & Matondo look to be tiring but we'll stand pat for now.

47:50 - Airey grabs a rebound just inside the spot, turns & fires a right footer past a diving Knight (0-1) ... Switch to Standard, we've got to find some offense now

64:48 - Emms with a corner from the left side ... swings it across the area to Jones at the far post ... high in the air ... GOAL !!! (1-1) All even.
Sub Slaughter for Kulsten (tired), Hooks for Kendrick (knocked & tired)

77:01 - Matondo takes a crack from the left side high in the, couldn't get it to curve and it sails harmless far wide right

80:16 - Airey with a thunderous drive that's well high

85:00 - Slaughter with a throw in to Matondo, lays it to Armstrong in the area ... wicked shot that's blocked & quickly punted into the stands by a defender. So close right there, so very close
Sub Mellish for a gassed Matondo (Slaughter to LMF, Purvis to LWB)

88:50 - D'Laryea fouls Airey just across midfield, gets a yellow ...
90:00+ - 3 mins of extra time ... Odihambo finds Airey with a centering pass at 92:30 ... his header is true, just past Knight (1-2)

Fulltime - So close, so very close. Can't fault our effort, and I tell them so.
Outshot 16-4, it's a miracle we kept it in doubt for more than 90 minutes. Airey is just at a different level than most people we see, much quicker & smoother, and it made the difference. Hopefully the fans will be as understanding as I was.

Knight 6.6
Kulsten 6.0, Jones 7.4 & 1 goal, Purvis 6.6, D'Laryea 6.6
Kendrick 6.8, Matondo 6.8, Groves 6.6, Emms 6.9 & 1 assist
Armstrong 5.9, Mole 5.5 (lost 9 of 14 headers combined)
Subs: Slaughter 6.7, Hooks 6.5, Mellish N/A

Jan 14, 2012 (post-match)
There were some positives to take away from the match, and that's what I tell the badgering reporters. And no, I don't expect to make lineup changes based on the game (gah, what a dumb question)

JonInMiddleGA

03-26-2012, 04:12 AM

Jan 16, 2012
Yes, I know our roster is bloated. Yes, I know we've signed a ridiculous amount of players. And yes, we've just added two more.

We've signed veteran FB Frank Sinclair from Colwyn Bay on a free. The 40 y/o has been out of contract for some time & seemed delighted to sign with us through next season (yes, I know how old he is). In 22 league matches this season for Colwyn Bay, he had 3 assists & a 6.78 rating. His stamina & fitness are remarkable for his age, mentally sharper & tougher than anyone we've got, and he's good in the air or on the ground. The fans agree & are excited by the signing.

We've also reached an appearance fee agreement with DC Gary Pinch, who has been with Welshpool in the Mid Wales League 1. In 21 league matche, he had 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 MOM and a 7.15 rating. At age 26, he's a depth player for us right now, could fight his way into the regular rotation along the back line. We shall see.

Jan 17, 2012
Simon Osborn was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven. After his Superman performance against Harrogate, I should think so.

JonInMiddleGA

03-26-2012, 10:39 PM

Jan 17th, 2012 (night)
Time to stop lamenting the loss & start looking at the rest of the season. We've got a fair chance at a playoff spot & while I'm struggling with some mixed feelings about possible promotion so quickly, I'm certainly keeping those things to myself & trying to give us the best chance to win as much as possible.

There's 4 leagues games in the next 11 days for us, Wed/Sat pairs each week. This week it's @#15 Workington, home vs #4 Bishop's Stortford, next week it's home vs #13 Hyde and at #9 Worcester. Then things ease up with virtually nothing but Saturday matches currently scheduled down the stretch (one Sat/Mon quick turnaround in mid-April)

I'm thinking we go "B" lineup then "A" lineup for this 4 game sequence, then we'll be set (barring rain/reschedules) to go mostly "A" the rest of the way.

JonInMiddleGA

03-26-2012, 11:38 PM

Jan 18, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (6th, 13-3-8) at Workington (15th, 9-5-10)

41 & drizzle, which actually seems like an improvement over recent match day weather. We beat them 1-0 back in August, a goal in the 37th min by Mole stood up in spite of being down a man for the last 15'. That was a Stuart Duncan game that gave us 6 yellows & 1 red, hopefully things will be calmer today. 4-4-2 Defensive to start, hopefully we'll get comfortable & maybe open things up a little more before halftime. Frank Sinclair makes his Blyth debut today (at his age, you don't put things off much). They're 6:4 favorites but we're only 13:8 ourselves.

GK - Hartley
D: Martin - Sinclair - Mellish - Pearson
MF: Slaughter - Sawyer - Groves - Vipond
F: Armstrong - White
(Available: Giddings - Whiteley - Taylor - Phillips - Knight)

0:00 - I noticed that their morale is pretty bad, we're in a pretty good state of mind as a team right now. I'm changing our strategy to open as Standard, maybe get a goal & put them completely down in the dumps & cruise.

10:30 - Hartley makes a heck of a save from point blank range to keep it scoreless

16:10 - White blasts a free kick just a shade too high
32:45 - Vipond hangs up a corner that Mellish heads just a bit wide. Close.
Halftime - 13 shots overall, 8-5 for us. Possession about even, we've had some decent chances really, just nothing going in yet. No big changes, just gotta score here.

54:00 - Mellish misses another header too high. Flip-flopping him & Sinclair, let's see if the veteran has better luck if he gets a chance in the same spot.

58:00 - Armstrong hits the crossbar with a hard shot
60:12 - Armstrong grazes the top of the bar with a long shot
65:00 - They make a couple of subs, so will we asap.
68:00 - Giddings on for Martin (injured), Taylor on for White (apparently knocked, down to 47% fit)

77:00 - Sawyer plays one down the left channel for Slaughter, who has room to run ... cross into the box for Taylor ... has to gather it, now shoots ... GOAL ! (1-0) Right between the keeper's legs to put us in front

78:31 - Pearson with a takeaway in our end, plays a long ball ahead to Taylor who takes off ... long run into the area on the right side ... quick pass to Armstrong at the goal line ... boom (2-0) Could hardly have missed at that range, two goals in two minutes
Sub Whiteley for Slaughter (tired), switch to Defensive

Fulltime - 14-7 shots advantage, finally ours started to drop in. Good to get a road win, exactly the kind of result that makes the difference between playoff teams and midtable teams.

Hartley 6.9
Martin 6.6, Sinclair 6.9, Mellish 7.3, Pearson 7.2
Slaughter 7.8 & 1 assist, Sawyer 6.9, Groves 6.9, Vipond 6.9
Armstrong 7.5 & 1 goal, White 6.5
Subs: Taylor(MOM) 7.9 & 1 goal & 1 assist, Giddings 6.9, Whiteley N/A

Jan 18, 2012 (post-match)
Although I don't discuss the specifics at the press conference, I'm told that Matthew Martin will be out 2 months to recover from the broken ribs he suffered in an accidental collision. Bad break (no pun intended), we were about to sub for him prior to the injury.

JonInMiddleGA

03-26-2012, 11:45 PM

Jan 19, 2012 (morning)
Just signed Jack Pinch needs a couple of weeks off from football, we send him on leave, along with one week breaks for Jack Harrison & Hassan Janneh

Meanwhile, what did yesterday's win mean for us? Besides the likely boost to morale, it basically allowed us to keep pace with the rest of the contenders. Teams with 26 matches unless noted

Nuneaton 49 pts
------------------
Histon 48 pts
Hinckley 47
Bishop's Stortford 46
Droylsden 46 (1 less played)
------------------
Blyth 45 pts (1 less played)
Staylbridge 41
Vauxhall 40 (1 less played)

At the bottom, just while we're looking, Boston Utd appears to be in deep trouble, just 18 pts & 7 shy of avoiding relegation. Guiseley is 2 pts short, Gloucester is 5 short, and bubble team Eastwood actually has a game in hand on them all.

JonInMiddleGA

03-27-2012, 12:04 AM

Jan 20, 2012
We have a difficult conversation with David Coulson, a defender that really hasn't shown the ability to remain in the squad or even break into rotation. Our salary situation is kind of tough at the moment, he's an expiring contract, has at least a scrap of value on the market perhaps, and most of all there's a possible signing on the horizon that could be very big for us and I need to clear some salary off the books. I'm as gentle as I could be about it but let's say he didn't take it very well. It's a tough business :(

And no, a cautious plea to the board for just a bit more money didn't work either. I understand, but it seemed worth a try.

Jan 21, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s managed a 1-1 draw with Eastwood, Whiteley scored for us in the 82nd minute but Eastwood tied it in the 89th minute. The bigger loss for us is D Phil Stevenson, who suffered a torn hamstring while chasing down a loose ball and will be out for 3-4 months while seeing a specialist. The 19 y/o has shown some promise and actually appeared in 3 Cup matches and 1 league match for us this year, with ratings of 6.70 to 6.83 on the first team, including a goal against Carlton in our FA Trophy 3rd Qual Rd win.

JonInMiddleGA

03-27-2012, 01:03 AM

Jan 21, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (6th, 14-3-8) vs Bishop's Stortford (4th, 14-4-8)

Obviously from the standings, our match against B.Stortford is pretty important.
We're a slim 6:4 favorite but those odds may not be so great ... your favorite referee and mine Scott Duncan gets the assignment today. Maybe some of the expected hailstones will knock him cold early on & we can actually have a match instead of a card game. 4-4-2 Standard, with instructions to stand off & tackle cautiously

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - D'Laryea - Purvis
MF: Matondo - Hooks - McCabe - Emms
F: Mole - Taylor

7:00 - Jones draws a yellow card for a handball
8:42 - Taylor draws a yellow card for tripping
15:15 - McCabe misses a shot at the high left corner by mere inches
16:00 - Taylor is denied on a last second save, we got heavy pressure there
23:50 - Matondo misses wide on a blast from the left channel
37:22 - Hooks with a pinpoint pass downfield to Mole ... he's free & clear into the area ... shoots ... GOAL ! (1-0) .... switch to Counter for the rest of the half

Halftime - A stout first half, outshooting them 6-0 and generally looking sharper than Bishop's. No changes, just need them to keep it up.

51:44 - Emms with an out-swinging corner ... right to D'Laryea .. GOAL! (2-0) Well done indeed on a header from well outside the box

60:21 - After several players on both sides get warning instead of cards, Matondo earns a yellow with a tripping foul

Sub Osborn for McCabe (tiring) and Phillips on for Taylor (Matondo to F)
Back to Standard strategy, let's see if we can put this one away

64:00 - Kendrick with a free kick played to D'Laryea, he just missed another one

71:00 - Hooks to Matondo in the area, reflex save
73:00 - Phillips is hurt and will have to come out ... Mellish on, Kendrick to LMF, Purvis to LWB ... switch to Defensive

76:08 - Matondo holds up at midfield ... now sees Mole streaking down the middle & feeds him ... keeper comes out & gets abused (3-0)

77:55 - Sappleton fires from the arc ... right past Knight (3-1)

85:25 - Jones with a long ball to Mole in the area ... chips, ball bounces slowly past keeper ... Mole follows up & bangs it into the empty net for his hat trick (4-1)

Fulltime - Yowzah. 12-4 shots including 6 on target. A serious outburst by Mole but lots of people played very well on the day. Just a major case of delivering when needed.

Knight 6.9
Kendrick 7.3, Jones 8.2 & 1 assist- D'Laryea 8.2 & 1 goal- Purvis 7.3
Matondo 7.8 & 1 assist - Hooks 7.8 & 1 assist - McCabe 6.8 - Emms 7.6 & 1 assist
F: Mole(MOM) 9.6 & 3 goals, Taylor 6.8
Subs: Osborn 6.9, Mellish 6.6, Phillips N/A

Jan 21, 2012 (post-match)
Wayne Phillips suffered broken ribs from an accidental collision. He'll be out 4-5 weeks. Sigh.

JonInMiddleGA

03-27-2012, 10:01 PM

Jan 24, 2012
Three Blyth Spartans were selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven: Jamie Mole, Neal Hooks and Nathan D'Laryea

The win over B.Stortford moves us into 3rd place, one point behind Nuneaton and three points behind Histon ... with a game in hand over both. GD is currently +17 for both us & Histon (Nuneaton is +26). We're that close to the top spot at the moment, with 13th place Hyde and 11th place Worcester coming up this week. How long can we keep this going?

JonInMiddleGA

03-27-2012, 11:09 PM

Jan 25, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (3rd, 15-3-8) vs Hyde (13th, 9-7-10)

We played the Tigers to a 1-1 draw at their place back in August, another one of those Duncan reffed matches. 7 yellows & 1 red (Armstrong) in that one, Mole scored on a penalty at 27', a goal by Havern equalized for them at 42' and that was it. We dominated possession (59%) in that one but couldn't steal the win on the road. They're without their 2nd leading scorer (Berkeley - 7 goals) but are still capable with Scott Spencer up front (10 goals) and a supporting cast that features three players with 4 goals each. It'll be 4-4-2 Control for us to open, let's see if we can dominate possession but actually score this time around. Warmer today, 42 degrees, with showers likely, we're favorites at 6:4.

GK - Hartley
D: Giddings - Sinclair - Mellish - Pearson
MF: Slaughter - Sawyer - Groves - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Chinthengah
(Available: Cave - Osborn - Taylor - Christensen - Knight)

1:20 - Groves narrowly misses a goal on a header from a corner by Vipond
1:57 - Armstrong doesn't miss a left-footer from close range after a nice pass by Sinclair [b](1-0) We retained possession after the quick save, took advantage of it for the proverbial flying start

13:15 - Hartley makes a save & then scurries over to gather up the rebound after we were put under pressure while temporarily a man short as Slaughter had hobbled off the extended treatment

Halftime - We tackled & defended as well as I've seen all year. Good thing, since we've been outshot 6-2 and outpossessed 46-54. We're passing well enough, they're just being patient when they have the ball. In fairness to the squad, we played about 10 minutes of the half a man down because of the knock suffered by Slaughter. He returned to gut out the half but I can't ask any more of him today. Sub Osborn for Slaughter. We'll switch to Standard strategy to open the half.

46:35 - Another save by Hartley, who turned away Poole one-on-one in the area

47:30 - Chinthengah takes a long shot from the high left side, narrow miss
51:25 - Osborn just misses a whistling free kick from the arc
61:45 - Sawyer just misses a long try from the high left side
65:00 - Sub Christensen on for Chinthengah, switch to Counter
74:15 - Hartley with another save, this time of a rocket by Broadbent
77:16 - Carey finds Broadbent in the area with a free kick, Hartley makes the save
85:00 - Armstrong appears to be hurting after a challenge by Minnock, he'll need extended treatment ...
Switch to 5-4-1 Contain, Sub Cave for Armstrong

90:00+ - Four minutes of added time to survive now. We're in full on kill the clock mode
93:40 - a blocked shot sails over the end line, we give up a corner ... played to the near post but Groves heads it clear

Fulltime - Certainly not the most usual formula for us to win a match, outshot 11-6, possession 50-50, but our defense has never looked better. Hartley may have had the best day for a keeper we've seen this year, he stepped up and met every challenge, including 4 clear cut chances. The assistants are rather meh, I'm a little more pleased than that but I remind the club not to get complacent about the next match. To my surprise, the reaction to that admonition was mostly positive.

Hartley 6.8
Giddings 7.1, Sinclair(MOM) 8.1 & 1 assist, Mellish 7.3, Pearson 6.8
Slaughter 6.8, Sawyer 6.8, Groves 6.9, Vipond 6.9
Armstrong 7.2 & 1 goal, Chinthengah 6.7
Subs: Christensen 6.6, Osborn 6.5, Cave N/A

Jan 25, 2012 (post-match)
I'm happy but cautious afterwards, but we are now in 1st place, by +1 GD over Histon. (Anybody who thought that was going to happen at this point in the season please send me your suggestions for lottery numbers. )

JonInMiddleGA

03-28-2012, 12:21 AM

Jan 28, 2012 (morning)
Our U18's managed a 1-1 draw at Salisbury City today, with Tom Seery providing the equalizer in the 36' with a close range header.

Jan 28, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 16-3-8) at Worcester (11th, 10-8-9)

We beat City 2-1 draw at home in early September, getting an early goal from Mole before going to the half tied , then the game winner from Carl Jones at 52'. They've played well of late, winning 4 in a row before losing at Stalybridge last weekend. They're a Pick'Em favorite, we're 11:5 underdogs

We'll go back mostly to the lineup that played so well against Bishop's Stortford & hope for a similar result, but we'll open here on the road in a 4-4-2 Defensive. The weather ain't pretty, 35 degrees with hail possible.

GK - Knight
D: Kulsten - Jones - D'Laryea - Purvis
MF: Kendrick - Matondo - White - Emms
F: Mole - Taylor
(Available: Sinclair, Vipond, Armstrong, Groves, Hartley)

14:15 - O'Conner lets fly a hard shot that Knight knocks away, the rebound is shot wide

20:41 - Mole lets one fly from outside the area, skimmed the bar and went over. Our first shot of the match, to their 5 so far.

31:15 - Carey-Bertram shoots one into the side of the net after once again skipping past Matondo en route to a good shooting position in the area. The pressure has been intense, 9-2 shots for Worcester, and nearly 2/3rds of possession so far.

45:00+ - Just a minute of extra time and that's winding down now. Kendrick with a throw-in from the corner, lobs it to Matondo who heads it into the box but there's no one there, defender Ayres plays it off his knee ... right to Jamie Mole ... off-balance shot ... GOAL !!! (1-0) Are you kidding me?

Halftime - Outshot 12-3, only 41% of poss., only 58% passing, barely winning half our headers while giving up nearly 3/4, haven't completed a cross all day ... and we're up by a goal. I have no clue what to say, finally I settle for telling them that I know they're capable of even better. We'll try to help them with that, switch to 4-4-2 Counter to open the 2nd half. We've got to come up with something, no way we can withstand that kind of pressure for another 45 minutes

55:00 - Second shot in two minutes by Taylor that went harmlessly wide left
56:00 - Kendrick gets taken down in the area but no penalty despite his claims
66:40 - Weir cranks off a shot that skims the crossbar. That's Worcester's first shot of the 2nd half ... Sub Vipond on for Matondo
73:45 - They get a half chance & shoot it wide left ... Sub Groves on for White
78:54 - Symons has an empty net to shoot at ... and misses ... he was offside anyway
81:50 - Groves fires off a shot from the arc, caught easily by Dormand
82:20 - They make their last sub, so do we, Sinclair on for Taylor ... switch to 5-4-1 Contain and try to hold on here
88:15 - McGregor fires from the arc ... had Knight beaten but it's high & over
90:00+ - 3 mins of extra time ... we conced a corner at 92' ... Jones heads it out but they recover ... Kulsten knocks it out at 93:05 ... another corner, Kendrick heads it to safety ...

Fulltime - Whew. By the skin of our teeth I reckon. Outshot 16-6, improved our possession to 46% for the match, never did complete a cross. Survive 4 corners, 3 clear cut chances, 4 half chances, and 5 on target shots. But the key word there is "survive".

Knight (MOM) 8.4
Kulsten 6.8, Jones 7.5, D'Laryea 6.9, Purvis 7.3
Kendrick 6.8, Matondo 6.8, White 6.8, Emms 6.8
Mole 7.3 & 1 goal, Taylor 6.8
Subs: Vipond/Groves 6.7, Sinclair N/A

Jan 28, 2012 (post-match)
The win gives us a two point lead, as Nuneaton moves into second with a 2-0 win over Gainsborough while Histon lost at Altrincham 1-0. I'm told that Lincoln boss David Holdsworth was in the stands for the match, reportedly to see Paul Matondo in person as the BSBP club may have their eye on him. I guess that comes with success.

JonInMiddleGA

03-28-2012, 12:43 AM

Feb 1, 2012

Training feedback from Gavin Fell. Glen Taylor & Simon Osborn (tactics) as well as Sam Sawyer (Strength) have impressed, Phil Cave & Brendan Gallen have caused concerns. Among the youth Jordan Kay (strength) has been a standout.

BSBN Player of the Month goes to Harrogate Town's striker Paul Brayson

BSBN Manager of the Month is Gainsborough's Andy Cale, David Livermore of Histon is second, and lookie, I'm third. I guess going 5-1-1, winning 4 in a row and finishing the month as the hottest team is the league isn't all that impressive.

Jamie Mole still leads the league in goals (19) and Avg Rtg (7.55), he's also the most accurate shooter at 62% on target (next is 56%).

Danny Groves is our good luck charm apparently, leading the league in games won (16).

The board is very pleased with my overall leadership. Our fantastic league performance is the highlight, the fans are still disappointed about the loss to Gateshead and are slightly concerned that we've been less than exciting to watch. The board is content with my control over payroll, in spite of me now being some $500 over my weekly budget.

A couple of matches played this afternoon, including one that juggles the standings a bit. Hinckley beat Worcester 2-0 at home, that moves them into 2nd place, virtually tied with us with 54 pts each but our +19 GD is better than their +15, plus they've now played one more match than us. Nuneaton is 3rd with 52 pts, Histon 4th with 51, Droylsden is 5th with 48 but they've got a game in hand. Don't count out Bishop's Stortford either, they've got 46 pts, Vauxhall & Stalybridge have 44 each and still have a fair shot if they get hot. On the other end of the spectrum, Boston Utd is dead last with 19 points & hasn't won in 16 matches. Long way to go before we start scoreboard watching though, still 14 matches left to play.

JonInMiddleGA

03-28-2012, 01:38 AM

Feb 4, 2012 (morning)
Our U18's lost to Eastleigh 1-0 on a goal in the 90th minute. Hard luck for Tamer Dalton who has played brilliantly since joining the club.

Feb 4, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 17-3-8) vs Solihull Moors (12th, 11-5-12)

We beat The Moors 3-1 back in September, another of those Stuart Duncan reffed affairs that saw 10 yellows & 2 reds (1 each) handed out before all was said & done. All the scoring came between the 45' (extra time) and the 54' mark, with us striking three times in about 7 minutes, one each for Mole, Mellish and Armstrong before giving up a goal to make it a little closer.

We're 4:6 favorites today, and will start in a 4-4-2 Standard on a breezy 37 degree day with sleet likely ... and guess who is reffing? Have mercy on us, it's Scott f'n Duncan again :mad:

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Sinclair - D'Laryea
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Groves - Janneh
F: Armstrong - Mole
(Available: Purvis, Slaughter, Taylor, Osborn, Hartley)

12:27 - Sinclair with a corner, Hooks header goes high over the bar
17:20 - Armstrong plays it back to the arc for Hooks, he blasts it high again
22:15 - Armstrong shoots this time, Acton makes the save, punching it out
22:50 - Short passing game on the left side ... ball back outside to Hooks with the ol' 1-2 ... a rocket shot from 30 yards ... GOAL !!! (1-0) The hard work to improve his power game may not have been as successful as we'd hoped but it sure looked like it paid off right there.
32:38 - Matondo on the left side, into the area for Armstrong, back outside to Hooks ... BANG !!! (2-0) Almost the same exact play as the first goal

Halftime - Welcome to the Neal Hooks Show. We've outshot them 7-4 but it's the two blasts by Hooks that are the difference. We're tackling well, controlling the pace, and have only picked up one yellow card so far (Armstrong), as have they. I remind the club how quickly things can turn around, and notice that Hooks looks angry with me. I have a word with him personally & praise his play, seems to satisfy him. Otherwise it looked as though a few players did hone their focus after the reminder.

63:43 - Kendrick picks up a foul ... and a yellow card
67:27 - Hooks picks up a loose ball & fires from his favored spot ... high and a bit wide
Sub Slaughter for Kendrick and Osborn for Armstrong

76:00 - Moors mount a counter, work the ball down into the area ... Johnson spots Beswick on the left wing, he beats Knight with a shot to the far post (2-1)

We'll switch to a 5-4-1 Defensive, sub Purvis on for Hooks (tired)

90:00+ - Four minutes of added time ...

90:47 Slaughter intercepts a free kick & launches a little counter ... plays it across midfield to Osborn who scoots a beautiful pass to Matondo who is off to the races, but he's forced wide ... so he crosses into the box for Mole for a header that he banks off the post ... GOAL (3-1) That ought to do it

Full time - That'll do nicely. 11-7 shots edge, 58% of poss, tackled great, stayed out of serious card problems, what more could we want? Hooks was spectacular and D'Laryea and Groves played quite well.

Knight 6.8
Kendrick 7.1, Jones 6.9, Sinclair 7.0, D'Laryea 7.2
Matondo 6.9 & 1 assist, Hooks(MOM) 8.8 & 2 goals,
Groves 7.1 & 1 assist - Janneh 6.9
Armstrong 6.9 & 1 assist, Mole 7.4 & 1 goal
Subs: Osborn 6.7, Slaughter 6.5, Purvis N/A

Feb 4, 2012 (post-match)
Today marked Simon Osborn's 500th league appearance.

JonInMiddleGA

03-28-2012, 01:55 AM

Feb 7, 2012
Neal Hooks was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven. Gee, ya think?

With our U18s enjoying two weeks off until Feb 25th, and the first team only scheduled for one match each week for a while, we'll try to get a couple of reserve friendlies on the docket. We'll play at Whitley Bay (who beat us 2-1 in a previous friendly) this Sunday and at Durham next Sunday.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 12:40 AM

Feb 11, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 18-3-8) at Gainsborough (18th, 10-4-15)

This will be the third time we've faced The Blues this season, losing to them in League play at home 1-0, beating them 2-0 on the road in the FA Cup 3rd Qual. Round. An own goal suffered by Wayne Buchanan cost us the first match, while Mole & Armstrong scored early in the second half to give us the edge in the sequel (a Stuart Duncan reffed affair that featured 8 yellow cards)

They're actually 5:4 favorites, we're 7:4 underdogs. In spite of that, we're going to open up here 4-4-2 Standard, damned if I'm going to play scared of a team that's barely out of the drop zone, even if they have won 5 of their last 7.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole
(Available: Sinclair, Sawyer, Slaughter, Taylor, Knight)

8:35 - Mole crossed beautifully to Matondo in the area, he missed a narrow angle shot at an empty net. Should have been a goal

19:52 - Purvis drags down Connor with a little tug of his shirt about two steps inside the area ... that'll be a penalty ... cowan takes it, a left-footed shot that simply beats Hartley to his right (0-1) We dug that hole for ourselves quite neatly

25:10 - Hartley has to make a save on a shot by Yates, almost found ourselves down by two

34:24 - Yates crosses to Williams just left of the spot, he turns on it & hooks one into the upper right corner of the net (0-2). This is not going well.

Halftime - Grr. Outshot 5-3, only 44% of poss. we're doing diddly defensively. D'Laryea, Jones, Kendrick, Hooks, Matondo are all having poor games, Armstrong & Kendrick are down in the dumps, the captain most visibly. My combo of "you've got to do better than this" team speech & individual talks with more players than ever may have helped a little but not a lot. We'll switch to a Control strategy, let's see if we can slow their roll a bit and get back in this.

47:14 - D'Laryea plays the ball ahead to Armstrong in the right channel ... he runs deep, all the way to the end line, finally scoots the ball to Emms nearby ... a quick pass across the area to Matondo on the opposite side of the box ... header is true (1-2) A spark of life perhaps?

53:14 - Stamp got behind the defense, possibly offside, and buries a shot with ease (1-3) ... Hooks was badly abused by Stamp at midfield to start the sequence, now he's hobbling & down. Sub Slaughter on at LWB (Kendrick to LMF, Matondo to LCM)

64:00 - Crisp midfield passing sets Armstrong free into the area ... plenty of time & space ... he misses the net by a good ten feet wide to the right. I've seen enough. Sub Taylor on for Armstrong, sub Sinclair on for Jones who is having perhaps the worst game I've seen from a Spartan all season. Switch to Attack strategy, if we're going down then it'll be with (hopefully) some effort at least.

68:21 - Free kick from distance by Yates ... falls right to Clark in the area & he beats Hartley high (1-4). Switch back to standard, no sense giving away goals now.

Fulltime - Egads we were awful. Unspeakable almost. Just a terrible outing out of nowhere, ending our 7 game winning streak quite unceremoniously. Outshot only 9-6 but they put 7 on target to our 2. There wasn't a phase of the game we played well in, and the ratings reflect that. I aggressively express how bad we looked out there, about half the team appears fired up by that response, the other half look like they're ready to hang themselves en masse in the shower. I'm not too worried about that happening, today they'd just try to kick the chair away & miss wide right.

Hartley 6.2
Kendrick 5.7, Jones 5.3, Purvis 5.5, D'Laryea 5.0
Matondo 7.3 & 1 goal, Hooks 6.0, Groves 5.8, Emms 6.8 & 1 assist
Armstrong 5.8, Mole 6.0
Subs: Sinclair 6.7, Taylor 6.3, Slaughter 6.2

Feb 11, 2012 (post-match)
Amazingly, and undeservedly, we're still in first place by 1 point over Nuneaton. They were tied 1-1 by FC Halifax, Histon drew 2-2 with Harrogate & is still in third place 2 pts back, and Hinckley falls to 4th after having a day similar to our own, losing to Solihull Moors 3-0.

Wasn't much I could say in the post-match presser except that we've got work to do ahead.

Guiseley has fired their coach Steve Kittrick after a 2-0 loss to Staylbridge. They're 20th at the moment and 4 pts behind Eastwood.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 12:53 AM

Feb 12, 2012
Our Reserves traveled to Whitley Bay and avenged a previous loss by winning 3-1. Down by one early, Taylor scored at 37', Bannister at 65' and an own goal provided the cushion in extra time. Bannister was MOM, Taylor, Chris McCabe, and Jordan Kay all played particularly well. It was a fitness opportunity mostly, but anything to get the foul taste of the previous day out of my mouth was welcome news.

Feb 15, 2012
John Alexander has asked that I remove him from the transfer list. I agree.
I mean seriously though, WTF? He's here with an expired contract, working on a per appearance basis. I have no interest in having him appear, what difference does his list status make really, he's free to leave whenever the mood strikes him.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 01:06 AM

Feb 17, 2012
I decide to hold a team meeting, let's nip this thing in the bud.
Me (calmly) - "We've been playing fantastically all season, don't let this little blip affect our promotion chances, keep your heads up"

Nice, almost neutral, reassuring even. Right?

Morale deflates across about half the team. 4 players (Armstrong, McCabe, Buchanan, Sawyer) all appear to have something to say. I offer the floor and Sawyer reluctantly says "We're trying our best out there, I don't think it's going to make anyone feel any better by making comments like that"

Umm ... WTF!!!!

I ask Armstrong to speak, maybe the captain is a voice of reason, right?
Armstrong (assertively, to Sawyer) "Exactly right Sam, absolutely correct".

DOUBLE WTF!!!

Fine assholes, (cautiously) "I have to say I'm disappointed with that reaction"

16 players reacted badly, one player (Phillips) reacted well.

That was the most head scratching thing I've seen in the game to date. It was as though the game bugged & read something other than what I said, there were certainly options where the reactions I got would have made sense, but in this case - and I carefully read the words on screen to make sure I had said what I wanted to say - the responses made no sense to me whatsover.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 01:13 AM

Feb 18, 2012
Blyth (1st, 18-3-9) vs Guiseley (20th, 6-5-19)

So, we've had an awful team meeting, morale is just so-so across the board at best. We've just had our butts handed to us by a team that honestly shouldn't be beating us, not even at their place.

The schedule gods have smiled upon us however, we're hosting Guiseley, losers of four straight shutouts, with a brand new head coach name the day before the match. 45 y/o Steve Castle, most recently an assistant at Bishop's Stortford, has taken over & will try to find a way to steer The Lions clear of relegation. If he can, more power to him ... but not today please.

We played at their place earlier in the season, winning 2-1 on a pair of goals by Mole.

We'll avoid trying to react to their 4-5-1 alignment, something we've hardly seen this year, we'll just go 4-4-2 Standard, try to keep it simple & just win this match. We'll also try to find a lineup that isn't too demoralized to perform. Recently signed Gary Pinch will make his first team debut. We're 4:6 favorites at home.

GK - Knight
D: Giddings - Sinclair - Pinch - Pearson
MF: Kendrick - Matondo - Vipond - Janneh
F: Mole, Taylor
(Available: Jones, Osborn, Armstrong, White, Hartley)

20:00 - 2 shots each, none anywhere near the net
26:45 - Taylor with a run into the area, keeper comes out, Taylor's shot is blocked easily ... the following corner produces nothing
28:54 - Pearson crosses one into the box for Mole, his header is too high
36:40 - Pinch gambles on a steal in the area & misses ... Walshaw plays a pass to O'Connor, who beats Pearson & then beats Knight too. (0-1) That's their first goal in over 400 minutes.

Halftime - 5-4 shots edge means nothing at the moment, neither does the 55% of possession. Our passing has been sub-par, we're getting killed in the air. I try to encourage them that this can still be won. We're switching to Attack strategy, with instructions to be more direct with our passing and to drill crosses.

47:50 - Vipond with a corner to Pinch, his bouncing header is denied, the rebound is knocked over the end line. The next corner provides nothing
52:20 - Mole to Taylor in th earea, his shot is blocked neatly
60:30 - Sinclair gets away with a warning after a foul at the very edge of the area.
61:13 - Free kick, first shot is blocked, rebound is drilled home by Walshall (0-2) That was a 50-50 loose ball that Sinclair should have taken

62:53 - Meechan fouls Giddings at midfield, a lengthy discussion ... a yellow card, that's his second & he's sent off. But do we have time to score at least twice even a man up?
Sub Osborn for Giddings (5.8), (Matondo to LMF, Kendrick to LWB) ... sub Jones for Pinch (5.3)

70:43 - Kendrick with a long pass downfield to Taylor ... he's in space & into the area ... shoots ... past the approaching keeper GOAL (1-2)

71:00 - Sub Armstrong for Taylor ... go Overload & gamble
72:54 - Janneh crosses into the box for Mole ... header is just a bit too high
75:49 - Mole outmuscles Bower in the box & shoots ... Harwood is there but he bobbles it & it's an own goal (2-2) Switch to Control
79:33 - Mole plays it ahead to Armstrong down the middle .. swings a pass to the left for Matondo & he shoots from the left edge of the area, it's blocked by a defender ... rebound goes straight to Vipond at the edge of the box, Harwood blocks that one but the rebound comes right back to Vipond & he stuffs it home (3-2)

84:00 - Switch to Counter
95:03 - Final whistle

Fulltime - Talk about an escape. Conflicting advice from the staff on what to say to the team after that, first time all year I've seen any real disagreement among them on that. Rather than warn against complacency with a team that's having major morale problems, I praise them for the comeback instead. They appear mostly delighted with that reaction, although morale is still a big concern. So too is how awful we played for most of the match before finally overpowering them with our offense. 11-5 shooting edge, 58% possession (so Control was the right call early in the 2nd half I think), we definitely picked up things ... but that's a lot easier to do when they're playing with only 10 men and you get an own goal gifted to you.

Knight 6.8
Giddings 5.8, Sinclair 6.6, Pinch 5.3, Pearson 7.0
Kendrick (MOM) 7.7 & 1 assist, Matondo 6.6, Vipond 7.3 & 1 goal, Janneh 6.7
Mole 6.8, Taylor 7.1 & 1 goal
Subs: Jones/Osborn/Armstrong all 6.9

Feb 18, 2012 (post-match)
Nuneaton beats Corby, Histon beats Bishop's but Hinckley loses again, this time to Gainsborough. Our lead is 1 pt over 2nd, 2 pts over 3rd but now 6 pts over 4th and 8 pts over 5th.

I handle the presser as best I can, trying to keep an even keel but slightly upbeat so as not to add stress to any of our more sensitive players.

Afterwards I hear from Ewen Fairgreave, GK Matty Hunter suffered a damaged heel during a training session & will be out 2 weeks for treatment.

larrymcg421

03-31-2012, 01:50 AM

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 02:08 AM

Feb 19, 2012
So now it's brought to my attention that, with 11 games left, if we can somehow beat FC Halifax next Saturday, we'll assure ourselves of a place is BSBN next season. That would be nice of course since we entered the season hoping to avoid relegation but right now anything less than at least a playoff spot would be a disappointment to me, regardless of how the board or supporters might react.

Our reserve match at Durham was a 1-0 win, with Chris McCabe scoring in the 42nd minute and earning MOM honors.

Feb 20, 2012
Scott Vipond is named to the BSBN Team of the Week starting eleven.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 02:21 AM

I haven't had much luck improving player morale. Last season I had a guy that went into a depression for several games. I tried to reassure him that he was doing well and he called BS on me. I then criticized him and he said I was being too harsh.

Thanks for reading.

I've been blessed by relatively few morale issues all season, I guess exceeding expectations helps with a lot with that. But man oh man are these guys fragile, every loss sends them down but even winning that last match didn't help. I've now seen "abysmal" for the first time, kinda rough after a win.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 03:05 AM

Feb 25, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s lose to Boreham Wood 1-0 on the road, on a goal in the 90th minute.

Feb 25, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 19-3-9) at FC Halifax (20th, 6-5-19)

We beat them 4-2 at home previously, 2 goals by Mole, 1 each by Emms & Armstrong, to build a 4-0 lead before giving up a pair at 83' and 86'. They're 4:6 favorites, we're 7:2 dogs on the road.

We'll start 4-4-2 Defensive, try to

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Mellish - Purvis - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - White - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong, Mole
(Available: Slaughter, Phillips, Taylor, Groves, Hartley)

4:33 - After a minute or so of controlled short passing on the wings, a pass to Baker at the arc ... shoots ... scores (0-1) right past Hartley's leap, straight in to the upper left corner of the net for his first ever goal for Halifax

7:43 - Mellish free kick, played by Mole, header sails over the bar for a wasted opportunity
11:52 - White with a blast from outside that skims the top of the bar
14:56 - Sinclair plays a long ball to Mole, he splits two defenders but his shot is wide left
22:17 - White with a weak shot from the arc, wide left
45:00 - Moles lays one to Armstrong in the box, he shoots & scores easily but he was rather clearly offside

Halftime - The asst's want me to tear the team a new one "after watching that garbage". I choose to tell them simply to show me something else in the second half. We've out shot them 6-2, have 56% possession, have passed better, won in the air, just haven't managed to put those shots on net yet. My version seems to have improved confidence for several players, I'm good with that. We'll switch to Standard strategy here though, would love to get a goal before starting to sub & maybe use fresh legs then to steal the win. Gotta tie it up first though.

50:00 - Great chance thanks to good passing between Mole & Emms, it results in a point blank try for Mole in the box but he couldn't get enough on it & it's parried away.

57:45 - Boyle hits the woodwork with a rocket, we dodged a bullet there

61:00 - Sub Phillips for Matondo (tiring)

69:11 - Kendrick with a throw-in ... to the area where both White & Mole await ... whistle ... they've fouled White ... and it'll be a penalty, which FCH appeals to no avail ... Mole to take the penatly kick ... GOAL ! (1-1)

70:00 - Sub Groves on for White (tiring)

82:00 - Groves has the ball stolen away by Holland, who is steaming toward the net ... Hartley comes out to play him, Holland shoots from about the spot ... he got under it too much & lofted it high over the goal

84:30 - Sub Taylor for Armstrong, just looking for fresh leg spark here
89:49 - Groves with a weak shot that goes wide left
91:52 - Holland beats Purvis to a deep ball, Purvis fouls him from behind ... that's a red card ! Free kick forthcoming as the seconds wind down .. Baker simply lays it off to a nearby man, Emms tackles it clear and time expires

Fulltime - Hard luck feel to this one, although it was nip & tuck at the end. We'll take our point on the road & go home with it.

Hartley 6.6
Kendrick 6.7, Mellish 7.1, Purvis 6.7, Sinclair 7.2
Matondo 6.7, White 6.8 & 1 assist, Vipond 6.7, Emms 6.8
Armstrong 6.6, Mole 6.7 & 1 goal
Subs: Phillips 6.9, Groves 6.7, Taylor N/A

Feb 25, 2012 (post-match)
Nuneaton has won, we slip to 2nd place, one point back with a showdown against them coming up next Saturday.

Purvis faces a 2 match suspension for his red card, Graham Fell says he didn't see it, so we go to the tape. Looked close but reasonable to me. We'll live with it, unlikely that an appeal would have helped anything there.
I'd love to chew Purvis good & proper for it, but on replay it was considerably closer than I first thought, we'll just let it ride.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 03:21 AM

Mar 1, 2012
No awards for us, Nuneaton's boss gets Manager of the Month, Corby Town FB Paul Mayo is Player of the Month.

The board is very pleased overall, with our fantastic BSBN performance a particular highlight. Fans however are still disappointed about the loss to Gateshead in FA Trophy play.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 10:07 PM

March 3, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (2nd, 19-4-9) vs Nuneaton (1st, 17-11-4)

We're gonna have our hands full. They beat us 2-1 back in October at their place, physically dominating us and we were lucky to keep it as close as we did. (6-17 shots, 47% poss., we didn't complete a cross all day, didn't pass well, etc)

They're dangerous offensively, with ST Mark Leech leading the way with 17 league goals, but they've got four others with 6 goals or more, including two MF's. Defensively they've given up the fewest goals in the league (28 in 32 games), leading to a +34 GD.

They're 4:5 favorites at Croft Park, we're 3:1 underdogs. Dry pitch, 57 degrees today. We'll open 4-4-2 Standard, maybe if we don't play scared we can come up with something.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Sawyer - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Groves - Vipond
F: Armstrong, Mole
(Available: Slaughter, Phillips, Osborn, Taylor, Hartley)

5:33 - Leech finds himself alone inside the arc, fires, Knight parries & Jones puts it out ... Sawyer heads the corner clear to safety

17:35 - Sawyer recovers a loose ball after a right side throw-in, cycles it out ... Kendrick dribbles across to the left ... works it to Matondo outside .... a perfect pass to Mole in traffic out in front ... GOAL !!! (1-0) Couldn't have asked for better ... Nuneaton cries for offside, no call, Mole was shoulder to shoulder with his man

28:50 - Leech runs away clean, takes a longish shot that Knight gathers easily
34:15 - Kendrick picks up a yellow card on a hard tackle of Armson
34:44 - Knight tips a half chance up & over ... We clear the corner easily
38:09 - Matondo speculates from outside, misses a bit wide left
45:00 - Kendrick lays up a hanging corner ... Sawyer's header is just a bit high

Halftime - Hanging in here nicely. Outshot 6-3 but poss. is 61% us. I'm happy with how things are going overall & tell them so. They look delighted, Hooks & Matondo appear particularly motivated today.

50:37 - Hooks gets away with a dive & draws a yellow card on Thornton
54:40 - Nisevic finds space in the area on the left ... misses wide right pretty badly
Right about here I notice that, in spite of my intentions, we've been playing Defensive strategy. I need another goal, switching that to Counter
66:17 - Groves loses an aerial challenge at midfield, they quickly work it forward to Lee, who finds space past Jones & shoots ... wide right by about a foot.
My instincts say "sub here" but no one looks tired & no one is playing poorly. I stand pat for now.
67:15 - Leech just hit the post not once but twice in a matter of seconds. Knight was beaten on the first shot, even more beaten on the rebound, yet still has a clean sheet. Armson commits a foul to end the threat
Sub Osborne on for Hooks (just a hunch here really) we switch back to Defensive, we don't even have a shot in the half, might as well deal with that reality & try to hang on now.

77:00 - Sawyer gets a bit of a knock, needs to come out ... Sub Slaughter on at LMF (Groves to RWB, Sinclair to RCD, Matondo to LCM) ... Lee gets a yellow for his troubles

82:50 - Groves win a ball away from Lee in the area
83:07 - Thornton's long shot is blocked by Sinclair, it'll be a corner ... Osborn heads it clear to Slaughter ... loooong pass upfield to Mole who is on a beeline for the area ... Noon tackles it away, Mole chases it to the touch line & loses it over and gives them a throw-in

89:00 - Nuneaton uses their last sub, we'll have 3 mins of injury time ... we'll go to contain & try to stall this one away ... Sub Phillips fresh legs on for Matondo

90:00 - Vipond gets invited on down the right side, he tries to cross it back to the middle ... Hadland fouls Armstrong & gets a yellow card

93:30 - Osborn with another takeaway tackle at midfield ... quickly over to Slaughter who waits for the defense to catch up ... spots Kendrick ahead on his left ... acres of space ... a low cross from the edge of the area hits a defender ... it's IN ... (2-0) ... a last second own goal by Willis seals the upset

Fulltime - An unlikely outcome but we're most assuredly take it .. Outshot 13-3, we get the insurance goal without officially taking a single shot in the 2nd half. Possession was the key, they were content to concede us 62% and we passed well enough (79%) that it worked.

Knight 6.9
Kendrick 7.2, Jones 7.0, Sawyer 6.9, Sinclair 7.1
Matondo 7.0 & 1 assist, Hooks 6.9, Groves 6.8, Vipond 6.9
Armstrong 6.8, Mole (MOM) 7.4 & 1 goal
Subs: Osborn/Slaughter 6.9, Phillips N/A

March 3, 2012 (post-match)

I don't really want to discuss their claims about a non-assessed penalty kick on a dicey play by Sawyer (I don't even remember the play honestly) but I will admit that I believe we have a chance to win the league.

If we do win it, it'll have to be without Sam Sawyer, his injury involves damaged knee cartilage & he'll be out 6-7 weeks.

Histon beat Moors 3-1, so there's a virtual tie for second with Nuneaton, but our lead over both is now 2 pts. Vauxhall moves into 4th by beating Bishop's 1-0 to drop them to 5th but they're 7 pts & 9 pts back respectively. Droylsden is in a virtual tied for the last playoff spot but trails on GD.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 11:03 PM

March 6, 2012
Congratulations to our (now former) ST John Alexander, who agrees to an offer & signs with BSBS side Chelmsford. The 26 y/o played 28 games for Blyth in 2009-10, was on the roster in 10-11 but did not appear, moved to Spennymoor but never played for them before rejoining us earlier in the year. Simply not of the required caliber to find first team action here, we wish him well.

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 11:07 PM

March 8, 2012
Get a call from physio Ewen Fairgreave, Chris Ferguson suffered a calf strain during training today, he'll be out 4 weeks for treatment. This comes on the heels of a torn calf muscle suffered in November & a gashed leg in September, by the time he returns he will have missed 5.5 months out of the last six. I can't help but wonder if the pace is simply too much for a 16 y/o, no matter how promising (6.69 rtg in 14 non-competitive appearances)

JonInMiddleGA

03-31-2012, 11:18 PM

March 10, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s salvage a 1-1 draw against Altrincham, thanks to a goal from second half sub D Mark Sullivan. More notable than the result is the damaged elbow suffered by Adam Forster who fell heavily during the match & will be out 2-3 weeks.

March 10, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 20-4-9) at Stalybridge (10th, 13-9-11)

Coming off the huge win over Nuneaton, this has the makings of a trap game for us. Thing is, I'm not sure if it's a trap or not, Celtic handed us our ass 4-1 at Croft Park earlier in th eyear & other than Glen Taylor hardly anyone played well for us. We were awful defensively and just generally sucked. Hopefully we'll acquit ourselves better today against their 4-4-1-1. They're 5:4 favorites, we're just 7:4 underdogs, and we'll start out in a 4-4-2 Defensive on the road.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Jones - Mellish - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Vipond - Emms
F: Mole, Taylor
(Available: Slaughter, Phillips, Osborn, Armstrong, Knight)

1:10 - Hartley punches out a save, almost went down in the opening minute
3:57 - Heavy pressure by Celtic early, we've weathered it so far
6:08 - Slowing things down a bit with short passing in the midfield ... Jones works it ahead to Matondo & he starts the attack ... passing ahead to Mole in the left channel .. works into the area & shoots a left-footer, Woodhouse saves ... rebound comes straight back to Mole, right-footed shot this time, just inside the far post GOAL !!! (1-0) Credit Matondo with a pinpoint pass to set that one in motion
16:50 - Narrow miss for 'bridge on a header from a free kick
20:00 - Emms with a corner toward the far post ... Mole is there with a header ... it bangs off the crossbar ... Hooks chases down the rebound & feeds Matondo for a shot that's tipped over
22:22 - Taylor misfires at an empty net, had Woodhouse beaten and just poorly struck a weak ball wide
25:19 - A blistering shot by Taylor from the right side of the area whistles wide left
32:53 - Atkinson misses wide left from outside the arc, might have beaten Hartley if it had been on target
43:28 - Bembo-Leyta finds a little crease in the arc, beats Hartley who gets a hand on it but it trickles past & in (1-1)

Halftime - Outshot 10-6 despite a slight (54%) poss. edge, we seemed to fall asleep a bit after the early goal. I encourage the boys a bit, we'll switch to Counter strategy for the 2nd half. I think we can beat them deep on the left side, if we can just get Matondo & Mole the ball with room to work.

55:35 - Sub Phillips for Taylor (Matondo to LF, Mole to RF)

71:30 - Sub Slaughter for Sinclair (knocked, 69% fit), shift Vipond to RWB
73:30 - Mellish is denied on a cross, he screams for a penalty but gets no call
88:00 - Hooks missed high, 3rd time this half he's had a crack at it
89:42 - Jones header is high after Kendrick free kick
90:00 - 3 mins extra time ... 92:24 Buckley beats Hartley & shoots into an empty net ... but he was offside

Fulltime - A total of 26 shots (14-12 us) but only one goal each. A half-empty glass, we get a point on the road but if we could have crossed anything (7%) or defended any crosses (42% for them), we might have gotten more than just a draw here. Taylor played poorly in his spot start & I mention my disappointment, which seems to fire him up. We take this & move on, nothing else to be done here.

Hartley 6.6
Kendrick 6.7, Jones 6.6, Mellish 6.6, Sinclair 7.1
Matondo 6.9, Hooks 6.7, Vipond 6.9, Emms 6.7
Mole (MOM) 7.4 & 1 goal, Taylor 6.0
Subs: Slaughter 6.7, Philips 6.6

March 10, 2012 (post-match)
I blow off the questions about the possible penalty, I was honest about thinking it was probably the right call. I also admit a little frustration that we didn't win "with the side we put out" (I guess they noticed the start for Taylor & considered it irregular).

The draw complicates matter considerably. Histon beat Gainsborough 2-0, Nuneaton beat Hinckley 3-1, so there's a three team tie at 65 points ... but GD drops us all the way to third. Bishop's Stortford & Droylsden are tied for 4th place, both 7 points back of the trio at the front.

We learn that Gloucester has fired David Mehew, reportedly more due to financial management than their 21st place standing.

JonInMiddleGA

04-01-2012, 12:37 AM

March 12, 2012
A few interesting possibilities in our youth intake group. They play our U18s to a scoreless friendly draw. Out of 14 combined shots, a grand total of 1 was actually on target (by Hassan Janneh). MOM was a D prospect Lokman Kaymaz (7 interceptions) although statistically there wasn't a lot to choose from.

Graham Fell recommends signing at least 11 of them, I think that might be a bit much frankly, not a lot in the group as far as I can see.

JonInMiddleGA

04-01-2012, 04:43 PM

March 17, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s got a 2-1 away win over Dover, courtesy of an own goal in the 28th minute. Graeme Mockler had put us in front 1-0 at 15', they scored at 77'. Mostly trialists played in this one, only a few familiar names showed up as second half subs.

March 17, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (3rd, 20-5-9) vs Corby (8th, 15-6-13)

Another game against a team that beat us in the first meeting, a 2-1 loss at Corby in September. We didn't play well, particularly on the wings. They've got a threat up front in Sam Mullarkey (11 goals) but will be missing their other dangerous ST Andrew White (10 goals) due to injury. We need a win here against a good club, both Nuneaton & Histon are playing teams currently in/near the drop zone & are likely to get points. Corby are actually 5:4 favorites today, we're 7:4 on a drizzly 55 degree day. We'll be in a 4-4-2 Standard set.

Oh lookie ... Today's ref is Scott Duncan, who has handed out 202 yellow cards & 13 red cards in 33 games this season.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - D'Laryea - Sinclair
MF: Phillips - Matondo - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong, Mole
(Available: Hooks, Slaughter, Groves, White, Hartley)

1:51 - We get a turnover in their end but Mole shoots high from the spot
6:40 - Kendrick with a throw-in to Armstrong deep & wide on the left ... he quickly crosses into the box for Mole ... header ... GOAL ! (1-0) Great start for sure
09:15 - Stimson with a quick pass to Mullarkey right in front ... he slides on & shoots ... Knight had no chance there (1-1) Just a nice pass by Stimson there
11:53 - Emms in-swinging corner misses everything & sails over the touch line
13:20 - Lob pass to Gorman in the box ... D'Laryea missed a tackle ... Gorman puts it past Knight (1-2)
24:41 - Mole from the arc with a pass to Phillips cutting into the area from the left ... dribbles in ... shoots ... GOAL ! (2-2) He sucked the keeper to him, took advantage of the angle & put it past
43:30 - Corby will have to replaced Delroy Gordon, he went down hard on a scrum in the box on a corner
45:00 - 3 mins of extra time ... 46:58 - Emms with hanging corner ... Mellish is there ... GOAL ! (3-2)

Halftime - Well that was certainly interesting. We've outshot them 11-2, had 62% poss, passing great, we've stayed out of foul trouble & the like ... and we only lead by one. "Things are going well but I know you're capable of even more". We'll continue to stand off & tackle cautiously for at least a while longer, we've avoided the customary cards so far, I'd like to keep it that way

56:00 - We defend two corners, they get a third and Mellish is there again ...
64:00 - Another corner, this time it's Knight who comes out & makes an acrobatic save, the best we've seen all season
68:08 - Mellish rushes out toward midfield, takes down Mullarkey on an aerial challenge & gets a yellow card for his troubles
77:55 - Emms with a pass ahead to Mole in space ... he's offside
Sub Groves for Sinclair (tiring), Sub Slaughter for Phillips (tiring) ... switch to Counter strategy
80:40 - Matondo finds Armstrong in the area ... he shoots wide
82:11 - A rebound leads to a Corby chance, Knight makes the save
87:30 - Slaughter gets a great shot on goal, saved & Corby launches a counterattack ... Towers comes into the midfield & he's dragged down by Vipond, that's a well earned yellow card
89:00 - Sub Hooks for Emms (Vipond to RMF) ... switch to Contain
91:20 - Groves fouls Gorman in the left channel ... that's a free kick ... Vipond heads it over the touchline ... Throw-in goes to the area, Hooks punts it out past the center line

Fulltime - Whew. 15-4 shot advantage, 61% poss., turned into a thriller. I remind the team not to get complacent, appeared to have stressed out most of our forwards, may have helped focus most of the rest of the first team.

Knight 6.9
Kendrick 6.8, Mellish 7.4 & 1 goal - D'Laryea 6.9, Sinclair 6.9
Phillips 7.4 & 1 goal, Matondo 6.9, Vipond 6.9, Emms 7.5 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.8, Mole (MOM) 7.9 & 1 goal & 1 assist
Subs: Slaughter/Groves/Hooks all N/A

March 17, 2012 (post-match)

As expected Histon wins easily, 3-0, over Guiseley but 19th place Eastwood shocks Nuneaton 2:1. That leaves us tied with Histon in points & trailing in GD, Nuneaton slips to third. Bishop's Stortford & Droylsden are 10 points back of us, tied for 4th. Vauxhall is 6th, a point back of the tied duo, Hinckley is 7th and 3 back of a playoff spot

In the FA Trophy semi-finals, Gateshead goes through with a 7-5 aggregate win over Kettering. They'll face Luton who advanced with a 4-1 aggregate win over Fleetwood

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 12:19 AM

March 24, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (2nd, 21-5-9) vs Hinckley (6th, 16-7-12)

The first meeting was a 3-3 draw, as Hinckley drew level in the 83rd minute. We didn't actually play all that well but stole a point on the road anyway. They'll be hoping to get at least a point here since they're still in the playoff hunt (55 pts, 3 back of 5th) but let's hope we do better today at Croft Park, with 44 degrees & drizzle in the forecast. We're surprisingly 2:5 favorites today, Hinckley being longshotted at 13:2. Maybe not quite as surprising when you realize they're missing four players who have started 20 games or more, 3 to injury & 1 to a red card suspensions, three of them are in the midfield. We'll start again in 4-4-2 Standard and see how things go.

Once again, it's damned ol' Scott Duncan with the whistle.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Jones - Mellish - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Vipond - Emms
F: Armstrong, Mole
(Available: Phillips, Slaughter, Purvis, Taylor, Knight)

3:00 - Emms whips in a corner but Hooks tramples a defender and gets called for a foul, wiping out a good chance.
9:28 - Mole in the right channel ... pass into the box for Armstrong but his header goes over
11:56 - Multiple chances in the area, Emms finally shoots it wide
13:47 - Chamberlain misses a very good chance for Hinckley, just a bit wide
19:06 - A brilliant fingertip save is all that denies Armstrong, after a great feed by Mole
20:15 - On the ensuing corner Emms swings it out for Jones ... header ... GOAL (1-0) High in the going to his left he somehow knocks it to the right & in
25:10 - Chamberlain has everyone beaten ... except Hartley who makes an easy save
25:33 - Armstrong draws a yellow card for a midfield foul
27:24 - Mellish's header off the corner is tipped up & over
39:48 - After a nice Pass from hooks Armstrong finds himself one on one ... and rattles it off the far post ... rebound is loose ... Mole battles with McAughtrie ... it's in the net ... (2-0) an own goal extends the lead
45:00 - 1 min of extra time ... 45:52 ... Emms corner is headed out but Mole tracks it down & tries to find some room ... instead he finds Matondo in the area on the left side ... shoots with his off foot .. off Andrew's hands & in for a goal (3-0)

Halftime - We've outshot them 11-3, yellow cards are even at three apiece (Sinclair, Hooks, Armstrong). Hard to complain about much, as long as we don't fall apart here.

45:33 - Law easily takes the ball away from Vipond at midfield off the kickoff, plays it long ahead to Chamberlain who outruns the defense & simply beats Hartley (3-1) Well that didn't take long.
48:26 - Armstrong with a weak attempt that's blocked, a long pass & it's Chamberlain on the break again. This time Hartley comes far out to grab it before any damage is done.
49:44 - Armstrong finds Mole on the edge of the box, he buries a shot but was offside
52:00 - Matondo with a long range rocket that's high & over
55:37 - Emms swings in a corner to Jones, it bounces short & Dudley clears it off the line
61:00 - Hooks pounds a loose box out of the box to safety
63:25 - Vipond with a pass to Mole in the area but he fires it wide left

71:22 - Sub Purvis for Sinclair, sub Phillips for Hooks
76:55 - Mole wins a battle in the offensive end & spots Armstrong downfield ... in space ... shoots ... off the right post again ... Dudley tracks it down along the end line & puts it out for the throw
We switch to Defensive
86:36 - Sub Taylor for Armstrong

Fulltime - I sure am happy that Hinckley came out a little flat today, outshooting anyone 19-5 with 59% poss. is kinda fun. Jones was a beast in the air (10/10) and other than Chamberlain we handled them pretty well.

Hartley 6.9
Kendrick 6.9, Jones 7.6 & 1 goal, Mellish 6.9, Sinclair 7.0
Matondo(MOM) 7.7 & 1 goal, Hooks 6.9, Vipond 6.9, Emms 7.4 & 1 assist
Armstrong 6.9 & 1 assist, Mole 7.0 & 1 assist
Subs: Purvis/Phillips 6.7, Taylor N/A

March 24, 2012 (post-match)
The fans are jubilant, and with a 6 game winning streak I should hope so.
FC Halifax gives us a gift, beating Histon 1:0, while Nuneaton dispatched relegation candidate Boston Utd 3-0. That means we're back in sole possession of first place, 3 pts ahead of both of them. Bishop's Stortford & Droylsden are tied for 4th now 12 pts back, Vauxhall trails that pair by 2 pts, Halifax now trails them by 3 pts.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 12:42 AM

March 25, 2012 (morning)
Simon Osborn wants to see me. Wants first team football, yadda yadda. I'll try to work him in.

March 25, 2012 (afternoon)
Our Reserves lose at Whitby 1-0, second straight loss to them, kind of embarassing considering we had plenty of players with first team experience playing throughout. Our midfield was particularly weak, the backline & frontline played reasonably well. Oh well, this was really for fitness purposes anyway. Much worse than the loss was news of a bruised shin that will keep Glen Taylor out for 9-12 days.

March 31, 2012 (afternoon)
Phil Cave wants to see me. I don't see first team football in his future, so I agree to let him go at the end of the season. I try to convince him to agree to terminate his contract now but he wants no part of that. Seemed worth a try at least.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 01:26 AM

March 31, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 22-5-9) at Eastwood (19th, 9-11-16)

We beat these guys 2-1 at home in our first meeting but they've been playing well of late, winning three straight. We have to avoid a letdown, today is a big opportunity for us since Nuneaton & Histon play each other. One of them could be 6 points back with 5 games to play, or either of them could find themselves in first place on GD. Eastwood are slight favorites, 6:4 to our 13:8, on a wet pitch at Coronation Park.

We're going to start 4-4-2 Counter

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - D'Laryea - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - Groves - Osborn - Vipond
F: Armstrong, Mole
(Available: Purvis, Slaughter, White, Hooks, Hartley)

1:30 - Knight makes a diving safe after a free kick nearly got tipped in from the box
7:58 - Vipond takes a crack from outside, keeper had to tip it over the bar ... Kendrick's outswing corner comes to nothing
17:47 - Knight turns a hard shot 'round the post
20:53 - Osborn finds Armstrong in the area ... he's offisde
36:17 - Armstrong passes to Matondo in the left channel with a head of a steam ... low cross toward the near post hits defender & caroms straight to Mole who shoots on the run ... GOAL !!! (1-0)

Halftime - 5-3 edge on shot (4 of ours on target), 60% poss. and the lead. I'll take that even if we aren't tackling nor heading well so far. We'll stick with the same plan as the first half for now

64:00 - Sub Slaughter for Osborn
71:30 - Sub Hooks for Vipond
78:00 - Switch to Defensive strategy
79:00 - Kendrick's free kick from just outside the area goes a bit high
89:00 - 3 mins of added time coming up ... Sub White for Kendrick (tired) (Slaughter to LWB, White to RCM, Matondo back to LMF) ... switch to Contain

Fulltime - Wasn't thrilling to watch, only 6-5 shots for the game, but it's three points & I'll take that. Mellish was great defensively, 7/9 in the air and 6 interceptions

Knight 6.9
Kendrick 6.8, Mellish(MOM) 7.7, D'Laryea 7.0, Sinclair 7.1
Matondo 6.9 & 1 assist, Groves 6.8, Osborn 6.8, Vipond 6.9
Armstrong 6.9, Mole 7.2 & 1 goal
Subs: Hooks 6.7, Slaughter 6.5, White N/A

March 31, 2012 (post-match)
Nuneaton beat Histon 4-2 & moves into 2nd place, 3 pts back of us. Histon drops to 3rd but they're 6 pts ahead of #4 Droylsden, 8 pts up on Bishop's Stortford after they drew with Altrincham. 5 games to play for everyone in contention. Today's result guarantees us at least a playoff place.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 01:41 AM

April 1, 2012

Dan Holman of Histon wins Player of the Month honors. Simon Johnson of Solihull Moors was second, Mark Leech of Nuneaton third.

Well how about this: I've been named BSBN Manger of the Month, edging out Andy Cale of Gainsborough & Graham Drury of Corby.

The board is very pleased with my overall leadership of the team. There's not anything of note in the way of negatives, the fans were even happy with the rather drab 1-0 win over Eastwood.

Jamie Mole is 2nd in league Goals (25, trailing Dan Holman's 26), 2nd in league Average Rating (7.40 to Daniel Sparkes 7.45) and 2nd in MOM (10 to Sparkes 11). Joe Kendrick & Danny Groves are good luck charms, leading the league with 20 games won. Graham Armstrong leads the league with 85% Pass Completion rate, Chris Emms is tied for 4th in Assists (12, to Sparkes 16)

April 2, 2012
A tough bit of scheduling coming up for us, first in a long while. We host last place & virtually certain to go down Boston Utd on Saturday, but then have a short turnaround to play at Histon on Monday. The solution is obvious, but points are points ... can we risk a virtually all reserve lineup against even the worst team in the league? That's a plan that hasn't really worked out well for us this year so far.

April 4, 2012
Jordan Mellish wants an improved contract, and at only $30/wk he certainly deserves one. Problem is, I'm already some $500/wk over budget and can't improve on his deal at all right now. I convince him that we'll discuss it at a later date.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 02:30 AM

Apr 7 , 2012 (morning)
Our U18s lose to Hinckley 1-0, Russell Atkinson allows a goal in the 10th minute & that was it for the scoring, as we were outshot 18-4. That was ugly & I'm not thrilled to see our youngest/least skilled players starting while our best either subbed late or didn't play at all.

April 7, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1st, 23-5-9) vs Boston Utd (22nd, 5-12-20)

Our first meeting was a 3-0 win at home, with Sawyer, Mole, and Mellish all scoring while Groves was MOM with an 8.1 thanks to an assist & generally being everywhere all day (12 interceptions). I don't want to take anything for granted but feel like we pretty much have to rest the regulars before playing Histon some 48 hours from now. Let's see if our reserves can get the job done. We're Pick 'Em favorites in spite of being at home today

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard to start

GK - Hartley
D: Martin - Jones - Buchanan - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Harrison - Janneh - Whiteley
F: White - Chinthengah
(Available: D'Laryea, McCabe, Slaughter, Mole, Knight)

04:13 - Austin with a header that hits the bounce & bounces clear
10:41 - White with a free kick that soars harmlessly high
20:24 - White finds Phillips high in the box, his shot is way over the bar
23:00 - Mannix shoots wide after a brief run into space
25:10 - Chinthengah with a free kick just outside the area on the right ... he aims for the far post, it's tipped by the keeper ... hits the crossbar & ricochets into the net GOAL !!! (1-0)
31:22 - Great defense turns to disaster as a clearance falls to Highdale 35 yards away, he fires & it beats Knight by hitting the crossbar & falling in (1-1)
33:15 - Chinthengah gets another crack at it, misses high from the arc
38:09 - White puts it high & wide

Halftime - This group is so young they look nervous, I'm not sure I calmed them much if at all. White took a knock just before the half, not sure how much more we can get from him but we're going to try, I'd rather not use Mole unless absolutely desperately necessary. We outshot them 7-4 and had 57% poss, can't cross for crap & have been lousy in the air. Our back line is really keeping us in this one so far.

46:48 - Harrison hits the post with a shot from the arc, so very close
50:36 - Mannix banks a shot in off Hartley & suddenly we're behind (1-2) Jellyman played a low cross nicely to him & he turned Hartley inside out
60:00 - Switch to Attack
66:00 - Sub McCabe for Whitely, Sub D'Laryea for Buchanan
76:00 - Sub Mole for Chinthengah (knocked) ... I guess I'm desperate enough

Fulltime - Just damn. We got what we deserved. It's on me, but it was a gamble I felt we had to take or risk having a tired squad get pounded by Histon. I'm not happy with our performance - regardless of who was on the pitch - and I calmly let the players know that.

Apr 7, 2012 (post-match)
Nuneaton beat Droylsden 2-1, tying us with 74 pts & taking over 1st place on GD.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 03:18 AM

April 8, 2012
Our Reserves beat Spennymoor 1-0 in a friendly meant for fitness purposes. Chris McCabe scored in the 35th minute and Max Johnson posted a clean sheet.

April 9, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (2nd, 23-5-10) at Histon (3rd, 20-8-10)

We lost to Histon 2-0 back in November after a scoreless first half we gave up a couple of goals in the final 20 minutes. We'll still be no worse than 2nd place if we don't win here but three points would certainly put the pressure on Nuneaton.

We'll go 4-4-2 Defensive to start, and of course Scott Duncan is the referee today.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Mellish - D'Laryea - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - Osborn - Groves - Emms
F: Mole - Armstrong
(Available: Jones - Vipond - Taylor - Slaughter - Hartley)

5:39 - Sinclair intercepts at midfield & drives the ball ahead to Armstrong, Weaver tackles it away but can't control ... Armstrong back on the ball & shoots ... GOAL !!! (1-0) Stadelman couldn't react quickly enough to the surprise shot. That breaks a drought of more than a month for the captain
09:00 - Knight comes out & robs Sparkes who had launched a rocket but it was parried with authority
10:30 - Armstrong comes forward & narrowly misses a shot, pushing it wide left
12:28 - Emms with a steal & a lovely ball ahead to Armstrong ... quick pass to Mole ... he's got space & misses wide left
24:04 - Holman works himself free & into the area, misses wide left
25:22 - Holman misses wide right
34:09 - Kendrick crosses for Mole, Stadelman misses the interception attempt and Mole buries it (2-0) Histon is furious insisting
36:04 - Trademark strike from Holman who just abused Knight (2-1)
Brought it into the area, lost D'Laryea easily & pounded it home
40:00 - Sinclair picks up a yellow card for impeding Sparkes
42:11 - Matondo has space after a pass from Kendrick, misses wide of the far post

Halftime - It's a close one, 7-5 in shots, 51% poss, we're going to have to keep on our toes & if anything improve our effort if we're to hang on here. Mellish (5.8) must be thinking about his contract worries, Osborn bitched about not starting & is already running out of gas. No changes yet, but they're surely coming.

52:54 - Brilliant cross by Armstrong to Matondo ... he misses the shot by inches. No excuse for that one not being in the net honestly

59:30 - Armstrong & Mole advancing ... the captain decides to launch one from well past 30 yards away ... it's IN !!! (3-1) The ball just kept rising & locked onto the back of the net

68:49 - We can't stand prosperity ... Holman finds himself alone in the area & fires it past Knight (3-2)

71:00 - Sub Slaughter for Emms (knocked) ... Sub Jones for Mellish (6.0)
Switch to Defensive ... Histon changes to a 4-1-2-3

79:00 - Sub Vipond for Osborn (tired)
85:29 - Mole gets a yellow card seconds after Armstrong narrowly missed a hat trick as Stadelman bobbled a tight angle shot

90:00 - 3 mins extra time ... 91:20 - Matondo plays a great looking ball for Armstrong who has only the keeper to beat ... he missed it high ... switch to Contain

92:00 - Holman has a clean look ... he misses wide left

Fulltime - I'm not entirely sure we deserved this one, but I'll certainly take it.
We outshot them 12-11, they had 51% poss, we did just enough.

Knight 6.8
Kendrick 7.7 & 1 assist, Mellish 5.6, D'Laryea 6.9, Sinclair 6.9
Matondo 6.8, Osborn 6.8, Groves 6.9, Emms 6.9
Mole 7.9 & 1 goal & 1 assist, Armstrong 8.8 & 2 goals
Subs: Slaughter 6.7, Jones 6.6, Vipond N/A

April 9, 2012 (post-match)
The two goal outburst by Armstrong ended a scoring drought of 679 minutes.

Nuneaton keeps pace, pounding Vauxhall 4-1. Histon falls to 9 pts back in third, Bishop's Stortford is 13 back in 4th, Droylsden is 14 back in 5th. Corby & Hinckley are both 16 back of first, 2 back of the last playoff spot. Now 3 games left to play all around.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 03:26 AM

April 10, 2012
Graeme Armstrong was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 10:36 PM

April 14, 2012 (morning)
BSBN Player of the Season shortlist is announced, Jamie Mole is thought to be among the front runners along with Daniel Sparkes. I can't vote for my own guy so I'm thinking maybe I just don't vote? There isn't really another candidate that's in their class frankly.

Another bit of news from the larger world, Championship side Burnely has shocked Premier club Sunderland 2-0 at Wembley to go through to the FA Cup final. They'll meet the winner of Fulham & Wolves in the final.

April 14, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (2nd, 23-5-10) vs Droylsden (5th, 18-9-12)

First meeting at their place was maybe our most shocking win of the year, 5-1, with 4 goals in the first half and we held them scoreless until extra time. They played the second half down a man after a red card but we dominated the first half. I'd take a repeat performance for sure. We're 5:4 favorites at Croft Park.

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard to start, not going to play scared here at home. At least not at kickoff.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - Sinclair - Groves
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Vipond - Emms
F: Mole - Armstrong
(Available: Slaughter, Phillips, Taylor, Sawyer, Hartley)

18:41 - Vickers free kick from wide left ... into the box for Nat Kerr ... his header is off the crossbar ... Hooks punts it clear
31:26 - GK Farmer makes a brilliant save to deny Matondo who tried to squeeze a shot in a narrow space near the left post
39:45 - Emms hangs a corner for Hooks .. diving header ... GOAL !!! (1-0)

Halftime - Not the most exciting half you'll ever see, we've been outshot 3-2 but it worked out pretty well for us. We need to improve our aerial play and tackle better, but we're in front & that's a good thing. Just keep it up boys, keep it up

64:15 - Emms whips in a corner, Sinclair is there ... his header goes over the crossbar

68:20 - Sub Slaughter for Armstrong (5.9) (Matondo to LF)
75:11 - Droylsden makes a clear shift into attack mode
76:53 - Vickers with a run into the area ... little bump pass finds Johnson in the box ... he scores (1-1)
Flip-flop Kendrick & Slaughter, Sub Taylor for Matondo (tiring)
86:02 - Connor take a long shot that hits the bar ... rebound straight to Johnson who heads it toward the left post ... Logan runs onto it and scores ... unbelievable ... wait a minute ... there's a flag ... he's been ruled offside, no goal We switch to Counter & sub Phillips on for Kendrick

Fulltime - We escape our own pitch with a miraculous draw. We just came undone in the second half, our forwards vanished completely, probably the worst 45 mins of the year by Mole. We end up outshot 8-4, lucky to scrape out a point frankly. That was unacceptable.

Knight 6.8
Kendrick 6.7, Jones 6.0, Sinclair 6.9, Groves 7.0
Matondo 6.6, Hooks(MOM) 7.3 & 1 goal, Vipond 6.5, Emms 6.9 & 1 assist
Mole 5.8, Armstrong 5.9
Subs: Slaughter 6.7, Taylor/Philips N/A

Apr 14, 2012 (post-match)
Nuneaton destroys Gloucester 4-0, so we now trail them by 2 points. Today's point clinches at least a second place finish for us, as we lead Histon by 7 with only 2 left to play, That's something I suppose. Histon has clinched a playoff spot however. Bishop's Stortford drew Corby, so they remain 1 point ahead of Droylsden, with Corby & FC Halifax both 2 points short of a playoff spot.

In BSB Premier, both Barrow & last years BSBN champ Alfreton are assured relegation.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 10:57 PM

April 15, 2012
Wolves roll over Fulham 3-0 to gain a spot in the FA Cup final against Burnley. It was in unconventional fashion, as all three goals came in extra time, at 99', 109' (own goal) and 120'

Izulde

04-02-2012, 11:30 PM

Tough loss with the gamble backfiring, but I agree it was the right move. Do you play Nuneaton again before the end of the year? Can't recall.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2012, 11:51 PM

April 21, 2012 (morning)
Our U18's drew 2-2 with Histon at Croft Park. Hassan Janneh scored at 24' to draw us level, Tom Seery put us in front at 53' but they answered at 55'

April 21, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (2nd, 23-6-10) at Vauxhall (9th, 15-14-11)

First meeting came at home with a disappointing 2-0 loss the result. They scored twice in the first 30' and then shut us down. We'll have to play much better to get points today. At the moment they still have the slimmest chance for a playoff spot, trailing Droylsden by 5 with two matches left but realistically there are probably too many teams for them to leap to make it. We catch them with their leading scorer, David Nwaogu (9 goals) sitting out a 2 match red card suspension. That probably accounts for us being 4:6 favorites today

We'll go 4-4-2 Defensive to start, not sure how long we can stay in that however since we obviously struggled to score against them the first time.

GK - Knight
D: Kendrick - Jones - D'Laryea - Sinclair
MF: Phillips - Matondo - Groves - Vipond
F: Mole - Armstrong
(Available: Slaughter, Sawyer, Hooks, Chinthengah, Hartley)

2:46 - Phillips with an outswinging corner played for Jones ... GOAL !!! (1-0) a flying start with a header right through the keeper's hands

29:18 - Vipond with a steal & a beautiful long ball for Mole ... he lobs ... just wide
33:42 - Mole with space, a right footer ... it trickles wide right
34:58 - Mole in the area from Matondo ... shoots it high & wide, was offisde anyway

Halftime - A 5-1 edge in shots makes this one feel easier than it might have actually been. If Mole was on target the lead would be bigger, simple as that.
I just tell the team to keep it up, but I flip flop Mole & Armstrong positions up front.

56:13 - Lamb takes a header off a corner ... it's high & harmless

64:12 - We block a free kick, concede a corner ... Cleared easily by Matondo ... we switch to Counter

80:00 - Sub Chinthengah for Armstrong (tiring), Sawyer for Groves (tiring), switch back to Defensive

85:57 - Wright with a free kick from the arc ... it's off the woodwork & Sawyer heads the rebound clear

89:00 - 3 mins of extra time ... 89:39 Mole tracks down a deep ball, plays it back out to Sawyer, back to Mole ... he's offside ... 92:33 Chinthengah earns a corner after being tackled nicely inside the box ...

Fulltime - The coaches are upset & want me to rip the team, but looking at the ratings I can't do that in good conscience. It wasn't pretty but it was three badly needed points. Nothing seems right & for the first time ever I skip the overall pep talk. I praise the back line for winning us the match and leave the rest alone. Hopefully they're professionals & understand our situation, although I'd like to have beaten a team that hasn't won in 8 games by more than 1-0.

Knight 6.7
Kendrick 7.0, Jones(MOM) 8.2 & 1 goal, D'Laryea 7.0, Sinclair 7.4
Phillips 6.9 & 1 assist, Matondo 6.8, Groves 6.9, Vipond 6.9
Mole 6.4, Armstrong 6.7
Subs: Sawyer/Chinthengah N/A

April 21, 2012 (post-match)
Workington unexpectedly earns a draw with Nuneaton, so we're both at 81 points with a match to play. We're dead on GD, they're +46, we're +26, so we're going to need some help in the final week.

Bishop's Stortford clinches the 4th spot with a 3-1 win over Corby, Histon beat Eastwood 4-2 to lock up 3rd. Droylsden managed a 1-1 draw with Hinckley, keeping them in 5th place at the moment with Corby, FC Halifax, and Hinckley all 3 points behind. Droylsden has the worst GD (+4), Corby is +17, Halifax is +6, Hinckley is +5 so any of them has a shot next week.

At the opposite end of the table Gloucester upset Stalybridge 1-0, climbing into 19th place a point ahead of Eastwood. Guiseley & Boston Utd are both assured of relegation now 4 points from climbing out.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 12:00 AM

Tough loss with the gamble backfiring, but I agree it was the right move. Do you play Nuneaton again before the end of the year? Can't recall.

Nope, our March 3rd meeting was the second & last. We put ourselves in the unfortunate position of needing help after that gamble failed, but at this level the rosters can be awfully thin and tight schedules are tough. The game, and my task, felt exponentially easier once we got into a one match a week stretch.

In truth, I think (having been away from CM/FM for a number of years) I've been surprised by how well I've been able to figure out what I want to do & what players I need to do it with. I may not be doing any number of things right but at least I have some clue of what I want to do, if that makes sense.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 12:12 AM

April 24, 2012
Carl Jones has been selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 01:24 AM

April 28, 2012 (morning)
Our U18's lost 3-2 at Solihull Moors, losing a 2-1 lead by allowing a pair of second half goals. 5 goals scored on only 12 shots combined in an odd game. With one match remaining in their season, our U18s have been locked into a 3rd place finish in Group 10, which was won by Dorcester, with Dover finishing 2nd.

April 28, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (2nd, 25-6-10) vs Gloucester (19th, 9-13-19)

We beat them 2-1 on the day after Christmas, with first half goals from Armstrong & Groves, then hung on for the victory. I'll take that result again today, especially if it comes with a side order of Nuneaton not beating Colwyn Bay. The first meeting between those two clubs, for whatever it's worth, was a scoreless draw at Colwyn.

In spite of the disparity in table position, this won't be easy. Gloucester has lost only once in 4 games and since Mark D'Laryea took over as manager, they've posted a respectable 2-3-2 record. That probably accounts for why we're only 5:4 favorites despite being at home.

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard to start, although I'm sorely tempted to try contain instead.

GK - Hartley
D: Kendrick - Jones - D'Laryea - Sinclair
MF: Matondo - Hooks - Vipond - Emms
F: Mole - Armstrong
(Available: Slaughter, Groves, Osborn, Taylor, Knight)

13:05 - Edwards whistles a hard shot wide right ... Nuneaton has scored in the 9th minute to lead Colwyn Bay 1-0

14:52 - Armstrong with a bad pass that's intercepted but Vipond quickly tackles it away ... Hooks steps into it and fires from 35 yards ... inches wide

15:39 - Mole gets grabbed from behind, that pull on the jersey is enough to earn Mustoe a yellow card ... Kendrick looong range free kick bounces off the keeper and is free in the box but Mustoe hoofs it clear

19:30 - Gill free kick from the left channel ... Hamblin's header from the far side is too high

24:00 - Gloucester misfires on a breakaway, we concede a corner ... heavy pressure in the box but Sinclair finally clears it

29:01 - A great sequence of sharp passing leads to a left footed try by Hooks ... denied but the rebound comes to Armstrong for a split second before Hutchinson tackles it out for a corner ... comes to nothing

30:24 - Edwards gets their second yellow of the match, tripping Sinclair
32:34 - Emms down the right channel, deeper than usual ... quick cross to Matondo in the area ... he lets it drop & volleys .... GOAL !!!! (1-0)
... but Nuneaton has extended their lead to 2-0 and Colwyn standout McEvilly is out with an injury

38:55 - Sinclair clears a long ball to Mole ... he's got some room but lobs it wide

44:45 - Armstrong with a solid chance from the right side of the area, Bertram makes the save

Halftime - After a slow start, a flurry of activity. We've outshot them 8-6, with 58% poss. We're passing the best I've seen in weeks, tackling well, crossing okay, creating chances ... and the lead is the smallest possible. We'll follow Graham Fell's advice & look to get more direct passes, they do appear ripe to be beaten deep, we just have to finish when that happens.

45:25 - They get a fair chance running on from the kickoff, shoot it wide left
... meanwhile Newby scores at 54' to draw Colwyn Bay to within a goal at 1-2 against Nuneaton

61:00 - Matondo has picked up a yellow earlier in the half but he's playing great (7.4), we leave him on but remind him to take it easy on tackling

75:18 - Sub Slaughter for Matondo, Osborn for Hooks (tiring), flip Kendrick to LMF, switch to Counter ... now Newby has left the game for Colwyn Bay, their second injury of the match, still trailing 1-2 in the 74'

Emms free kick is lose in the box, we get off a shot but can't score .... they briefly counter but we break it up ...

86:00 - Switch to Defensive ... Emms corner to the far post ... D'Laryea header goes over

87:39 - Sinclair puts the ball out for a corner ... Osborn reads it & intercepts, putting it out near the center line

89:00 - 2 mins of added time ... COLWYN BAY HAS DRAWN LEVEL VERY LATE, Murray with a goal at 82' ... 91:00 Emms with a corner to D'Laryea, again it's just inches high & a Gloucester goal kick ... switch to Contain & try to sub Groves on for Emms

91:47 - Webb with a long ball into the right channel, Davies is there with Slaughter chasing ... he's offside

Fulltime - "We got what we wanted today, a professional effort" 10-7 edge on shots ... 54% poss, great passing in the final third (91%), our tackling improved toward the end and we kept pressure on, forcing 9 corners.

Hartley 6.7
Kendrick 6.8, Jones 7.2, D'Laryea 6.9, Sinclair 7.2
Matondo(MOM) 7.4 & 1 goal, Hooks 6.2, Vipond 6.9, Emms 7.1 & 1 assist
Mole 6.7, Armstrong 6.8
Subs: Slaughter/Osborn N/A

April 28, 2012 (post-match)
The loss is costly for Gloucester, as Eastwood played Droylsden to a scoreless draw & grabbed a point, tying the teams for 19th/20th, Eastwood has a GD of -23, Gloucester -30 and so by the slimmest of margins, it's Gloucester who suffers relegation. The point saves the final playoff spot for Droylsden however, as wins by Halifax and Hinckley left them one point behind.

And God Bless Corwyn Bay ... they hung on to earn a draw with Nuneaton, rallying down 2-0 to level the match at 2-2. Let the celebration BEGIN !

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 01:31 AM

I'm delighted in the post match presser, I suspect that it showed :)

Blyth have won the Blue Square Bet North title. Jamie Mole led the way to glory for the surprise package by notching 26 goals en route to sealing the crown.

Delight was on the faces of Blyth fans everywhere tonight as Jon Loveless and his team lifted the Blue Square Bet North. One fan spoke for everyone when he declared that Loveless was the prime reason for the team's success

Speaking after the result, the Blyth Spartans board have declared the triumph in the Blue Square Bet North a "truly momentous" occasion and they are delighted with the head coach for bringing home the trophy. The board stated that with Loveless at the helm, anything seemed possible and they were delighted with the success the head coach had brought them.

Blyth Spartans' Frank Sinclair has revealed his joy at clinching the Blue Square Bet North title and directed most of the praise towards his current head coach. Sinclair felt the leadership qualities on display during the course of the season was the main catalyst behind this title success

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 01:41 AM

May 1, 2012

Nuneaton's Kevin Wilkin has won the BSBN Manager of the Month award. Bishop's Stortford's Rod Stringer & Gainsborough's Andy Cale finished 2nd & 3rd. I simply smile and ponder the future.

The Board is delighted with the leadership qualities I am demonstrating. Our fantastic performance is BSBN has been a particular highlight. Oh, the fans are slightly concerned that despite good recent results the soccer played by the club has been less than exciting.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 02:00 AM

May 1, 2012 (evening)
Histon beat Bishop's Stortford 3-1 in the first leg of the playoffs
Droylsden beat Nuneaton 1-0

May 4, 2012 (afternoon)
Incidentally, Man City has already clinched the Premier title with 2 matches remaining. Chelsea is currently second, 2 pts up on Man U, Tottenham is securely 4th barring a collapse (6 up on Fulham with 2 to play). To this point Blackburn is the only team assured of relegation. To that end, they fired manager Steve Kean today.

May 5, 2012
--- Swansea has been relegated from the English Premier Division
--- Blyth U18s beat Stalybridge 2-0, courtesy of two goals by Lewis Whiteley.
--- Burnley has won the FA Cup, 2-1, over Wolves.

May 6, 2012 (morning)
Heads on chopping blocks aplenty today. Crystal Palace, Leicester, Northampton, Port Vale, Portsmouth, Southend, and MK Dons all dismiss their head man.

May 6, 2012 (afternoon)
Histon advances in the BSBN playoffs with a 4-2 win over Bishop's Stortford, giving them a 7-3 aggregate total
Droylsden advances in the BSBN playoffs with a 2-0 win over Nuneaton, giving them a 3-0 aggregate total.

That's a pretty epic collapse by Nuneaton down the stretch, failing to win any of their last four games (including playoffs) and failing to score a single goal in the post-season.

Bolton has been relegated from the English Premier Division, head man Owen Coyle was dismissed following the match.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 02:02 AM

May 7, 2012
Ass't coach Gavin Fell (who I seem to insist on calling Graham half the time) has put together a yearly training summary.

Danny Groves, Jordan Mellish and Kyle Barlow made some improvement over the last season.

Jalmard Kulsten & Frank Sinclair have declined slightly, Phil Cave & Wayne Phillips showed showed signs they may be on the decline as well.

Among the youth, Tom Seery, Tamer Dalton, and Andy Williamson made some improvement. Matty Hunter improved particularly well.

Today marks the end of season break, with players on vacation until pre-season begins with training on June 25, 2012.

Grover

04-03-2012, 02:42 AM

Congrats on promotion, may you have many more.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 02:49 AM

Out of character stuff

Dang, that was fun. Couldn't have asked for much more drama in the final match and I'm honestly surprised by the success. I kept expecting things to fall apart more than they did, that was my old pattern years back but it never truly came undone.

The learning curve has felt pretty big, even having played past versions. So much has changed, the game is more intricate than before, downright delicate at times.

I made at least one glaring error that I'm still worried will cost me dearly. I oversigned - classic overanxious rookie mistake I know - and stayed about $500/wk over the salary budget for the 2nd half of the season. That means I've been unable to do much of anything about renewing contracts and honestly I don't know how that's going to work out. I'm hoping that once contracts expire that will clear the decks enough for me to renew the players I want to keep as well as being able to begin negotiations with those of interest that I've scouted. The whole thing about trying to get rid of a player or two that happened with 2-3 months left in the season (the Coulson incident) was born of a desperate desire to sign a pacy LMF I found, I really believe he would have been enough to push us toward clinching with a little less stress at the end.

It's a little unnerving to reach this point & realize how much of the game - both FM12 and real-world - I don't understand. After clinching the league, I had no idea when the next sequence of events would take place, stuff like vacation, official promotion, etc. etc. So right now each time I click continue I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to see next.

I look back at the year and know some of the things I did wrong besides the salary problem. I'm sure I didn't handle training very well at all but hope a guide I found online will at least improve that next year. I obviously still have things to learn about team meetings & handling the interaction system in general.

My biggest concern about next season is BSBP is really two-fold. I'm sure I'm going to be outmanned most of the time but what actually concerns me most about that is my strategic weaknesses making that even more difficult to overcome. It was probably only the last 5-10 matches that I starting paying attention to the "best roles" info in the player reports & trying to play to those strengths when it made sense & fit my general scheme. I know I'm going to have to mix up the formations/strategies more as I move into higher levels, 4-4-2 Standard probably ain't going to cut it nearly as often. I also have to get more structure with my reserves, keep more players match fit in the slower parts of the schedule. I felt very limited in squad choices by having so few guys who were really ready to play, would have loved to have had those veteran LWB's Kulsten & Giddings out there more.

The things I think I did well, at least reasonably, included identifying players who fit certain roles & complimented the talent on hand. Picking up Sinclair was huge, I saw him (based on ratings) as an improved version of D'Laryea and he turned out to be that and then some. Down the crucial stretch nobody on the team played better (7.10 in the last five) and that was very satisfying to me.

Going to be a wild ride ahead for sure, but as most of you already know, this is one heck of a game.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 02:50 AM

Congrats on promotion, may you have many more.

Thanks, I appreciate the well wishes ... as well as the fact that anybody is gracious enough to put up with my poorly formatted recaps ;)

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 03:14 AM

May 12, 2012
Luton wins the FA Trophy, 1-0, over Gateshead. A header in the 91st minute was the game winner.

May 13, 2012 (afternoon)
-- 3rd place Histon has beaten 5th place Droylsden 3-1 in the BSBN Playoff Final and earns promotion.
-- 4th place Salisbury has beaten 3rd place Chelmsford 3-0 in the BSBS Playoff Final and joins regular season champion Welling in earning promotion.

May 14, 2012
-- Histon's Daniel Sparkes has been named the BSBN Player of the Year

-- The BSBN Manager of the Season shortlist has been announced. I'm among the frontrunners, along with Histon's David Livermore. Since you can't vote for yourself, I cast my vote for Carl MacAuley of Vauxhall, who exceeded expectations considerably. Livermore probably deserves it but I'm not inclined to vote for the guy who'll probably beat me for the award.

-- Tottenham's Luke Modric has won the English Player's Player of the Year award. Man City's Danny was 2nd, Gareth Bale of Tottenham 3rd.
-- Stoke City's Peter Crouch won the Premier Division Top Goalscorer award with 24.
-- Everton's Marouane Fellaini won the English Player's Young Player of the Year award
-- Chelsea's Petr Cech won the Golden Glove award
-- Wolves Terry Connor wins the Premier Division Manager of the Year award.

-- And after months of speculation, Arsene Wenger has been fired by Arsenal president Peter Hill-Wood, feeling a change was needed and that Wenger had become stale in his post. The club finished 11th in the English Premier Divsion this season, their first finish outside the top four since 1995-96, their first outside the top five since 1994-95.

Squad bonuses of $8.5k have been paid out to be shared among the squad on a pro-rata basis after winning the BSBN.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 03:16 AM

May 15, 2012
Paul Matondo has signed a new deal with Blyth that will keep him here through next season.

He had been the subject of considerable interest by Lincoln and was playing at Blyth on a per appearance basis.

JonInMiddleGA

04-03-2012, 03:36 AM

May 26, 2012
Histon's David Livermore has been named BSBN Manager of the Season, narrowly beating out Hinckley's Dean Thomas for the honor. Vauxhall's Carl McAuley finished 3rd.

May 27, 2012
The board have set the initial payroll for the coming season at $10k/wk and the transfer budget at $0. These values may be altered later based on the agreed setting of the club's season expectations.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 12:15 AM

June 1, 2012

Before we look ahead, I think we ought to look back at the improbable season that recently ended. Seems only appropriate. Stats refer to BSBN League play unless otherwise noted, players listed at their most common position

Goalkeepers
David Knight - 27 games - 6.80 rtg - 32g allowed - 7 clean - 19 wins - 1 MOM
Greg Hartley - 13 games - 6.58 rtg - 15g allowed - 4 clean - 6 wins
Max Johnson - 2 games - 6.80 rtg - 2g allowed - 0 clean - 1 win

Knight was clearly The Man in goal, although Hartley did suffer a bit from lack of support at times. Still, Hartley's presence allowed us to keep Knight fresher than we could have otherwise as Johnson was clearly (stats aside) a large step down

LWB/LFB/LD
Joe Kendrick - 33 games - 1 goal / 2 assists / 1 MOM / 6.88 rtg
Stuart Giddings - 7(2) games - 6.66 rtg
Phil Cave - 4(3) games - 6.38 rtg
Jalmard Kulsten - 2(1) games - 6.93 rtg
Matthew Martin - 2(1) games - 6.63 rtg
Brendan Gallen - 1(1) games - 5.80 rtg

Our only loaned player was clearly the star here, we had options in theory but fitness issues kept Kendrick firmly entrenched.

RWB/RFB/RD
Frank Sinclair - 14(2) games - 1 assist - 1 MOM - 7.07 rtg
Nathan D'Laryea - 19(3) games - 1 goal - 2 assists - 6.90 rtg
Dylan Purvis - 19(5) games - 1 goal - 2 assists - 1 MOM - 6.93 rtg
Michael Pearson - 7 games - 6.87 rtg

The acquisition of Sinclair was one of the major keys to our promotion drive, our rotating cast was surprisingly serviceable previously but he brought stability and confidence to the position.

LCD/RCD
Carl Jones - 29(4) games - 4 goals / 2 assists - 4 MOM - 6.98 rtg
Jordan Mellish - 21(3) games - 2 goals - 2 MOM - 6.94 rtg
Wayne Buchanan - 5(3) games - 6.40 rtg
David Coulson - 2(1) games - 6.30 rtg
Tom Seery - 2 games - 6.55 rtg
Phil Stevenson - 1 games - 6.70 rtg
Gary Pinch - 1 games - 5.30 rtg
Sam Christensen - 0(2) games - 6.45 rtg

Jones was a beast in the air for us, clearly our most productive DC. Mellish was a decent second option there, although several players from other primary positions saw time here during the season, the lack of production was potential reserves you see here explains why that happened.

LMF
Paul Matondo - 22(4) games - 5 goals - 5 assists - 2 MOM - 6.96 rtg
Wayne Phillips - 12(10) games - 2 goals - 2 assists - 6.83 rtg
Richard Slaughter - 14(14) games - 4 assists - 6.71 rtg

Matondo stepped up critically for us when Phillips went down to prolonged injury. Slaughter became a super sub on the left side, able to relieve Matondo or Kendrick as needed

RMF
Chris Emms - 26(2) games - 1 goal - 14 assists - 6.95 rtg
Shaun Vipond - 25(4) games - 3 goals - 5 assists - 6.87 rtg
Hassan Janneh - 4 games - 1 assist - 6.83 rtg

Emms was invaluable as the trigger man for most of our corners during the season, Vipond spelled him admirably down the stretch.

MFC
Danny Groves - 27(6) games - 1 goal - 4 assists - 1 MOM - 6.89 rtg
Neal Hooks - 14(6) games - 3 goals - 2 assists - 2 MOM - 6.87 rtg
Jason White - 8(7) games - 1 goal - 1 assist - 6.53 rtg
Sam Saywer - 7(4) games - 1 goal - 6.82 rtg
Chris McCabe - 5(2) games - 6.37 rtg
Simon Osborn - 3(11) games - 2 goals - 6.90 rtg
Lewis Whiteley - 2(2) games - 6.53 rtg
Adam Forster - 1(1) games - 5.90 rtg
Jack Harrison - 1 games - 6.70 rtg

Groves was a solid contributor, Hooks became one as the season progressed. Probably the position where we saw the most younger players show potential to contribute long term.

Striker
Jamie Mole - 32(2) games - 26 goals - 2 assists - 10 MOM - 7.32 rtg
Graeme Armstrong - 31(2) games - 9 goals - 6 assists - 6.93 rtg
Glen Taylor - 11(8) games - 5 goals - 3 assists - 2 MOM - 6.90 rtg
Leeroy Chinthengah - 4(3) games - 2 goals - 6.85 rtg
Phil Bannister - 5 games - 1 assist - 6.06 rtg
Lee Mason - 0(1) game - 1 assist - 6.80 rtg

Mole was outstanding here, Armstrong suffered long droughts at times, Taylor was surprisingly productive overall in his opportunities although inconsistent.

Stat Leaders
Goals - Mole 26 (2nd in BSBN), Armstrong 9 (31st)
Penalties - Mole 5/5 (T1st)
Assists - Emms 14 (4th), Armstrong/Mole 6 each (T44th)
Team Goals - Kendrick 68 (T21st), Mole 67 (T23rd)
Games Won - Kendrick 23 (T5th), Groves/Armstrong/Mole 22 (T8th)
Yellow Cards - Sinclair 13 (T1st, incl. Colwyn Bay stats), Kendrick 8 (T15th)
Red Cards - Purvis 2 (T5th)
Man of Match - Mole 10 (2nd), Jones 4 (T15th)
Pass Completion-Armstrong 84%(2nd),Matondo 82% (12th) Mole 81% (T19th)
Tackles/Game - D'Laryea 3.31 (28th)
Dribbles/Game - Mole 1.09 (45th)
Shots on Target - Mole 53% (3rd), Armstrong 38% (T36th)
Distance/90m - Emms 6.9 miles (26th)
Avg Mins/Goal - Mole 108.04 (12th), Chinthengah 182.5 (27th)
Clean Sheets - Knight 7 (T14th)
Offside - Mole 44 (3rd)
Cross Completion - Purvis 38% (10th), Emms 27%(31st), D'Laryea 27%(32nd)
Key Passes - Groves/Emms 18 each (T20th)
Key Tackles - Mellish 10 (T28th)
Key Headers - Jones 52 (10th),

Team Stats
Goals - 76 (3rd)
Allowed - 49 (2nd)
Attendance - 653 (5th)
Goals from corners - 14 (3rd)
Yellow cards - 67 (T8th)
Red cards - 4 (T9th)
Salary spend - $443k (3rd)

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 12:39 AM

June 8, 2012
The transfer window is now open for English clubs. Let the hunt begin.

Blyth has signed 16/yo MF Tommy Smyth to a youth contract through 2014. Has potential and is already adept on set pieces. One to watch for the future.

Blyth has signed 16 y/o MF/DC Louis Wallace. He's a project at either position but has above average aerial skills for his age. Projects as an eventual good player but time will tell.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 01:04 AM

June 9, 2012
With the transfer window open & players beginning to move around, it seems like a time to look at where we are currently, what we need to do, and perhaps most importantly how the money to do those things shapes up.

Right now we have a working budget of just a shade under $10k a week.
Our current player payroll total is $8,826.

One of the problems is the allowed salary structure. It appears that most players who could contribute right away are going to ask around $375 to sign, but my First Team limit is $300, with Key Players going up to $525. That's the first problem, maybe the biggest in the long run.

As narrow as our current available money seems, it's actually going to get better, as we have almost $500 in expiring contracts that we'll be happy enough to see come to an end on June 30th. Depending upon who we can acquire, there could be more changes to come as well.

My wishful thinking math goes something like this, in terms of what I'd like to have in a perfect world (no clue how realistic this actually is, but it's what I'd like based on what little I really understand about FM12 & roster mgmt)

-- 2 first team caliber players at every position. That would equal 22 players.
-- At least one designated reserve at every position, preferrably two, but at least one that could be used as needed due to fitness/injury concerns.
-- 2 youth contract players with potential at every position, at least one that could see spot duty on the first team if needed.

That's 66 players, hard to do with quality considering the budget. So let's see where we are at the moment and start prioritizing.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 01:04 AM

Goalkeeper

7 keepers are currently attached to the club in some fashion, but only three are signed for next season.

25 y/o David Knight - $425/wk through 6/30/2013
22 y/o Greg Hartley - $140/wk through 6/30/2013
17 y/o Tamer Dalton - $15/wk through 6/30/2014

Four others are here but with soon to expire contracts
21 y/o Max Johnson ($325/wk through 9/30/12)
18 y/o Matty Hunter ($80/wk through 6/30/12)
20 y/o Matty Crook ($120/wk through 6/30/12)
21 y/o Kyle Barlow ($80/wk through 6/30/12)

Where we stand: I'm okay with the top two unless something exceptional becomes a possibility. I'd like to keep Johnson, he's actually one of our more highly rated prospects (4.5 stars) but not at that kind of price. Hunter I can live with as the reserve backup most likely, Barlow & Crook will be welcome to leave as salary relief.

What I want: Looking for at least 1 reserve GK at reasonable cost, could use a backup U18 as well.

What I'm doing right now: Negotiated a 2 yr deal (through 2014) with Hunter, at $75/wk with appearance/shutout/25 career game bonuses attached. He's agreed in principle, will let us know his final decision

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 01:26 AM

Strikers
11 strikers are currently attached to the club in some fashion, 8 of those are signed for next season

24 y/o Jamie Mole $625/wk through 6/30/13
28 y/o Graeme Armstrong $500/wk through 6/30/13
19 y/o Leeroy Chinthengah $20/wk through 6/30/14
* 21 y/o Jason White $200/wk through 6/30/13
22 y/o Glen Taylor $190/wk through 6/30/12
19 y/o Shane Bennett $50/wk through 6/30/14
21 y/o Lee Mason $160/wk through 6/30/12
23 y/o Phil Bannister $160/wk through 6/30/12
22 y/o Yanis Galas $130/wk through 6/30/12
** 19 y/o Matt Rickard $8/wk through 6/30/13
** 16 y/o Dennis Robson $8/wk through 6/30/14

* White is more likely to play at MF
** Youth contracts

Where we stand:
Mole & Armstrong are starters barring something better.
Chinthengah is young & cheap, a reserve that could get a bit of 1st team action.
Taylor was quite productive at times last year, a candidate to remain but little further upside.
Bennett similar to Chinthengah, but not ready for prime time IMO.
White is better suited for MF.
Mason & Bannister will not extended.
Galais spent last year on loan to minnow South Shields. He's all pace & better suited to our RMF spot but lacks the dribbling & passing skills to be trusted there. I don't plan to extend him either.
Rickard is a flashy youngster with potential (4.5 stars) but not ready for prime time most likely.
Robson is a strictly youth depth at this point.
What I want:
A third option that's more along the caliber of Mole. Another young prospect.

What I'm doing right now: We approach Taylor but he's not currently interested is contract discussions with us.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 01:48 AM

Midfield
22 midfielders are currently attached to the club in some fashion, 17 of those are signed for next season

** 16 y/o Tommy Smyth $8/wk through 6/30/14
** 16 y/o Dean Goodall $8/wk through 6/30/14
26 y/o Paul Matondo $450/wk through 6/30/13
18 y/o Lewis Whiteley $8/wk through 6/30/14
*21 y/o Danny Groves $275/wk through 6/30/12
19 y/o Adam Forster $80/wk through 6/30/13
19 y/o Sam Sawyer $300/wk through 6/30/13
23 y/o Shaun Vipond $475/wk through 6/30/13
20 y/o Hassan Janneh $140/wk through 6/30/13
** 19 y/o Jack Harrison $8/wk through 6/30/13
21 y/o Jason White $200/wk through 6/30/13
** 16 y/o Louis Wallace $8/wk through 6/30/14
** 16 y/o Anson Watson $8/wk through 6/30/14
24 y/o Neal Hooks $160/wk through 6/30/12
* 21 y/o Richard Slaughter $180/wk through 6/30/13
31 y/o Chris McCabe $80/wk through 6/30/12
** 16 y/o Lokman Kaymaz $8/wk through 6/30/14
** 16 y/o Chris Ferguson $8/wk through 6/30/13
27 y/o Chris Emms $240/wk through 6/30/12
** 17 y/o Craig Cresswell $8/wk through 6/30/13
26 y/o Wayne Phillips $375/wk through 6/30/13
40 y/o Simon Osborn $190 per appearance
* Also likely to see time at Defender
** Youth contracts

Where we stand:
I feel good about Matondo at LMF, I feel reasonably good about Janneh & Vipond starting at RMF & RCM. Hooks would probably start tomorrow at LCM, but he's unsigned. Whitely is young but could be 1st team ready, as could Harrison. Phillips feels like a backup to the first team, his injury prone nature concerns me. Emms could be a solid backup I think, but he's unsigned. I like the experience Osborn brings but he gets winded walking through the clubhouse. McCabe will not be extended as a player.

There's plenty of youth available here, as you can see.

What I want More clearly 1st team caliber players.

What I'm doing right now Groves, Emms, and Hooks are not currently interested in discussions with our club. Neither is McCabe, who we wanted to add as a full time coach. Osborn currently only wishes to remain on a per appearance basis.

Grover

04-05-2012, 02:02 AM

The one thing you'll encounter with contract extensions, and I know this was tough because you were over budget the second half of the season, players will most likely refuse to re-sign with you if you wait until May/June to offer them a new deal.

One thing I'd recommend is combing through League 1 and League 2 teams to see if you can get any quality (relative term at this point) players in on loan for a season.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 02:13 AM

Defenders

There are currently 31 defenders attached to the club in some fashion, 21 of those are signed for next season.

** 19 y/o Tom Seery $8/wk through 6/30/13
19 y/o Jordan Mellish $300/wk 6/30/13
21 y/o Danny Groves $275/wk through 6/30/12
19 y/o Jordan Kay $80/wk through 6/30/14
19 y/o Lloyd Foot $140/wk through 6/30/13
40 y/o Jordan Sinclair $500/wk through 6/30/13
** 17 y/o Rory McKeever $8/wk through 6/30/13
** 19 y/o Liam McGovern $8/wk through 6/30/13
** 19 y/o Phil Stevenson $8/wk through 6/30/14
** 19 y/o Andy Williamson $8/wk through 6/30/13
19 y/o Sam Sawyer $300/wk through 6/30/13
25 y/o Carl Jones $500/wk through 6/30/14
19 y/o Sam Christensen $180/wk through 6/30/13
19 y/o Michael Pearson $110/wk through 6/30/12
20 y/o Dylan Purvis $220/wk through 6/30/14
21 y/o Matthew Martin $210/wk through 6/30/13
26 y/o Stuart Giddings $170 per appearance
21 y/o Richard Slaughter $180/wk through 6/30/13
26 y/o Gary Pinch $120 per appearance
36 y/o Jalmard Kulsten $170 per appearance
** 16 y/o Ashley Wheeler $8/wk through 6/30/14
26 y/o Nathan D'Laryea $190 per appearance
28 y/o David Coulson $160/wk through 6/30/12
30 y/o Wayne Buchanan $275/wk through 6/30/12
31 y/o Brendan Gallen $375 per appearance
25 y/o Phil Cave $240/wk through 6/30/12
32 y/o Darren Timmons $140 per appearance

Where we stand: Obviously we miss Kendrick here, but I don't think Mansfield is going to re-loan him since we're now both in BSBP. Sinclair may be our most solid starter, even at age 40. Jones joins him in the regular lineup, Mellish almost certainly does as well. Martin probably gets first crack at taking over at LD/LWB, but Slaughter could work in there as well. Cave, Buchanan and Coulson will not be extended. No further offers will be made to Timmons, Gallen or Pinch either.

What I want: Another LD, maybe another strong RD, and at least one more strong DC.

What I'm doing right now: I'd like to keep Pearson around as a backup but he wants ridiculous money ($350/wk). I'd like to sign D'Laryea to a normal contract but he's only interested on a p.a. basis. I get frustrated with his demands ($350/appearance) and make a non-negotiable offer of $300/app. He declines & we're done.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 02:17 AM

The one thing you'll encounter with contract extensions, and I know this was tough because you were over budget the second half of the season, players will most likely refuse to re-sign with you if you wait until May/June to offer them a new deal.

That's probably what's hindering me with several of the guys who won't even talk at this point.

One thing I'd recommend is combing through League 1 and League 2 teams to see if you can get any quality (relative term at this point) players in on loan for a season.

I spent virtually all of last season looking for loan candidates, my ass't identified a grand total of zero prospects. It wasn't for lack of players, just none of them came with remotely reasonable cost attached. One odd thing I ran into a couple of times were players listed for loan and the club was asking for 0% salary contribution on my part ... but all offers were rejected because I wasn't willing to pick up enough salary. Anything short of 50% and they would have none of it (I kept negotiating even past what was reasonable just to see where the threshold was). I've also been told by the board that they don't much care for loaning players in, so I'm not sure how hamstrung that will leave me either.

I fear my best hope is going to be striking gold of a value similar to what I got from Matondo & Sinclair.

Grover

04-05-2012, 02:37 AM

I spent virtually all of last season looking for loan candidates, my ass't identified a grand total of zero prospects. It wasn't for lack of players, just none of them came with remotely reasonable cost attached. One odd thing I ran into a couple of times were players listed for loan and the club was asking for 0% salary contribution on my part ... but all offers were rejected because I wasn't willing to pick up enough salary. Anything short of 50% and they would have none of it (I kept negotiating even past what was reasonable just to see where the threshold was). I've also been told by the board that they don't much care for loaning players in, so I'm not sure how hamstrung that will leave me either.

I fear my best hope is going to be striking gold of a value similar to what I got from Matondo & Sinclair.

I had the same problems at Gloucester trying to get players in on loan. Teams wanted at least 50% of wages or some small fee attached. Once I was lucky to get the three players I did when I was in League 1. You should have better luck with this when some of the generated players turn 17-18 and are on contracts and not considered youths anymore. You might have to do some of your own mining, rather than relying on your Ass Man to find good loan prospects. I find the Ass Man always turns up players who teams want a fee from. Best thing to do is go to search players "Listed for Loan" and have the "Unrealistic Targets" box checked. Some players may want to stay at the club, but your chances of finding some sort of quality will improve dramatically.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 03:03 AM

June 11, 2012

Stung by D'Laryea's refusal to make a reasonable deal, we found some insurance for the 40 y/o Sinclair.

30 y/o RD Peter Hoy, currently with Bangor City of the Welsh Premier League, agreed to terms and will join Blyth on July 1st when his current contract expires.

He's not a world beater or anything, but compared to our current roster he's above average in more than a half dozen areas including heading, marking, tackling, bravery, teamwork, work rate, pace, jumping and strength. Final cost was $275/wk with a bump up to $325 after 30 appearances. It's a one year deal, so if he makes it into 30 games I figure he'll be worth the extra.

June 13, 2012
We've reached agreement with DC Will Antwi, who joins the club immediately after spending last season with Staines of BSBS. Good with heading, marking, tackling, above average physical tools as well. It's a 2 year deal through 2014 for $325 a week + $50 app. fee. That's considerably less than the $650 p.a. deal he came from.

This makes me feel more secure on the back line, now if we can just fix our other areas.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 03:19 AM

June 14, 2012
Veteran DC Ian Breckin has agreed to come to Blyth on a trial basis through the pre-season. The 37 y/o spent the past two seasons with Chesterfield of League 2. Mentally tough, he's solid at both heading & tackling, although stamina is a concern. If he's good to go however, he likely becomes our top DC or at least definitely a regular in the first team.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 03:38 AM

June 17, 2012
One week until the BSBP schedule is announced next Sunday. Opening Day is August 11.

Coming up with us are Histon, Welling and Salisbury City. Coming down are Aldershot Town and Dag & Red.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2012, 03:56 AM

June 20, 2012
We've signed 17 y/o GK Jonathan Henly to a youth contract. Loads of potential, lead scout Craig Howard believes he could play at a level similar to Hartley some day.

June 21, 2012
We've picked up 21 y/o MF Jack Abraham from Mold Alex of the Welsh Premier League. He's not likely to become a star but he's got decent skills & plenty of pizzazz (17 flair). Came cheap, two years for $150/wk.

More importantly in the long run perhaps is the signing of 31 y/o Dean Daniels as our youth coach. $275/wk for 2 years, he's good with youngsters & has the ability to teach them a lot (double digits in Attack, Defend, Fit, Mental and Motivation among others, and is 15 Working With Youngsters).

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:02 AM

June 23, 2012

We received an invitation to enter a team in the Reserves league next season. We accept, should improve our overall match fitness without the need to resort to scheduling friendlies so frequently.

We were also asked if we wish to continue entering a team in the U18s league next season. Our board insists on participation and accepted the invitation on my behalf (I would have accepted anyway, interesting to see that they think this is a big deal however)

Also, Football.guardian.co.uk published their 2011/12 seaason review. This ought to make recapping things fairly concise & I'll share the key bits here.

Premier
Winner: Man City
Relegated: Bolton, Blackburn, Swansea
Top scorer: Peter Crouch/Stoke 24
Highest Avg Rtg: Wayne Rooney/Man U 7.69

Championship
Winner: West Ham
Promoted: West Ham, Southampton, Leeds
Relegated: Doncaster, Hull, Portsmouth
Top scorer: Jay Rodriguez/Burnely 28
Highest Avg Rtg: Ronnie Henry/Burnley 7.67

League 1
Winner: Huddersfield
Promoted: Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Sheff Utd
Relegated: Rochdale, Colchester, Hartlepool, Exeter
Top scorer: Shefki Kuqi/Oldham 26
Highest Avg Rtg: Michael Bostwick/Stevenage 7.83

League 2
Winner: Rotherham
Promoted: Rotherham, Swindon, Plymouth, Crawley
Relegated: Aldershot, Dag & Red
Top scorer: Alex Revell/Rotherham 21
Highest Avg Rtg: Ben Herd/Aldershot 7.63

BSB Premier
Winner: Luton
Promoted: Luton, Fleetwood
Relegated: AFC Telford, Alfreton, Barrow, Southport
Top scorer: Jason Walker/York 23
Highest Avg Rtg: Mike Williams/Kidderminster 7.69

BSN North
Winner: Blyth
Promoted: Blyth, Histon
Relegated: Glouchester, Guiseley, Boston Utd
Top scorer: Dan Holman/Histon 33
Highest Avg Rtg: Daniel Sparkes/Histon 7.51

BSB South
Winner: Welling
Promoted: Welling, Salisbury
Relegated: Hampton & Richmond, Thurrock, Weston-super-Mare
Top scorer: Tim Sills/Basingstoke 18
Highest Avg Rtg: Moses Swaibu/Bromley 7.40

Regional Premier Divs
Promoted: Chester, Lewes, Hendon, FC United, Redditch, Bury Town

FA Cup
Winner: Burnley

League Cup
Sunderland

Community Shield
Man U

Johnstone's Paint Trophy
Charlton

FA Trophy
Luton

European Qualification
EC Cup Group Stage - Man City, Chelsea, Man U
EC Cup Best Playoff - Tottenham
Euro Cup 4th Qual Rd - Burnley, Fulham
Euro Cup 3rd Qual Rd - Sunderland

Awards
Footballer of the Year - Frank Lampard/Chelsea
Players' Player of the Year - Luke Modric/Tottenahm
Top Goalscorer - Peter Crouch/Stoke
Players' Young Player - Marouane Fellaini/Everton
Golden Glove- Peter Cech/Chelsea
Manager of the Year - Terry Connor/Wolves

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:09 AM

June 24, 2012

Blyth supporters have voted Jamie Mole as Fan's Player of the Year

The Best Eleven is not suprising
GK - David Knight
D - Nathan D'Laryea, Joe Kendrick, Carl Jones, Jordan Mellish
MF - Paul Matondo, Chris Emms, Shaun Vipon, Richard Slaughter
F - Jamie Mole, Graeme Armstrong
Also mentioned were, GK Hartley, D Purvis/Groves/Sinclair, MF Hooks/White, ST Taylor

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:29 AM

June 24, 2012 (part 2)
Oof.

The following players have had their salary increased due to the club winning promotion to BSBP
Vipond,Knight, Jones, Mole, Armstrong, Phillips, Slaughter
(Remember, those should all be contracts I inherited)

----
The 2012/13 BSB Premier match schedule has been announced. We will kick off the season at home against debt-ridden Darlington on Sat Aug 11. Our first away match will be against (bitter rival) Gatehead on Tue Aug 14. The traditional Boxing Day match will be at Darlington, our last scheduled match is home against Stockport County on Sat Apr 27.

---
We have been given $8k for TV rights over the coming season

---
The following youth players have been promoted to our Reserves as they are now too old to play for the U18s next season: Adam Forster, Andy Williamson, Lewis Whiteley, Matt Rickard, Jack Harrison, Matty Hunter and Tom Seery.

---
Well hello, what have we here?

Ken Hodcroft & Blyth President Tony Platten are pleased to announce a new link between Hartlepool United & Blyth Spartans. Under the agreement the following will apply with immediate effect:

Hartlepool will be able to send players on loan to Blyth Spartans. During the loan spell the player's salary will be paid in full by Hartlepool United. Blyth have no obligation to play the player and he may be recalled by Hartlepool at any time.

Blyth will host an annual friendly between the two clubs & keep all gate receipts. Hartlepool will pay Blyth an annual fee of $14.63k

---

Decision time: expectations & payroll conversation with the board.
The baseline is Avoid Relegation with $0 transfer budget & $9.75k weekly payroll budget

My options are pretty limited, with the net level being a mid-standing finish with $0 transfer/$10.25k weekly payroll.

I don't have to think long on this one, I don't believe an extra $500/wk is not going to make the difference in staying clear of relegation vs a mid-table finish. I'll leave things be for now and just try to keep our heads above water this year. There's too many unknowns for me right now, including what sort of help we may get from our new feeder arrangement.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:33 AM

June 25, 2012
Sky Bet has released their BSB Premier promotion odds for the upcoming season.

Dag & Red, Aldershot and Wrexham have been made 5:1 co-favorites to gain promotion this year.

The rest of the main contenders are York (6:1), Lincoln (12:1) and Grimsby (14:1).

They've set our price at 40:1

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:50 AM

June 28, 2012
18 y/o LD Kadell Daniel has agreed to join Blyth on trial until the end of pre-season. He was most recently under contract to Crystal Palace. Good tackler & marker with some strong mental attributes, not much of a threat to run the ball upfield however & that's something we prefer to have. Still, he'll get a look, could be quite useful as a purely defensive defender.

---
Veteran MF Simon Osborn has left Blyth, being snapped up by FC United, who will play the upcoming season in BSB North. Not likely to forget his one shining moment last season when he single-handedly won us a game, and although we would have liked to have kept him around under a regular contract, we wish him well as he moves on.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 04:26 AM

June 30, 2012

As expected, MF Chris McCabe has retired from professional soccer. The 32 y/o made 219 league appearances for Blyth during his 8 year career.
----

Hey, they must like me. The Board has offered to nearly double my salary, from $575/wk to $1,000/wk ... but only for one year. I ask for that to be two years, and they agree so quickly that I think I just screwed myself out of some money.

---
We just had a veritable boatload of contracts expire, players who will be around on a month-to-month/per appearance basis unless or until they're released or decide to move on.

The following players chose to leave of their own accord and we're happy enough to see them off the books
GK - Matty Crook, Kyle Barlow
D Wayne Buchanan, David Coulson, Phil Cave

Coach Adam Johnson chose to leave after his contract ended, I guess our lack of conversation about extending his contract kind of gave him the hint.
----
The following players chose to leave of their own accord and we're disappointed to see them go.
MF Neal Hooks, Chris Emms
We'd have happily resigned both to reasonable deals but they were unwilling to discuss extensions

---
The following players are now out of contract but have chosen to remain for now under month-to-month deals:

MF Danny Groves - we'd like to re-sign but he won't talk, $275/wk
ST Lee Mason - we're not interested in resigning, $160/wk, RELEASED
ST Phil Bannister - we're not interested in resigning, $160/wk, RELEASED
ST Yanis Gallis - we're not interested in resigning, $130/wk, RELEASED
ST Glen Taylor - we'd like to re-sign but he won't talk, $190/wk

Our current salary situation is $8.400/wk with a budget of $9,950/wk

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 05:00 AM

June 30, 2012

I guess visits from physio Ewen Fairgreave let me know that we're back in the swing of things.

MF/ST Jason White will miss two weeks due to a strained wrist suffered while lifting weights during training.

MF Lokman Kaymaz will miss four weeks after pulling up with a groin strain while chasing a ball during a training session.

---

18 y/o ST Kaine Sheppard has agreed to a youth contract. The former Leyton Orient prospect is quick & can finish, there are questions about nearly every other part of his game however.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 05:44 AM

July 2, 2012
18 y/o MF Andrew Musungu has been signed on a free after his Stoke contract expired. Fans have been bombarding radio shows praising our vision in signing the youngster who has shown good first touch & dribbling skills. He's young but seems to have potential for us.
---
We hold a press conference & introduce our recent new signings, including Musungu who drew the most attention.
---

After that was completed we put pen to paper and made a staff addition: Chris McCabe has agreed to terms with the club as a coach. We're very pleased to have reached agreement to bring him back after his retirement as a player, his skill at teaching the attacking and technical phases of the game will be a big addition to our staff as will his determination.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 06:24 AM

July 5, 2012
Forest Green has signed away DL Kadell Daniel, who had only recently arrived at Blyth on a trial. They offered him $450 p.a., so off he goes ... we were strongly looking at him as a first-team starter, so this came as more than a bit of a shock.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 09:45 AM

July 5, 2012
Having only just realized that they hadn't left the club, we release the following players on a free transfer:
D Darren Timmons, D Gary Pinch, D Brendan Gallen

---

We've just signed 18 y/o D Rhys Paul, who was until recently a Milwall prospect. He's a very promising defender who already heads, tackles, and marks better than most of our regulars. He also comes with good determination, teamwork and work rate. Strength is an issue, but he's young, we believe he'll get there.

---

Veteran ST Darren Stamp has agreed to join us on trial until the end of pre-season. The 33 y/o shows good determination to go with solid heading skills, most recently he spent two seasons with Gainsborough of BSBN.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 10:39 AM

July 7th (morning)
We extend the contract of GK Coach Carl King through next season. We also extend the contract of Coach Dean Harris through next year as well.

July 7th (afternoon)
Blyth (BSBP) at Whitby (Norther Premier Premier) Friendly

Time to start getting in shape & let the guys see something other than the weight room & training field. The lineup looks shockingly similar to what we might open the regular season with if it were tomorrow

GK - Hartley
D: Martin - Jones - Antwi - Sinclair
MF: Slaughter - Matondo - Groves - Vipond
F: Armstrong - Mole
(Available: A cast of thousands)

Halftime - Only a 5-4 shooting edge, only 58% possession as we tailed off toward the latter portion of the half. Rather drab affair so far honestly. Armstrong took a knock just before the half, have to see what that's about, and hope that it's nothing.

Subs: Stamp for Armstrong, Whitely for Slaughter, Janneh for Antwi (Vipond to RCM, Sinclair to DCR, Groves to RD)

49:00 - Vipond intercepts a goal kick at midfield, plays it ahead to Mole, who quickly lays it off to Stamp who shoots from long range ... his low shot from the edge of the arc beats the oncoming keeper (1-0) Hmm ... somebody may be wanting a contract

56:00 - Sub Giddings for Martin, Sawyer for Vipond, Phillips for Matondo
68:00 - Sub Breckin for Groves, Abraham for Sinclair, Aite-Ouakrim for Mole
73:00 - Taylor beats Hartley just inside the post with a shot from outside the arc (1-1)

Fulltime - Eh, not very pretty. 11-6 shots, 61% of poss., just couldn't close.
Sinclair (7.7) was MOM, Stamp (7.2) certainly made an impression with his quick goal. Sawyer's (5.6) missed interception gamble cost us a goal.

More interesting were the observations ass't mgr Fell made. The usual, like Whiteley and Antwi having problems blending into the squad weren't surprising. What I didn't expect was this "Jamie Mole & Paul Matondo appear to have some problems motivating themselves to play for you". Where the heck did that come from?

What I also didn't expect was this "A number of our players appear to have some problems motivating themselves to play with Graeme Armstrong as our captain" Again, where did that come from?

And finally "Both Glen Taylor & Greg Hartley look like they are struggling to cope with the pressure from the interest shown in them" Umm ... what interest would that be? No indications that anyone has approached them nor has anyone approached me about them (they wouldn't have to for Taylor but Hartley is under contract through the end of the year).

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 10:49 AM

July 8, 2012
We bring in MF Steven Morrison on trial. The 23 y/o only recently became available with the expiration of his contract with Bala of the Welsh Premier League.

We bring in RD Paul Robson on trial. The 28 y/o spent last season as a starter for Lincoln of the BSBP, scoring 4 goals and posting a 6.89 avg rtg. He has bounced around through several clubs since leaving Charlton back in 2003.

18 y/o GK Alex Archer signs a youth contract. He's a product of the Peterborough system.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 11:49 AM

July 9, 2012
Veteran F Leon Constantine joins the club on trial. The 34 y/o spent last year at Boston Utd but had his best seasons in League 1 for Port Vale from 05-07 (32 goals in 2 seasons). He can definitely finish, just not much stamina left.

July 10, 2012
We book a couple more friendlies, an away match at NPD1 side Lancaster City and a home match against just-relegated Blackpool now of the Championship. We'll get killed in that one but there's about $30k-$35k profit expected from it.
---
26 y/o RD Kevin Lee joins us on trial. He's spent the past six seasons with Southport after coming out of the Wigan system. A potential backup/rotation guy on the backline most likely.
---

July 10, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (BSBP) vs Musselburgh Athletic (Scottish Eastern Superleague) - Friendly

GK - Knight
D: Kulsten - Mellish - Purvis - Robson
MF: Morrison - Musungu - Lee - Abraham
F: Chinthengah - Aite-Ouakrim
(Available: A cast of thousands)
4-4-2 Standard

10:00 - Chinthengah beats the keeper who rushed out to grab a long ball ... he puts it into an empty net (1-0)
13:50 - Aite-Oukrim with a nice cross from the right channel over to Morrison in the area ... quick sidestep and he shoots ... GOAL (2-0)
29:00- Chinthengah skips past a challenge and heads into the area ... to the right side ... a bender that goes through the keeper's outstretched arms (3-0)
34:30 - Free kick from the left channel by Chinthengah ... plays it easily to Morrison on the near side of the area ... two steps and a left-footed shot ... beats the keeper to the inside of the near post (4-0)

Halftime - That's more like it. Clearly a talent & skill gap today but it's good to see us actually performing to that situation instead of playing down to it.

Subs: Dalton on for Knight, Rickard for Aite-Ouakrim, McGovern for Kulsten, flip-flop Robson to CMR and Lee to DR

55:00 - Sub Bennett for Chinthengah, Harrison for Musungu, Wallace for Purvis, Williamson for Mellish

59:49 - Wallace free kick from the left side ... Williamson diving header ... nicely done (5-0)
60:00 - Sub Pearson for McGovern (knocked)
65:00 - Two nice saves by Dalton, including a one on one where he completely stoned the shooter
69:00 - Sub Smyth for Robson, Christensen for Lee, Sheppard for Morrison
80:00 - Sub Seery for Wallace (mild knock) flip Christensen to DR
93:00 - Stupid foul in the area by Bennett on a meaningless corner, that's a penalty ... Skinner beats Dalton to his right (5-1) Way to put a damper on an otherwise near perfect day

Fulltime - Fair enough. Chinthengah (MOM 9.3) makes his case for more first team action, Morrison (9.2) makes a bid to get a contract. I liked what I saw from Tamer Dalton (6.7) in goal as well, until that wrong guess on the penalty anyway. Also liked the energy shown by Rickard (6.7) in the waning moments. Bennett (5.6) on the other hand, that was just dumb.

Again the comments from Fell are interesting. Lee & Robson are finding it hard to motivate themselves to play "for a head coach of my standing". Morrison & Aite-Ouakrim appear to be struggling to cope with the pressure of interest being shown in them.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 12:50 PM

July 11, 2012
25 y/o DR Will Salmon comes in on trial, good tackler, fits the mold of what we like at WB/FB. Spent the last three seasons with AFC Telford.

We've got quite a few nice, or at least quite useful, players in on trial at the moment. Problem with all of them is pretty much the same: they want too much money. Most just want p.a. deals of about $400-$500 per. The few who might sign an actual contract want star money, and none of them look like full fledged stars per se.

Also, we've scouted a ridiculous number of players so far this preseason. Offered a number of other trials that have been rejected in favor of other clubs.
---
Physios tell me that MF Louis Wallace has suffered a concussion following a collision with Frank Sinclair during training. He'll be out about two weeks.

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July 12, 2012
30 y/o MF Neil Barrett comes in on trial. Looks like a potential backup/rotation player (money not withstanding) after spending the past six season in BSBP, four of those during two stints with Ebbsfleet.

26 y/o MF Michael Pook comes in on trial. Would be a great offensive solution for us at MR but is almost certainly going to be too expensive to sign. Spent last season with Forest Green

----
July 13, 2012
21 y/o GK Kieran Gonzalez has signed a one year deal. Not quite as good as Max Johnson, but with Johnson's contract expiring and no sign of him coming off his excessive salary demands (for a backup), this gives us an alternative.
In a pinch - and that's the only way he's likely to see first-team action - he could play without being too freaked out, having started most of last season for Eastwood in BSBN.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 01:05 PM

July 14, 2012 (morning)
We transfer list GK Max Johnson. I'm not paying him nearly as much as Knight & more than double Hartley's salary to be our reserve keeper. He's an odd situation, with a contract that expires in December, we'll either lose him or get something for him. Naturally, no one bites on the offer.

Incidentally, we've finally gotten wind of those "nervous about interest shown" comments. League 2 club Barnet is reportedly interested in Hartley, trialist Kevin Lee is drawing attention from at least three clubs, ditto for new trialist Will Salmon, trialist Paul Robson is getting a look from L2 Hereford, trialist Michael Pook draws attention of three clubs including Hartlepool & Barnet, BSBN side Chester is interested in Glen Taylor, and to my considerable concern, L1 club Plymouth is looking at Jamie Mole

July 14, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth vs Preston Athletic (East Scotland Premier) - Friendly

GK - Hartley
D: Martin - Jones - Sinclair - Salmon
MF: Phillips - Matondo - Vipond - Janneh
F: Mole - Armstrong
(Available: A cast of thousands)
4-4-2 Standard

20:00 - Mole with a long blast that hits the crossbar ... and then hit the keeper squarely in the back of the head for an own goal (1-0)
30:00 - 9 shots in the first thirty minutes, only one of those on target. Not looking good in pre-season
42:00 - Armstrong's cross into the box is blocked by a defender ... Matondo is there for the loose ball & stuffs it home (2-0)
45:00 - 46:50 Matondo tackles the ball away in the offensive third, feeds Armstrong who shoots from the arc (3-0)
Halftime - I hope we get some match fitness out of this, because there's not much to be had in the way of competition. We're physically dominating them in a way I've never seen from us. 14-0 shots, 68% poss, nearly 80% passing.
Sub Whiteley for Janneh, Chinthengah for Armstrong, Antwi for Salmon, Harrison for Phillips

57:00 - Sub Slaughter for Martin, Groves for Matondo, Stamp for Mole
67:00 - Sub Mellish for Jones, Sawyer for Sinclair
77:00 - Sub Pook for Vipond

Fulltime - Matondo (MOM 8.1) played well, as did Armstrong (8.1). No particular negatives beyond our poor shooting accuracy, hard to complain about a 21-3 edge in shots and 62% poss.

Fell again adds some food for thought. Pook & Mole are having problems playing for a coach of my standing, Mole & Phillips are having issues with motivation with Armstrong as captain.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 02:25 PM

July 15, 2012
Trialist Leon Constantine leaves the club and joins Altrincham. Stuff happens I guess.
---

We tell the groundskeeper to make a minor alteration to the pitch this season, adjust to a standard length & width (we had been about six yards longer than average)
----
July 16, 2012
29 y/o MF Marc Canham, who spent the last 2 seasons with Bath in BSBP, has come in on trial. Not much defensively but could provide some offense from the CMF.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 02:54 PM

July 17, 2012
Blyth (BSBP) at Lancaster City (N.Premier D1N) - Friendly

So many bodies, so little time to get the fit or even assessed.

GK - Knight
D: Kulsten - Paul - Breckin - Purvis
MF: Musungu - Barrett - Canham - Whiteley
F: Chinthengah - White
(Available: A cast of thousands)
4-4-2 Standard

23:00 - White has to hobble off for treatment
Halftime - Yawn. We're flat, it's a friendly, we're on the road, we're in nothing resembling match fitness. We've outshot them 7-2 thanks to a late flurry, we had only one shot in the first 30 mins. Poss is 63% to us.
Sub Aite-Ouakrim for White (tiring), Giddings for Kulsten, Forster for Whiteley

55:00 - Sub Hoy for Purvis, Rickard for Chinthengah ... switch to Control
66:00 - Sub Slaughter for Musungu, Sheppard for Barrett (Aite-Ouakrim to MF), Seery for Breckin
70:00 - Sub Christensen for Paul
71:10 - Rickard plays a pass ahead to Sheppard, he's got the keeper out ... his lob misses wide by at least 15 feet
89:45 - Slaughter with a cross to Sheppard, his header goes harmlessly over

Fulltime - Well, at least nobody got hurt as far as I know, otherwise this goes down as a disappointment. We outshot them 13-3 but only 1 shot was on target for either team all night (ours). 63% of poss. should generate something more than that. Aite-Ouakrim had a poor showing (6.0) although we did play him out of position for most of the match. Hoy (6.8) was decent, as was White (6.8). Ass't notes that Barrett cointinues to struggle to find motivation whilst playing for me & my low reputation.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:00 PM

July 18, 2012
Sometimes you just have to trust the people who work for you. On the recommendation of our coaches & scouts, we've signed 28 y/o ST/MR Alan O'Connor on a free from Rockmount of the Irish 1st Division. He's got good pace, stamina and the ability to finish as well as contribute on set pieces. He also comes to us match fit since he's been playing regularly & was the leading scorer on his floundering club.

JonInMiddleGA

04-08-2012, 03:56 PM

July 19, 2012
Sometimes you have to trust the peop ... wait, I said that already.

We also picked up 17 y/o MF/ST Laste Dombaxe, an Angolan who came out of the Tottenham system.

JonInMiddleGA

04-09-2012, 12:19 AM

July 21, 2012 (morning)
We'll be receiving $3k in money for an upcoming televised BSBP match. That's the good news. The bad news would be that it's our clash against rival Gateshead, who figure to beat us like the minnow in a big pond I feel like. And, speaking of likely beatdowns ...

July 12, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (BSBP) vs Blackpool (Championship) - Friendly

Hey, it's a nice payday (expected profit around $35k) and since the club bleeds money every month I figure I almost owe it to the board to take on something like this at least once a year. Pitchero Non-League fills me with confidence as they expect "a basketball scoreline"

We'll play defensive, put out the best lineup we can, hope to avoid getting embarrassed. My pre-game talk of "no pressure, we're huge underdogs, show 'em what you've got" relaxes the club ... and appears to have relaxed about half of them too much (Hartley, Sinclair, Antwi, Mole, Armstrong). Great, just great.

GK - Hartley
D - Martin - Jones - Antwi - Sinclair
MF - Matondo - Pook - Vipond - O'Connor
F - Armstrong - Mole
(Available subs: cast of thousands)

07:00 Antwi wins a header at midfield, knocks it on for Mole ... pass ahead to Armstrong is timed perfectly ... GK Halstead coming out, Armstrong lobs ... and Halstead leaps high to get his fingertips on a ball that none of our keepers would have even left the ground to attempt. It's a corner, which comes to nothing.

14:30 - Smith corner to the far post, Hill is there, Hartley had no chance (0-1)

19:30 - Bruna corner, plays it way out in the area to Powell, he puts the ball into an empty net on the far side. No idea why Hartley stayed glued to the near post for so long after the ball was in play. (0-2)

21:19 - Ince cross to Sutherland in the area, header bounces into the net (0-3)

36:14 - Sutherland battles with Jones in the box, nudges the ball forward ... and Hartley is too slow to react (0-4) Okay, that was bad. There are toddlers who could have come closer to a save there.

Halftime- Again my halftime speech seems to make things worse. I give 'em the whole "the purpose can be found in other areas" talk, and key players look disinterested, except for Sinclair who appears "in danger of losing discipline" ... Funny thing, we've outshot them 10-4, problem is that only 1 of ours was on target, all 4 of theirs were.

Sub Knight for Hartley, Groves for Vipond (50% fit), Chinthengah for Armstrong (5.8), Purvis for Sinclair, Mellish for Jones (4.9)

54:15 - After Pook intercepted poor pass by Blackpool, Chinthengah plays a simple pass to Mole, he steps into the arc and shoots ... GOAL ! (1-4) We finally put one on target & it shocked the keeper so much he was a step slow getting there

68:22 - Chinthengah is denied from the edge of the box ... rebound right back to him ... GOAL (2-4)

70:00 - Sub Janneh for Pook, Stamp for Mole, Dombaxe for Matondo, Sawyer for Antwi (Groves to DR, Purvis to DCR, Sawyer to LCM)

74:40 - Chinthengah with a corner ... Purvis header hits the crossbar

79:30 - Chinthengah with little run forward, Blackpool backs off ... he suddenly sees Stamp & hits him in stride with a pass ... into the area, shoots ... GOAL ! (3-4) I'm starting to think we might be learning a few things about this team from this game

83:30 - Sub Abraham for O'Connor, Christensen for Purvis

84:17 - Chinthengah with a corner ... to the next post ... Mellish is there ... GOAL !!! (4-4) He banked it in off the underside of the crossbar. In my wildest imagination I didn't think for a second that could happen.

89:00 - 2 mins of extra time
90:00 - Christensen takes a free kick from the right channel ... overshoots everybody, Sawyer gives chase but can't come up with it ... but tackles it away, works toward the area from wide left ... shoots, Ingham makes the save ... but bobbles it ... Martin clears it off the line
90:45 - Chin corner ... cleared out for a throw-in ...

Fulltime - Just wow. We outshot them 19-6, ended up with 51% of poss. Crossed quite well (27%), held our own in the air. And the comeback wasn't exactly what you'd think, they didn't start subbing seriously until after our second goal. Clearly a big difference between players playing hungry vs those who decided to show up & take their beating.

Chinthengah (MOM, 9.0, 1 goal, 3 assists) was amazing.
Mellish (8.0), Stamp (7.4), Groves (7.2), Knight (6.9) all stood out.
So did Jones (4.9), Vipond (5.7), Antwi (5.7), Sinclair (5.8), Armstrong (5.8) but not in a good way.

And there's this telling note from ass't coach Fell "Quite a few of the players are causing concerns in struggling to appear motivated to play for you"

And apparently some of them aren't, they mostly played in the 2nd half best I can figure.

Wolfpack

04-09-2012, 12:32 AM

July 19, 2012
Sometimes you have to trust the peop ... wait, I said that already.

We also picked up 17 y/o MF/ST Laste Dombaxe, an Angolan who came out of the Tottenham system.

Hopefully he avoids living up to the sound-alike last name he's got (though I'm sure it's not really pronounced like it seems to be spelled). :D

At least you didn't say "Laste Dombaxe out of Angola..." :lol:

JonInMiddleGA

04-09-2012, 12:33 AM

July 22, 2012
Micheal Pearson has signed a contract extension, at $160/wk it seems like a reasonable move for depth.

That puts us at $9,104/wk with a budget of $9,970/wk.

JonInMiddleGA

04-09-2012, 12:34 AM

Hopefully he avoids living up to the sound-alike last name he's got (though I'm sure it's not really pronounced like it seems to be spelled). :D

At least you didn't say "Laste Dombaxe out of Angola..." :lol:

I'm glad it wasn't just me who was thinking along these lines. I can't say that the possible humor didn't have at least the slightest bit of impact on my decision to sign him.

JonInMiddleGA

04-09-2012, 01:25 AM

July 23, 2012
We've added 18 y/o D/MF Theo Brown on a p.a. basis ($180 per). Lots of potential in this former Leicester prospect. Whether we can tap into it remains to be seen, but it's there.

July 24, 2012
Blyth at Ryton (Lower Div) - Friendly
GK - Knight
D - Slaughter - Williamson - Jones - Pearson
MF - Phillips - Harrison - Whiteley - Janneh
F - White - Aite-Ouakrim
(Available subs: cast of thousands)

I remind them that there's places up for grabs & to go impress me.
4-4-2 Standard

28:00 - Aite-Ouakrim was knocked on a challenge in the opening couple of minutes, his fitness is quite low, can't let him keep struggling with it.
Sub Christensen in

38:40 - Christensen chases down a long ball by Pearson in the right channel ... feeds into the area for White, his shot is blocked ... Harrison finds the rebound out top & fires ... GOAL ! (1-0) Nice follow on by a guy who had stupidly picked up a yellow card earlier, turns his day around neatly

45:00+ - Extra time, corner for Blundell ... goes to the far post for Flanagan, who heads it to the opposite post to draw level (1-1)

Halftime - A rather pedestrian outing thus far, 8-5 shot edge but only 49% poss. Our passing is rather sloppy (62%) and we're a little soft defensively.
Sub Hoy for Pearson, Sawyer for Janneh, switch to Attack to open the half

46:05 - Christensen with his back to the goal ... turns to find White entering the area ... Bang (2-1)

56:00 - Sub Musungu for Slaughter (Phillips to LD), Stamp for Harrison (White to LCM)

59:00 - Christensen takes a knock, Sub Rickard on
66:00 - Sub Robson for Whiteley (Rickard to MR), Smyth for White, Dalton for Knight, Kulsten for Phillips ... switch back to Standard
88:00 - Sherry gets a red card for leveling Robson from behind in the offensive third

Fulltime - 15-9 on shots, 51% of poss. just a rather blase performance although in fairness there weren't too many regulars out there against a lower division side. Jones is MOM (7.4) with a dominating performance in the air (7/8 headers won, 11 interceptions). Christensen was very productive (7.4, 2 assists) in his time at forward.

JonInMiddleGA

04-09-2012, 01:42 AM

July 27, 2012 (morning)
18 y/o ST Billy Lobjoit is a pacy dribbler who could become useful if he improves in other areas to match those skills. He's been signed to a youth contract.

Izulde

04-09-2012, 02:00 AM

I also caught the Laste Dombaxe out of Angola thing :D

JonInMiddleGA

04-09-2012, 11:25 PM

July 27, 2012
Blyth vs Bradford City (L2) - Friendly
GK - Knight
D - Giddings - Antwi - Purvis - Sinclair
MF - Matondo - Morrison - Groves - Dombaxe
F - Mole - Armstrng
(Available subs: cast of thousands)

4-4-2 Defensive to start ... and once again, Fell notes that Pook & Mole are among the players having a hard time motivating themselves to play for me, Mole is also having issues about Armstrong being the captain. I'm starting to think he's going to be a pain in my ass this year.

40:45 - Groves with a pass to Mole in the area, shot is parried, Armstrong with the rebound & a half volley that goes high
41:40 - They banked a shot off the post, had Knight beaten but the woodwork saved him
Halftime - A fair half of work, outshooting them 8-4 with 54% of poss. Giddings took a knock before the break and Mole picked up a yellow card somewhere along the way but on the whole that wasn't too bad.
Sub Kulsten for Giddings (and stupidly accidentally failed to do a pep talk)

57:00 - Sub Seery for Antwi (knocked), White for Dombaxe, Breckin for Sinclair (Purvis to DR)

64:00 - Sub Stamp for Armstrong, Slaughter for Morrison, Brown for Matondo
74:00 - Sub Sheppard for Mole
80:00 - Sheppard is denied on a shot from just outside the box by a nice save

Fulltime - 12-6 shots edge, 52% of poss., Bradford appeared pretty content to let this one play out as it did. Not much to say but considering the overall talent gap I'm happy enough with the outcome. Not too pleased about some individual performances (Mole & Giddings 6.2, Sinclair 6.1) but we'll keep that to ourselves for now.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 12:01 AM

July 29, 2012
We've signed 18 y/o MF Mo Davies on a free from Aldershot. Fans are excited about the youngster who is advanced mentally and shows some offensive skills as well.
---
We've also added 16 y/o GK prospect Rob Fry, who comes from the Ebbsfleet program. He's a long term project but ensures the presence of a regular keeper for the U18s for a while.

---

We've had our loan offer for ML Nathan Lunscombe rejected by the player. Hartlepool was more than willing, he wasn't. Would have been a major addition offensively but oh well.
---
None of the four players we scouted based on the Northern Ireland Trial Day were even willing to consider signing with us. Enjoy sitting at home guys.
---

July 30, 2012
We've risked a switch, naming Frank Sinclair as captain & Graeme Armstrong as vice-captain. Hopefully Armstrong understands the move, I don't imagine anyone will take issue with Sinclair as captain though.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 12:36 AM

July 31, 2012
With the pre-season officially ending in less than a week, with a reserve friendly and a U18 friendly remaining, and with numerous players in need of improved match fitness, I decide it's time to deal with our trialists.

ST Darryn Stamp - Definitely want to keep him around, a veteran presence who played well. He's asking $450 p.a. & $450 goal bonus, I counter with $300/$350, he comes back with $375/$375, I counter $325/350 ... and he considers that "miles apart" and withdraws from talks. Touchy bastard isn't he?

D Ian Breckin - Didn't see as much of him as we should have frankly, but I like the veteran presence he could provide. He's asking $475/wk + $45 p.a. ... I counter with $350 + $80 p.a. ... he comes back with $425 + $80 ... I'll try once more, at $400 + $80 ... He's at $425 + $80 ... and we agree on $425 + $70 + 40% of any sell-on (I've yet to successfully sell a player)

MF Michael Pook - I'd love to keep the guy as he'd probably be very useful in at both CMF and MR but the whole "he's having trouble motivating himself to play for me" thing sticks in my craw. No offer

DR Will Salmon - His passing isn't really good enough for him to be as offensive as I like. No offer & we terminate his trial.

MF Marc Canham - Would like to keep him, one of the more talented guys with the squad at the moment ... but the whole "not motivated to play for me" thing is persistent. No offer.

MF Neil Barrett - See Canham, Marc above

DR Paul Robson - Arguably the best defender we've got and he played quite well at this level for Lincoln last season. But his asking price of $525 p.a. is beyond the pale. We offer $325 + $250 goal bonus and he immediately withdraws from talks. Figured as much but I wasn't going to pay him anything like that.

MF Steven Morrison - The rest of the staff isn't impressed with the 23 y/o veteran of the Welsh leagues, but I loved what I saw of him against quality competition vs Bradford. He's asking $250 p.a. + $230 goal bonus, I offer $200 p.a. + $250 goal ... he counters with $210 p.a. + $250 goal and I accept.

ST/MF Belal Aite-Ouakrim - A tough riddle for me. He's a better dribbler with better technique than nearly anyone we've got, better than average pace for us too. I like those qualities quite a bit. But his decision making (2) is awful, and nearly all aspects of his mental game are weak to downright very weak. When I see he's asking for $475 p.a. the decision is obvious. No offer.

DR Kevin Lee - Versatile player who could contribute at both D and MF but he's also another of those players who apparently thinks my stature as a coach is beneath their talents. No offer.

Final tally: 10 players in on trial, 2 end up signed (assuming they dot the i's as agreed), 2 end up walking away from the table, 6 end up without an offer for one reason or another.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 12:57 AM

July 31, 2012 (evening)

Our reserves trounced lower division side Wickham 4-1. After Hartley allowed a goal at 2', Mole drew us level at 22'. Young newcomer Billy Lobjoit (MOM 8.6) scored twice at 57' and 64', Matt Rickard sealed the win at 89'.

Peter Hoy (6.0) and Shaun Vipond (6.2) were disappointing while Sam Sawyer (7.5), Theo Brown (7.4), and Tamer Dalton (7.4) were standouts along with the scorers.
---------------
August 1, 2012
Training report:
Good - Purvis (Aerobic), Martin (Strength), Taylor (Defending)
Bad - Vipond (Strength), Armstrong (Tactics), Kulsten (Ball Control)
Youth Good - Dalton (Strength), Robson (Strength), Sheppard (Strength)
Youth Bad - None

----
The board is pleased with my leading of the team. The capture of Sinclair has been particularly pleasing. They are slightly disappointed with the departure of Wayne Buchanan. The club made a profit of $85.22k last month, mostly from season tickets.

----
We've signed 19 y/o MF Trevor Mutero to a youth contract. Offensively good for his age (or for our club), defensively he's awful and his mental abilities are lacking at this point. The fans think I showed good vision and ambition with the signing.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 01:20 AM

August 2, 2012
Steven Morrison signed his p.a. deal as previously agreed

August 3, 2012
Ian Breckin signed his p.a. deal as previously agreed
---
We talk to Darryn Stamp again, against my better judgement I offer him $375 p.a. + $375 goal bonus. We'll see what happens next.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 02:14 AM

August 3, 2012 (evening)
Blyth at Dalbeattie Star (South Scotland) - Friendly

Oops, forgot I had another friendly scheduled. Good thing, as we needed to trim up our match fitness.

GK - Hartley
D - Martin - Antwi - Mellish - Hoy
MF- Matondo - Morrison - Vipond - Whiteley
F - Chinthengah - Stamp
Subs available - Cast of thousands
4-4-2 Standard

Halftime - A nice save by Hartley just before the break kept things scoreless. Chinthengah & Whiteley have both picked up yellow cards. We've been outshot 6-4, mostly due to subpar passing (69%) that's given them 55% of poss.
Sub Phillips for Whiteley, Knight for Hartley, switch to Counter strategy

50:45 - Martin makes a nice tackle to start a counterattack ... long ball up to Chinthengah who works his way to the arc and fires ... GOAL ! (1-0)

53:00 - Sub D'Laryea for Hoy

60:30 - D'Laryea runs down a loose ball deep, wheels and fires a long pass ahead to Stamp ... he's in the right channel, crosses for Phillips near the far post ... steps into the box and shoots ... GOAL ! (2-0)

Sub Abraham for Vipond, White for Stamp, Kulsten for Martin, Slaughter for Chinthengah (Matondo to F)

70:00 - Sub Sawyer for Morrison, Breckin for Antwi, Groves for Matondo, switch to 5-4-1 Counter

89:00 - Nixon takes a long shot for DS ... a slow roller that takes a little skip & somehow gets past Knight and into the net (2-1)
Switch to Contain as we try to survive 4 mins of added time

Fulltime - Got a little dicey there at the end but worked out okay. But just okay. We outshot them 13-9 despite only 46% poss. Didn't pass well, especially from the backline. Did just enough to win.

Nice to see Phillips (MOM 8.1, 1 goal, 1 assist) have a good game, Chinthengah (7.4) scuffled quite a bit but the goal pushed his performance up, Antwi (7.0) played solid defense. Vipond had some awful moments in the first half but rallied (6.8).

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 02:26 AM

August 4, 2012
Our U18s suffered a 2-0 loss at Durham City. Rhys Paul suffered an own goal at 21', and they scored on a penalty at 60'. Lots of 5.x ratings, only really good performances came from D Rory McKeever (6.8) and the GK's Dalton & Henly (both 6.7). Craig Cresswell also did well (6.7) after coming on at 60'.

The bigger loss came with injuries. We lose F Kaine Sheppard for 7-8 weeks to a broken arm and D Tommy Smyth for 4-5 weeks for a pulled hamstring.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 02:30 AM

August 5, 2012
Max Johnson has been griping to teammates about being transfer listed. Sorry kid, but I ain't paying a 3rd/4th string GK more than my #2 guy. Not gonna happen. I try to convince him to terminate his contract,he's horrified at the prospect.

Oh and now the little bitch goes on the radio to blast me for disrespecting him.

----
Darryn Stamp, who left the club when his trial expired, has signed the p.a. offer I made to him earlier. We confirm it.

----
August 6, 2012
We sign 18 y/o DR Callum Wilson to a youth contract. Good tackler & pitch-smart with pace. Has no offensive ability to speak of but should be a solid defender at some point, if he can improve his fitness level.
---
In what could turn out to be much bigger news, we've signed 19 y/o GK Jack Dovey on a free after his Southampton contract expired. He actually projects as better than either of our veteran keepers and is here for $150/wk through 2014. His listed value is $140k, that's more than double our next most valuable player Jamie Mole ($45k)

-----
August 7, 2012
Physios tell me that D Tom Seery strained his wrist while doing too much in the weight room, he'll be out 2 weeks.
--------
August 8, 2012
We've signed 21 y/o GK Nathan McDonald to a 2 yr deal worth $180/wk. He was excellent last season for Braintree in BSBP (29 allowed in 30 g, with 12 shutouts). Options, this is about having options.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 03:24 AM

August 9, 2012
Our reserves beat Darlington's reserves 2-1 in a friendly. Lobjoit (7.2) put us in front at 14', they tied before the half. Michael Pearson (MOM 7.4) got the gamewinner in extra time. We played virtually two entire squads, one for 55 minutes, the other for the balance.

August 10, 2012
Our U18s lost at Ryton 1-0, on a goal in the 17th minute. Theo Brown (7.0) stood out nicely, while Billy Lobjoit (5.8) and Callum Wilson (6.0) made a different sort of impression.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 04:09 AM

August 11, 2012
Blyth (0-0-0) vs Darlington (0-0-0)

It's showtime.

Our first match in BSB Premier has arrived, with expected midtable club Darlington providing the opposition at Croft Park. We'll be cautious, start in 4-4-2 Defensive posture. Darlington are 4:6 favorties, we're 7:2 dogs.

The lineup isn't optimal, we've got to consider the short turnaround before the match at rival Gateshead.

GK: Knight
D: Slaughter - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Phillips - Morrison - Sawyer - Whiteley
F: Chinthengah - Stamp
Bench: (Antwi, Abraham, Mole, Groves, McDonald)

24:30 - Phillips corner to the far post, Sawyer heads it over
34:13 - Slaughter does a nice job of drawing a yellow card on James Gray. Who knew a handful of shirt could be so devastating?
41:42 - Bellamy gets free on the right side of the area but misses badly, lucky for us

Halftime - Not the most thrilling half, but we seem to have our legs under us a bit now. Outshot 6-4, only 45% poss, only 57% passing, just terrible in that regard from the back line. On the bright side, Whiteley & Stamp have disrupted their offense with timely tackles repeatedly.

We flip Purvis & D'Laryea, switch to Counter

50:00 - Gray has to come off for Darlington, injured on a challenge by Purvis
51:00 - Chinthengah was denied after a lovely pass into the area by Sawyer
52:00 - Phillips corner to the far post is headed into the ground by D'Laryea ... takes a high bounce & Jones gets his head on it but it goes inches over ... that would have been magnificent

62:00 - Sub Mole for Stamp
67:00 - Bridge-Wilkinson shot hits the crossbar, so close, Slaughter clears
67:30 - Chinthengah gets a yellow card
68:30 - Sub Groves for Whiteley
73:30 - Purvis takes a nasty knock & needs lengthy treatment
Sub Abraham for Purvis (Groves to DR), switch to Defensive
89:00 - 4 mins of extra time
92:50 - Gavin shoots from the arc, Knight can only block it, Morrison punts it into the cheap seats to clear

Fulltime - I tell the boys they were just unlucky today, almost true & it's seems to motivate them a bit. Shots ended up even at 12, we had 49% poss. Passing improved a little (65% total) in the half and we tackled particularly well. Our problem was putting only 1 shot on target all match. Still, it's a point against a decent club, for now I'll take that & especially with the makeshift lineup we put out today.

Knight 6.5
Slaughter 6.9, Jones 6.8, Purvis 6.7, D'Laryea 7.1
Phillips 6.8, Morrison 6.9, Sawyer 6.7, Whiteley 6.7
Chinthengah 6.5, Stamp 6.4
Subs: Groves 6.7, Mole 6.6, Abraham 6.6

August 11, 2012 (post-match)
Fell tells me that it seems some members of the squad - Mole & McDonald in particular - are finding it tough to motivate themselves with me as their head coach.

I admit to the press that I thought the result was pretty fair considering we rested a number of key players.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 04:20 AM

August 12, 2012
Final season ticket figures are in, 609 sold. That's up quite a bit over last year's total of 200.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 09:52 PM

August 11, 2012
Blyth (0-1-0) at Gateshead (1-0-0)

I've been dreading this game since the schedules were revealed. We're still trying to figure out where we fit into the BSBP picture, still struggling to work new players into the lineup, we get an away match on television against our biggest rival. I'm surprised that they aren't bigger favorites than 4:7, with us as 4:1 dogs, especially with them coming off a 3-2 win over Mansfield in their opener.

I'm not particularly thrilled with the lineup I finally settle on either. A couple of players making their official debut with us, another (Hartley) that I honestly just don't trust, star forwards who are either becoming a bit arrogant (Mole) or are prone to long droughts (Armstrong) and at least one other (White) who can put up some real stinkers. But those are the best players available for tonight, so that's how we'll roll.

GK: Hartley
D: Martin - Antwi - Sinclair - Groves
MF: Matondo - White - Vipond - O'Connor
F: Mole - Armstrong
Bench: (Giddings, Mellish Slaughter, Chinthengah, Dovey)

3:00 - Ashikodi gets a good chance one on one with Hartley, he turns the shot aside & Antwi kicks it clear
15:00 - Light steady rain now falling
17:30 - A cross into the area produces a shot by Turnbull that Hartley blocks, but Ashikodi is on the doorstep for a rebound goal (0-1)
30:00- We're getting mauled, outshot 7-1 so far and they've had 2:1 possession
33:00 - Baxter sends in a corner, it's headed & saved, the rebound comes off of our defender White's head & goes right onto the noggin of Clark just a couple of feet from the goal (0-2)
39:00 - We flip flop Mole & Armstrong up front, switch to Counter ('cause defensive sure ain't working)

Halftime - Ugh. Outshot 13-2, they've had 63% of poss. nearly half their crosses are completed to none of ours. 6 of our guys have ratings under 6 at the break. We're switching to our 4-4-2 Standard and I let the players know that I expect a much better showing in the 2nd half. (I don't actually expect it, but they seemed largely fired up by the speech ... except for a now stressed Matondo)

46:06 - Cross into the area from the deep right corner, Adubade is on it & puts it between the ankles of Hartley (0-3)

50:15 - Armstrong loses a footrace to the ball but takes it away from the defender & cracks a shot ... off the woodwork. So close.

60:00 - We now have 10 players with ratings under 6, including Antwi (4.9) who has been spectacularly awful. Sub Mellish for Antwi, Chinthengah for Armstrong

78:00 - Sub Slaughter on for Vipond (Groves to MF, Sinclair to RD)

Fulltime - Despite the terrible outcome I thought we handled things mentally pretty well. Physically we left a lot to be desired, outshot 21-6, only 39% of poss. I hope this was just a case of Gateshead being quite good this season and not a sign of what sort of manhandling we'll see all season. Easily the worst beating we've taken in my tenure and the numbers reflect that. I'm sure the fans will be blistering my arse for weeks after this one.

GK: Hartley 6.0
D: Martin 5.6, Antwi 4.9, Sinclair 6.0, Groves 5.6
MF: Matondo 5.7, White 6.5, Vipond 5.7, O'Connor 5.7
F: Mole 6.6, Armstrong 5.6
Subs: Mellish 6.9, Chinthengah 6.4, Slaughter N/A

Aug 14, 2012 (postmatch)
I put on a brave face for the media and tell them this will hurt for a few days but then we get back to work & back on track. The fans are, as expected, devastated by the result & I acknowledge that I know how much these rivalry matches mean to them.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 10:14 PM

Aug 17, 2012
So I sit here trying to figure out what comes next. Look at the schedule. Look at the table. And realize that this might be a very revealing stretch for us one way or the other.

There are four teams in BSBP that haven't scored a goal in their first two matches. We're one, and our next two games are against two of the others. First up, Forest Green at home tomorrow, then a trip to Kidderminster next Saturday, then it's a Sat/Tue/Sat sequence against Wrexham/Grimsby/Kettering, all three of whom look like midtable sides.

If we could get maybe 8 points out of those 5 matches I'd be pretty satisfied I believe. If we get at least 5 then maybe we could scrap & claw our way into staying up. If we get 3 or, Heaven forbid, even less than that, then I'm not sure whether we've got the club to stay up here this year.

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 10:55 PM

Aug 18, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s managed a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Utd youth. Considering we were outshot 7-3 I suppose a draw is the best we could hope for. D Callum Wilson (7.3, 11 interceptions) and D Theo Brown (7.3) were the highlights, MF Laste Dombaxe (6.2 & a yellow) and 2nd half sub ST Dennis Robson (6.1) were the lowlights.
---
Aug 18, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (0-1-1, 20th) vs Forest Green (0-1-1, 21st)

Well this ought to be interesting ... or incredibly dull, one or the other. Neither club has scored this season, they've allowed four to our three. The Rovers are a Pick 'Em fave at Croft Park.

We're going 4-4-2 Standard here and we'll go with our best guess at a solid lineup. I initially planned to start Matondo & Groves in the MF but they're still a bit tired from the last match, so I adjust a little there.

GK: Knight
D: Giddings - Jones - Purvis - Sinclair
MF: Slaughter - Morrison - Whiteley - Vipond
F: O'Connor - Mole
Bench: (Matondo, Phillips, White, Sawyer, McDonald)

20:00 - We survive a corner thanks to a quick save by Knight ... but only for a moment as the rebound comes straight onto the head of Graham for a goal (0-1)

29:15 - Slaughter with a long throw into the area for O'Connor who loses a challenge ... Slaughter recovers the rebound and shoots ... off the near post

Halftime - We continue to struggle offensively, and the frustration is clearly getting to a number of players. Sinclair, Jones and O'Connor are "in danger of losing discpline" while Purvis & Vipond are "in danger of being booked". Meanwhile Whiteley & Morrison are both playing nervously. I tell the squad to show me something else in the 2nd half. I hope there's something different to see, being outshot 5-1 with only 33% poss. is pretty hard to watch. We have not handled their 5-4-1 at all, let's see how our own version of it fares.
Sub Matondo for Whiteley (knocked)

56:45 - Mole with a takeaway and a long run ... his shot is blocked & out for a corner .. Vipond hangs one up for Jones but his header is too high

61:00- Purvis loses the ball to Styche in our own end, Knight has to make a save to deny him

70:00 - Sub Phillips for Morrison (tired), White for Vipond (tired), switch to Attack strategy

81:15 - Matondo with a pass to Phillips at the left side of the arc ... he spots Mole across the area & feeds him ... holds off a defender & shoots ... GOAL (1-1) Finally, a shot to the far post ends our drought, despite the protests of the Rovers who claim Mole was offside, which upon viewing the replay I believe he was by about a step ... Switch to Standard

86:00 - Matondo is hurt & done for the day ... and we have no subs left so we'll have to try to survive this a man short .. go Defensive

89:00 - Three mins of extra time
91:00 - Switch to Contain

Fulltime - Eh, at least we got a point. And a goal, something I was starting to wonder about. I cautiously suggest to the team that we suffered a bit of bad luck today, certainly true on Slaughter's cracking shot. Outshot 9-4 and only 39% of poss tells me that our problems were considerably worse than "bad luck" but I'll keep that to myself for now. We did look better in the 2nd half after adjusting to match their 5-4-1.

GK: Knight 6.7
D: Giddings 6.8, Jones 7.1, Purvis 6.8, Sinclair 6.7
MF: Slaughter 6.3, Morrison 6.7, Whiteley 6.6, Vipond 6.0
F: O'Connor 6.6, Mole 7.2 & 1 goal
Subs: Phillps 6.9 & 1 assist, White 6.9, Matondo 6.8

Aug 18, 2012 (postmatch)
Nothing serious from the Matondo injury luckily

JonInMiddleGA

04-10-2012, 11:29 PM

Aug 23, 2012
Our Reserves managed a 2-2 draw at Gateshead. GK Jack Dovey allowed an early goal at 3' but Matt Rickard brought us level at 36'. They went back in front at 55' but Lloyd Foot (MOM 7.8) evened things up at 86'. Hassan Janneh (6.0), Trevor Mutero (6.0) and Sam Christensen (6.1) all struggled, while Peter Hoy (6.9), Jack Abraham (6.9) and Adam Forster (6.9) all played well, as did subs Mo Davies (6.9) and Theo Brown (6.8).

JonInMiddleGA

04-11-2012, 12:28 AM

Aug 25, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s have beaten Sheff Wed U18s 1-0 on the road. Billy Lobjoit scored at 6' and it held up, in part because Sheffield played a man short from 53' onward after Damian Hamsher picked up his 2nd yellow card. D Rhys Paul (7.7) stood out alongside MOM Lobjoit (8.3 & 1 goal). Not really a bad performance in the squad today.

Aug 25, 2012
Blyth (0-2-1, 20th) at Kidderminster (0-0-3, 24th)

Naturally we're underdogs on the road, 9:2 while the worst team in the league so far is a 1:2 favorite. I sure hope they're wrong.

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard, let's see how that goes.
GK: Hartley
D: Martin - Jones - Purvis - Groves
MF: Matondo - Morrison - White - Whiteley
F: Armstrong - Mole
Bench: Slaughter - Phillips - Chinthengah - Antwi - Dovey

12:00 - Armstrong picks up a slight knock but apparently has to come off for good. Sub Phillips on (Matondo to F)

20:23 - Casual passing just past midfield, sort of lulled the defense to sleep ... suddenly Matondo fires a 25 yard try that finds itself buried in the back of the net (1-0) Assist goes to Mole

23:15 - Arnold steals the box in the box & has an easy shot ... which he puts wide by a good 3 feet. We dodged a bullet big time.

28:55 - Mole outruns the field but is stoned on a 1-on-1 try
40:15 - Pinpoint pass downfield by Whiteley ... Mole loses it but gets it back for a shot that's turned round the post
42:04 - Matondo intercepts a horrible pass by their keeper but shoots it wide left by a couple of feet
Halftime - Pretty good showing thus far, could actually be up more. 6-3 shooting edge, 4 of those on target. Poss. is about even. We'll switch to Counter to open the half

53:23 - A long cross by Matondo to Whiteley ... robbed by the keeper on a header ... rebound back to Whiteley ... he's robbed again by a defender who clears the ball off the line for a corner

54:12 - Phillips hangs one up into the box ... Jones is there for a header GOAL !!! (2-0)

62:52 - Jones clears a long ball for Mole, keeper is too far out ... Mole missed by a mile

65:55 - Byrne with a corner try ... finds Matt for a header from just outside the box (2-1) It's a game again

75:00 - Sub Antwi for Whiteley (spent; Groves to RMF, Purvis to RD), Sub Slaughter for Morrison (tired), switch to Defensive

78:30 - Phillips with a long free kick into the area ... Antwi's header is too high
79:10 - Frear gets loose into our area ... shot goes high over the bar
82:00- Near disaster as Hartley completely misses a diving save attempt ... Groves is there to put it out of play
89:00 - 3 mins of time added

Fulltime - That'll do. 15-9 shot edge, 56% of poss, passing was better today (although still awful from the back line). 4 clear cut chances, 7 shots on target, only two goals but with our recent struggles it seems like ten.

Hartley 6.8
Martin 7.0, Jones 7.6 & 1 goal, Purvis 7.1, Groves 7.2
Matondo 7.3 & 1 goal, Morrison 6.8, White 6.9, Whiteley 6.8
Armstrong N/A, Mole 7.3 & 1 goal & 1 assist
Subs: Phillips 7.7, MOM, 1 assist, Antwi 6.9, Slaughter 6.6

Aug 25, 2012 (postmatch)
Graeme Armstrong will miss 3-4 weeks with a thigh strain suffered after awkwardly striking a ball during the match.

The win moves us up to 16th, not much breathing room but it's something.

The former captain, now vice-captain, may not be thrilled with my observation during the presser that his loss is a blow but it's not the end of the world.

JonInMiddleGA

04-11-2012, 01:27 AM

Aug 31, 2012
We've signed 18 y/o MF Josh Greenhoff to a youth contract. Good teammate sort of kid who showed good passing ability & pace for his age during his time in the Scunthorpe system.

Sept 1, 2012
The transfer window has now closed, no bigger name moved than last year's English Player's Player of the Year Luka Modric, who exits Tottenham to join Real Madrid for a fee believed to be close to $61m. Meanwhile Man U spent around $49m to get MF Marek Hamsik for Serie A outfit Napoli.
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Training report
Good: Groves (aerobic), Kulsten (tactics), Rickard (Strength)
Bad: White (strength), Giddings (ball control), Martin (ball control)
Youth Good: Brown (strength), Henly (str) and Williamson (str)
Youth Bad: Watson (aerobic)
-----------
BSB Premier Player of the Month is Cambridge Utd's Ibrahim Atiku.
BSBP Young Player of the Month is Aldershot striker Eliot Richards
BSBP Manager of the Month is Aldershot's Ian Foster

JonInMiddleGA

04-11-2012, 02:30 AM

Sept 1, 2012
Blyth (1-2-1, 16th) at Wrexham (2-1-1, 6th)

It'd be great just to steal a point here.They're 4:7 favorites at home, we're 4:1 dogs. Juggle the lineup a bit today, still trying to figure out who fits & who doesn't, I figure a game we're expected to lose is a good time to experiment a little. We'll start in a 4-4-2 Standard, as I'm starting to think that this group doesn't play well when they're scared, so we'll try not to act scared.

GK: Knight
D: Giddings, Jones, Antwi, Sinclair
MF: Matondo, Morrison, White, Vipond
F: Mole, Chinthengah
Bench: Slaughter, Phillips, Whiteley, Groves, McDonald

08:30 - Chinthengah needs some treatment after a hard challenge
10:30 - Antwi just missed a header after a nice floating free kick by Vipond
44:00 - Baxendale just poked in a header off a corner (0-1) Ball just seemed to float forever before going in
Halftime - Tough break there to end the half. My coaches are very unhappy, I'm not seeing the great anger frankly. We outshot 'em 5-4, they had 57% poss. but we've done pretty well in most areas except in the air where they're dominating us. We'll switch to Counter.

AND I JUST MADE A SHOCKING DISCOVERY ... GK David Knight was sent off in the 47th minute with a red card ... The report doesn't say why, I haven't the foggiest what actually happened there, only realized it when I was about to resume play and Fell pointed out that I didn't have a GK.

Sub McDonald for Antwi (5.9), sub Groves for Morrison (5.9) ... switch to what becomes a 4-3-2 Defensive

Match report now says "Knight caught the ball ... Knight passed it forward to Giddings ... Freekick to Wrexham ... Knight handled the ball ... Knight was shown the red card ... Blyth couldn't believe the card ...blah blah ... it didn't seem to be worthy of a red card ... protested furiously .. blah blah

52:30 - McDonald with a fairly acrobatic save that's quickly punted out for a corner which they misplay badly
73:00 - Switch to Counter
74:45 - Mole breaks the offside trap but is denied one-on-one
77:00 - Sub Phillips for Giddings
89:00 - 3 mins of added time
93:00 - Jones with a long ball for Mole ... he's in the channel ... it's tackled away
95:00 - Vipond goes down hard & is finished for the day ... and of course we're out of subs ... and now out of time

Fulltime - What a bizarre match. Amazing to have only lost by one. We actually outshot them 9-8, managed 47% poss. Quite remarkable, in every way but the result. I'm actually a little disappointed right now, I really thought we might just draw even.

Knight 6.7
Giddings 7.1, Jones 6.6, Antwi 5.9, Sinclair 6.8
Matondo 6.7, Morrison 5.9, White 6.5, Vipond 6.6
Mole 6.4, Chinthengah 6.8
Subs: McDonald 6.9, Groves 6.9, Phillips N/A

Sept 1, 2012 (postmatch)
We watch the replay to determine whether to appeal. I've watched it repeatedly, I see Knight lay the ball out to Giddings and then turn to head back to the goal ... suddenly there's a card. No clue. And I apparently hit the wrong damned button or something, I wanted to appeal but instead didn't appeal

Shaun Vipond will miss roughly two months after landing heavily during the match and suffering a sprained ankle.

And Wrexham's manager Andy Morrell is asked afterwards whether this win might give him the upper hand over me in the future. His response was that I'd probably think twice before making comments in the future. The comments in question? My remark that "Andy Morrell is one of the nicest people in soccer" from a couple of days earlier. WTF?

And then in an even more bizarre twist (glitch?) I go down to read my original comments and return to the item ready to blast Morrell but the item now reads "You have responded to Honey's request" (Honey being the name of the reporter) ... except that I didn't !

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 09:56 AM

Sept 1, 2012 (evening)
Blyth (1-2-2, 18th) at Grimsby (3-1-1, 5th)

This looks like a tough one, on the road against a team that's been winning. They've got three players who've scored 2 goals each and could add to that against us, the one ray of hope might be how poorly they played last time out in a 5-1 loss at Mansfield.

We'll flip the lineup due to the short turnaround and show a different look (because we're thin on fit forwards) ... a 4-4-1-1 that we've been working on. Grimsby is a big 1:6 favorite, we're 10:1 dogs. We'll start out in a Standard mindset, maybe with their morale being down after the loss we can catch them early.

GK: Hartley
D: Martin - Jones - Mellish - Purvis
MF: Phillips - Slaughter - Sawyer - Whiteley
AMC - O'Connor
F: Mole
Bench: (McGovern, Abraham, Taylor, Groves, Dovey)

4:10 - Makofo runs into the area past several defenders, embarasses Mellish, crosses to Hatch on the right & that's an easy goal (0-1)
14:25 - Corner by Soares, Hatch's header bangs off the crossbar
19:45 - We dial our strategy back to Counter, we've been under pressure since the kickoff
32:00 - Makofo shoots wide .. we've been outshot 9-0 so far
39:15 - Hartley starts out on Hearn, changes his mind ... Purvis heads it to safety at the last moment
43:25 - Our first offensive zone highlight is a throw-in ... ball is worked to O'Connor ... who spots Mole beating the trap ... one-on-one against Young... GOAL !!! (1-1) Grimsby wants an offside call, none is forthcoming. We'll say that was perfectly timed by Mole and leave it at that.

Halftime - An undeserving score at the break, outshot 11-1, only 41% poss. But we're still in this thing. Purvis (6.8) has been pretty much the only effective defender, for that matter the only effective player until the quick goal sequence. We tweak a few roles but otherwise no changes, although we do remind Martin to be careful since he picked up a well-deserved yellow card early.

54:15 - Phillips with a corner into the area ... Jones just missed high
58:38 - Makofo outbattles Whiteley during a long run down the left side... centers a pass to Hatch ... header is just out of the reach of Hartley (1-2) Groan.
60:45 - O'Connor takes a neat pass from Mole down to the arc & shoots ... just wide left
62:00 - Sub Abraham for Sawyer (5.8), Groves for Mellish (5.9)
64:00 - Phillips centers a pass to Whiteley at the arc .. missed badly
72:10 - O'Connor spots Mole again, into the area and he puts it home ... but the flag was up, offside
77:50 - We're left screaming for a penalty after Mole gets roughed up on an aerial play in the area ... no call
79:00 - Sub McGovern for Martin (5.9, yellow, tiring)
80:00 - Mole needs treatment on the side after a rough challenge by Flynn
81:44 - Casual possession, we work the ball around to Whiteley at the arc ... he passes up a shot & instead plays it through to Abraham angling into the area from the right ... Young deflects the shot ... but it goes in GOAL !!! (2-2) ... we draw level with only ten men on the pitch
Switch to Defensive
89:00 - 3 mins added
90:45 - Hatch shoots long & wide ... Grimsby switches to a 4-3-3, apparently they want this one

Fulltime - We just flat out stole a point, and I'm happy with that. "Well done guys, you just proved many people wrong". Outshot 14-5, only 46% poss (but 51% in the 2nd half), only 61% passing, only 43% of headers won ... and we get a point anyway. 1st league goal for Abraham, league debut for McGovern, first league assist for Whiteley & O'Connor, and the first time ever playing in a new tactic.

Hartley 6.6
Martin 5.9, Jones 6.3, Mellish 5.9, Purvis 6.9
Phillips 6.2, Slaughter 6.8, Sawyer 5.9, Whiteley 6.9 & 1 assist
O'Connor 6.9 & 1 assist, Mole 7.3 & 1 goal
Subs: Abraham 7.4 & 1 goal, Groves 6.9, McGovern N/A
*Grimsby's Hatch was MOM with 2 goals and an 8.8 rating

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 10:03 AM

Sept 5, 2012
Our U18s beat up Lewes 4-1, Trevor Mutero with a hat trick all in the final 20 minutes to win a game that was level at the half thanks to a 17' goal by Rory McKeever.

The win wasn't without cost, McKeever will be out 2 months with strained knee ligaments.

We add 17 y/o DL Reece Loudon on a youth contract. Natural pace with some good potential mental attributes. He spent four years in the Chelsea system. Fans are delighted by the signing.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 10:13 AM

Sept 7, 2012
We see where our former MF Chris Emms has agreed to terms with Colwyn Bay.

Sept 8, 2012
Our U18s lose to Gateshead 2-0, giving up goals at 81' and 88'. Looked like we just ran out of gas. Wilson, Brown,Davis (6.7's) all played well, Dombaxe (6.8) was even a bit better. Smyth (6.0) was disappointing, as were all our subs - Kaymaz & Watson (5.9) and Robson (6.0)
----
Whaddya know, we're favorites tomorrow at home against Kettering. Just 6:4 but still.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 11:01 AM

Sept 8, 2012 (evening)
Blyth (1-3-2, 20th) vs Kettering (1-1-4, 21st)

This game feels very important to me. We've stayed above the relegation zone so far, we need at least a point to make sure that's true. And it's a very winnable match, one that could give us a little separation from the bottom of the table. They're not without talent, particular young ST Dominic Knowles (1 goal, 6.97 in 6 games)

Although we've got enough bodies to do otherwise, we'll try the 4-4-1-1 again. We'll also try starting in Attacking mindset, something we usually don't do. I hope I don't regret it. My speech is simple: I expect a win today.

GK: Knight
D: Giddings - Jones - Sinclair - Groves
MF: Matondo - White - Morrison - Janneh
AMC - O'Connor
F: Chinthengah
Bench: (Purvis, Phillips, Mole, Slaughter, McDonald)

10:00 - Chinthengah has a horrible try in the area from a brutal angle
27:30 - Awful call, a foul on Groves, that ends a threat
30:45 - Sinclair free kick, to Chinthengah at the point for a quick shot that's saved
34:45 - White with a blistering shot from the arc that's deflected & put out
36:49 - Sinclair with a header just over the bar after a free kick
45:00+ - White gets fouled hard, no call
Halftime - Well this is different. We've dominated play - 7-1 shots, 53% poss, passing & heading well - and have nothing to show for it. Players are almost too jacked up, with Chinthengah "in danger of being booked", our MF's mostly playing nervously, and Jones "looking intense" a note I've never seen before. I tell them we've just been unlucky so far ... and switch back to Standard to see if maybe that settles us down a bit.

52:00 - White launches a long shot high over the bar. Not a great decision
53:45 - Groves free kick from beyond the arc is just high
67:00 - They make a sub, so do we
Sub Purvis for Janneh (tiring, Groves to MR, Sinclair to DR), Philips for Chinthengah (White to F, Matondo to CMF)

72:00 - White runs across midfield and launches one from about a mile away .. actually forced the keeper to make a save
78:00 - Sub Mole for Morrison (White back to MF), I tell him to go make a difference
84:00 - Knowles has a little pop from the right of the area, goes wide badly
86:15 - Navarro's shot hits the crossbar ... whew
89:00 - 3 mins added time
90:55 - Mole with a great aerial pass to Groves ... his header floats over the bar. Nice idea by Mole there
92:27 - O'Connor picks out Phillips on the left side ... he has a try but it doesn't bend back quite enough
Fulltime - "That, simply put, was not good enough. We should have won that match", as a group they respond pretty well & most appear motivated by it. We outshot them 17-4 for crying out loud, but 10 of those shots were off-target, often badly. That's a couple of points we let slip away, no doubt about it. Giddings was MOM (8.0) and played his butt off.

Knight 6.7
Giddings (MOM, 8.0), Jones 6.9, Sinclair 7.2, Groves 7.3
Matondo 6.8, White 6.3, Morrison 6.9, Janneh 6.7
O'Connor 6.6, Chinthengah 6.1
Subs: Purvis/Phillips 6.7, Mole N/A

Sept 8, 2012 (postmatch)
I praise Giddings to the media, avoid anything that would get me into trouble regarding the no-call on White's shot.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 11:11 AM

Sept 9, 2012
So a stretch of matches that I identified as very important before they started has come to a close. At the time I said 8 points would be a very good sign, 5 points might indicate we had a chance to survive, anything less would be troubling. We end up getting 6 points in the stretch, a win over Kidderminster on the road, three draws and a tough 1-0 loss to Wrexham. It seems clear to me that we're going to be scuffling all season, every point will be a fight but on the bright side we do appear to have some fight in us. Our inability to score consistently - just 5 goals in 7 matches - is killing us at the moment.

We're sitting 19th now with 7 points, one ahead of 20th place Lincoln (who has a match in hand) one behind three teams in 16th-18th. The relegation zone includes Kettering (5 pts), Ebbsfleet (4 pts), Kidderminster (1 pt) and Braintree (0 pts).

In addition to the offensive woes, we really need to be getting much much better performance from some of the veterans we signed at,for us, high cost.
D Will Antwi (5.9 in 3g) is $325/wk, D Ian Dreckin & D Peter Hoy haven't gotten to match fitness enough to make an appearance but are soaking up $425/wk & $275/wk respectively. That's over 10% of our total salary budget that are giving us absolutely nothing

And $1250/wk are tied up in Armstrong & Vipond who are both injured and weren't playing well at all before that.

In short, roughly a quarter of our budget is being wasted but I've seen nothing that would give me any reason to believe we'd be able to move any of them.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 11:26 AM

Sept 11, 2012
I move Ian Breckin to the Reserves, hoping simply to get him match fit, and he's none to happy about it. I try to explain that I just need him to prove himself there & he'll get first team action & he's righteously offended. I try to explain that I meant no offense & he seems satisifed for the moment. The game really needs an option that lets you talk about Fitness being the reason for a move. He's set as eligibile for Reserve until match fit but isn't being selected, I'll take control of the Reserves and see if that lets me get him in there
----
Our efforts to move GK Max Johnson before his contract expires at the end of the year continue to be fruitless unfortunately.

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Sept 12, 2012
An interesting situation has developed with a youngster on the Hartlepool Reserves. We've tried multiple times to convince 19 y/o ST Callum Hassan to join us, Hartlepool is more than willing but Hassan has steadfastly refused. I get word that Braintree is trying to loan him in so we quickly try again. Hartlepool accepts both offers so now Hassan has some decisions to make.

----
We do end up with control of the Reserves I swear I've tried in the past but it didn't let me actually run them. I'll spare you the details, the match ends with a 1-1 draw against Scunthorpe Reserves, thanks to a controversial extra time goal by Taylor after a well played long ball from Forster. The match was educational for me in a way, I learned that we have virtually no help forthcoming from the front seven at the reserve level. Maybe in the youth but not among true reserves. Kieran Gonzalez was outstanding in goal, facing 17 shots (to our 4) and making more far more actual saves than I'm accustomed to seeing. Most importantly, those veteran defenders may have taken a step toward playing their way into match shape.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 12:01 PM

Sept 13, 2012
Hartlepool's Callum Hassan has agreed to join Braintree on loan. Fuck that sumbitch.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 12:35 PM

Sept 15, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s lost 2-1 on the road against Leeds. Tamer Dalton gave up two goals in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half, wasting an early goal by Theo Brown (7.4). Feast or famine kind of day, with 6 players rating 6.8 or higher, 6 players rating 6.0 or lower.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 10:13 PM

Sept 15, 2012 (evening)
Blyth (1-4-2, 18th) at York (4-0-3, 6th)

This is likely to be a tough one. They're simply appear to be more talented than we are. Compounding my concern is that we don't usually fare well against teams who run more diverse tactics, and their 4-1-2-2-1 is certainly that. We'll stick with the 4-4-1-1, at least it shows them something other than the ol' 4-4-2. Probably try to Counter, at least we might get a break and score while not being entirely overwhelmed. They're 1:6 faves & we're 10:1 dogs, most likely for good reason

GK: Hartley
D: Martin, Jones, Purvis, Sinclair
MF: Phillips, Matondo, Whiteley, Groves
AMC - O'Connor
F: Mole
Bench: (Sawyer, Slaughter, Stamp, White, McDonald)

16:55 - Moke dribbles down the right channel, launches a cross toward the far post ... it's in. (0-1) A complete fluke of a goal, was just an awful pass.

26:12 - Moke flattens Phillips at the edge of the area on a throw-in ... penalty given ... Mole steps up ... buries it ! (1-1) Powered it right through the keeper's hands

30:15 - McLaughlin plays a pass ahead to Walker coming into the area ... Purvis is very late to challenge ... bang (1-2)

41:15 - Yellow card to Sinclair for tripping

Halftime - Lots of red flags about players looking ill-disciplined, in danger of being booked, etc. I calmly tell the club we've been unlucky so far & to a man they appear relaxed, motivated, some even appeared to have gained confidence. I'm not at all sure what to do with that particular note, first time I've seen in en masse like that though. We'll switch to Standard, see if we can get forward a little more. Outshot 6-2 despite poss. being virtually even. 10 fouls so far is indeed a bit much, we need to calm down & play more professionally.

52:30 - Lund puts one into the side netting, luckily for us. Could easily have scored there
59:15 - Groves free kick floats a little too much, right to the keeper in traffic
60:00 - McLaughlin's close range effort is parried by Hartley, withstanding heavy pressure there
63:30 - They rattle a shot off the crossbar
69:00- Switch to 4-4-2 Standard ... Sub White for Whiteley (6.0), Sub Stamp for Sinclair (5.0 & a yellow), O'Connor to RMF, Groves to RD
85:00 - Switch to Attack
85:12 - Groves freekick again whistles over the bar
89:00 - 3 mins of injury time

Fulltime - Closer than expected frankly, we just don't have the offensive firepower to do much sometimes. I praise their effort since, well, we didn't quit or get embarrassed. Club responds well to that, although I do speak privately with a couple of players to let them know I was not happy with their individual performance, which seemed to fire them up (except for Hartley, who I don't think gives a crap about much other than playing time & getting paid). For the day, we were outshot 11-4 and ended up with just 44% poss. We also passed like crap (61%) and had a tough time defending them in the air.

Hartley 5.3 *his mistake on the errant cross dented his rating badly)
Martin 6.7, Jones 6.9, Purvis 6.9, Sinclair 5.2
Phillips 6.9 & 1 assist, Matondo 6.8, Whiteley 6.0, Groves 6.8
O'Connor 6.8, Mole (7.1 & 1 goal)
Subs: Stamp 6.9, White 6.6

Sept 15, 2012 (postmatch)
Kettering jumps over us in the table, we're down to 20th again, with Lincoln just 1 pt behind us, Kidderminster & Ebbsfleet 3 back, Braintree 4 back after getting their first win of the year in a 4-3 slugfest with Tamworth. Same score btw as Kettering's shocking win over Aldershot (currently 2nd place club)

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 10:50 PM

Sept 18, 2012
Our reserves managed a 2-0 win over FC Halifax reserves. A flat first half looked much better after young Billy Lobjoit was subbed in and put us in front at 68'. Lloyd Foot headed home some insurance just three minutes later. Quite a few strong outing, disappointing to see Ian Breckin - the captain for the match of all things - get sent off for a stupid foul worthy of the red card he received. Glen Taylor also had a tough night (5.9)
----

Lincoln managed a draw against Wrexham, meaning that we're now 21st and in the relegation zone based on GD (we're -4, they're -2).
----------

We've signed an interesting prospect, 18 y/o MF Reece Hands, who was available on a free out of the Blackburn system. He's a playmaking CMF who has some remarkable (for us) rating. Came to us for two years at just $150/wk and is considered by the staff as our second best MF behind only Matondo. Got to get him into match shape ASAP.

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 11:51 PM

Sept 22, 2012
Blyth (1-4-3, 21st) vs Histon (3-3-2, 12th)

Although we're obviously not favorites here (13:8 dogs actually), this is a match where I'd really like to come away with at least a point. We're at home, we know them from last season in BSBN, we're 1-1 lifetime against them, we need to get something. This starts a 3 games in 8 days stretch, with a roadtrip in the middle & an uphill battle against unbeaten league leader Dag & Red at the end.

We stick with the 4-4-1-1 Standard today.

GK: Knight
D: Giddings, Jones, Antwi, Groves
MF: Slaughter, Matondo, Sawyer, Abraham
AMC - Morrison
F: Mole
Bench: (Purvis, Hands, Chinthengah, O'Connor, Dovey)

9:00 - Corner cross to the far post ... Pearson goes up high in the air & knocks home a Histon goal (0-1)
12:15 - Jones header off a cross just misses high
35:00- Switch to Attacking
38:30 - Mole & their keeper Stadelman battle high in the air in the box ... the keeper barely wins it

Halftime - Outshot 5-1, I think the word "garbage" coach Fell used is pretty apt. Just an unspirited outing thus far. We switch to 4-4-2 Standard, moving Matondo forward.

65:00- Sub Purvis for Abraham (tiring), Sub Chinthengah for Mole (5.9) ... Groves to MFR with Purvis to RD

75:00 - Sub Hands for Morrison (tiring)
81:00 - Switch to Attacking
82:00 - Loose ball in the area ... Hands steps up and fires ... GOAL !!! (1-0) ... Slaughter's pass toward the box hit a defender & Hands pounced on the opportunity
85:00 - Switch to Standard, after a near disaster in an own end
89:00 - 3 mins of added time

Fulltime - Talk about squeaking out a point. Yikes. We were flat as a pancake for nearly the entire match, my gamble on Hands paid dividends for sure. Eventually outshot them 8-6, poss. nearly equal (49%) but that was just poor soccer. Bad passing by both, laughable crossing by both, ugly balls in the air, ugly tackling. Looked like a youth league or a beer league rather than actual paid professionals.

Knight 6.7
Giddings 6.8, Jones 6.8, Antwi 6.8, Groves 6.6
Slaughter 7.0 & 1 assist, Matondo 6.5, Sawyer 6.9, Abraham 6.0
Morrison 6.6, Mole 5.9
Subs: Hands 7.3 & 1 goal, Purvis 6.9, Chinthengah 6.8

Sept 22, 2012 (postmatch)
Our fifth straight match without a win but the point moves us clear for the moment, by GD over Stockport (-4 vs -6).

JonInMiddleGA

04-14-2012, 11:58 PM

Sept 23, 2012
Uh oh. Ass't mgr Fell says it's time for a team meeting to try to boost morale. Surely this one will go better than the last one.

"I really want to ensure that our heads don't drop, things haven't been going our way but we've got the ability in this team to change our fortunes"
Everybody's morale takes a jump.

Both captain Sinclair & vice-captain Armstrong (as well as Sawyer) appear inspired & motivated but ... well, last time I let a player speak it was a mess. Morale is up so let's just end this meeting now. (33 players reacted well, 0 players reacted badly)

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 12:46 AM

Sept 25, 2012
Blyth (1-5-3, 20th) at Bath (3-3-3, 13th)
They're 1:2 faves, we're 9:2 dogs. I'd love to see us end the winless streak right here, moreso because we aren't likely to do it in our next match against the unbeaten league leaders. Back to the 4-4-2, Counter strat to open

GK: Hartley
D: Martin, Jones, Sinclair, Purvis
MF: Phillips, White, Hands, Whiteley
F: O'Connor, Mole
Bench: (Slaughter, Matondo, Chinthengah, Loudon,McDonald)

3:15 - Hartley punches out a clear cut chance right on top of him
17:30 - Whiteley takes our first shot, a no-chance affair from long range
28:30 - O'Connor on a jaunt down the left side, feeds Mole just outside the box .. his half-volley misses. Blown chance right there
31:50 - We've picked up a couple of yellows already, one for Purvis & one for Hands ... they've picked up a couple, but the important thing is that they've both gone to Lee Phillips ... he's sent off & we've got a man advantage now. We switch to Standard.

Halftime - Outshot 3-2 but poss. is going our way (60%). Have to take advantage of the situation. We'll try Control for a bit

56:30 - Sinclair gets a yellow for tripping deep in our own end
59:00- Switch to Attack
61:30 - Fine save on a Sinclair header
78:00 - Whiteley shoots wide
Sub Matondo for Hands, Chinthengah for Whiteley (O'Connor to RMF)
80:00 - Chinthengah rattles on off the crossbar from long range
87:30 - A lob by Bath hits our crossbar, Purvis is there to clear the rebound
89:30 - Christie gets free in the area ... and scores (0-1)
90:00 - 3 mins added, switch to Overload

Fulltime - Unfrigging believable. That's our situation in a nutshell: even with a man advantage, we're not good enough offensively to score a damned goal. Meanwhile my assistants are ecstatic, apparently because we played a midtable side close. Umm, guys? We were up a man for over half the match.
Outshot 8-4 despite 58% poss. We coudn't cross, we didn't tackle well. Screw it, I just tell them they were unlucky & they seem happy enough with that. Me? I'm seething. I'm not real thrilled with our 6 yellow cards either.

Hartley 6.8
Martin 6.9, Jones (MOM) 7.5, Sinclair 6.6, Purvis 6.8
Phillips 6.7, White 6.5, Hands 6.8, Whiteley 6.8
O'Connor 6.8, Mole 6.8
Subs: Matondo/Chinthengah N/A

Sept 25, 2012 (postmatch)
The failure to get even a point here drops up back to 21st, now a point behind both Newport Co and Lincoln, tied with Stockport. Ebbsfleet are three back of us now, Braintree is 5 back in last & have fired their manager. Oh, and we've been fined $1.2k for failing to control our players during the match.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 12:58 AM

Sept 28,2012
We've added some help, a 3 month loan of Hartlepool's MF Jordan Richards. I don't expect him to be a difference maker, but at least he gives us another option at RMF. An unspectacular 19 y/o but we'll take any help we can get I suppose.
--------
I have a word with Graeme Armstrong, who I'm told seems to be slacking off in training. I tell him to step it up, he says that's unfair, I point out which one of us picks the team. He apologizes if he spoke out of turn.
----
Dag & Red are 1:2 favorites at Croft Park tomorrow, we're 9:2 dogs. They did lose for the first time all season, 2-1 vs Mansfield and fell into 2nd place behind Aldershot on GD.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 02:01 AM

Sept 29, 2012 (morning)
Our U18s get a 1-1 draw vs Grimsby. We gave up a goal a 4', Kaine Sheppard drew us level at 82'. More notable than the result is the injury report. Laste Dombaxe will be out up to 2 months to recover from strained ankle ligaments.

Sept 29, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1-5-4, 21st) vs Dag & Red (9-0-1, 2nd)
This could get ugly. They've got two players - MF's Matthew Saunders & Peter Gain - that have combined for 8 goals already. We have 7 for the season as a team. They've got 9 players with an avg rtg of 7.0 or better. We have none in the lineup today, only three on our entire roster & two of those (D'Laryea & Hands) have 3 appearances between them (Giddings is the third)

We still have to play the match regardless, we'll open 4-4-2 Counter. Since I have pretty much zero expectations here, we'll see some odd names in the lineup, with McDonald getting his first league start in goal & Hoy making his first team debut. I figure "why not?".

GK: McDonald
D: Kulsten, Jones, Hoy, Groves
MF: Slaughter, Matondo, White, O'Connor
F: Mole, Armstrong
Bench: (Sinclair, Richards, Chinthengah, Taylor, Knight)

22:00 - Only one official shot so far, that by D&R in the opening minutes
33:20 - McDonald makes a sliding save with his feet but the rebound is poke home by Talbot (0-1) The ball ricocheted off our defender Hoy otherwise we might have survived that unblemished

Halftime - Rather amazing that things are this close. Outshot 7-1, but with 47% poss. We're passing okay, heading okay, tackling better than they are ... so of course my coaches are outraged by our garbage play. WTF? Are they watching the same game I am? I just tell the club we can still win today. We shuffle the deck a bit, try to get Hoy (5.8) to be more productive. He goes to RD, Groves to CMF, Slaughter to LCD. We switch to Standard.

50:00- O'Connor takes a knock & needs to come off. Sub Sinclair on at DR. Hoy back to RCD, Slaughter to LMF, Groves to RMF

54:15 - Long throw-in by D&R into the area ... Groves takes it away from Talbot but can't control it ... Talbot steps into the loose ball & shoots (0-2)/b]

60:29 - Armstrong & White work the ol' give-and-go ... Armstrong is free in the area and shoots ... GOAL ! [b](1-2) A slight hint of life perhaps?

62:10 - Or not. Ilesammi with a long cross to Shroot ... his header easily beats McDonald (1-3)

72:00 - Sub Taylor for Mole (5.7), shift White to F, sub Richards for Hoy (5.3)
75:00 - Switch to Attacking

Fulltime - Hard to win with only 3 shots while giving up 15. Didn't complete a single cross all day. Coaches are gravely disappointed, I'm just surprised it wasn't worse. I cautiously express my unhappiness with the performance, but make sure to tell the strikers I thought they did well.

McDonald 6.5
Kulsten 6.7, Jones 6.1, Hoy 5.3, Groves 6.0
Slaughter 5.7, Matondo 6.0, White 7.1 & 1 assist, O'Connor 6.5
Mole 5.7, Armstrong 7.2 & 1 goal
Subs: Taylor 6.7, Richards 6.6, Sinclair 6.1

Sept 29, 2012 (postmatch)
The longest winless streak of my career continues, and with it our slide down the table. 22nd now, a point behind three clubs, only two points ahead of Braintree and three up on Ebbsfleet.
--
O'Connor will be out 4-5 weeks with a pulled hamstring. Limits our ability to use the 4-4-1-1
----
Lincoln has fired their manager

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 02:35 AM

Sept 30, 2012
The contract of GK Max Johnson has expired and we release him on a free. That actually gets us back under our wage budget by a whopping $270 (he made $325/wk)

Oct 1, 2012
Training report
Good - David Knight (handling), Jason White (tactics), Adam Forster (aerobic)
Bad - Armstrong, Giddings, Martin (all ball control)
Youth Good - Rhys Paul (tactics), Mo Davies (strength)

Tamworth ST Jean-Paul Marna is BSBP Player of the Month with 8 goals in 7 apperances
Aldershot centre-back Angus MacDonald is BSBP Young Player of the Month
Mansfield boss Paul Cox is BSBP Manger of the Month (won 6 of last 7)

Board remains satisfied with my coaching of the team, underlined by fan happiness about Kidderminster win, muted by the fans disappointment about the loss to Gateshead. We lost just over $28k last month.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 03:10 AM

Oct 2, 2012
Our reserves lose at Middlesborough Reserves 2-0. Outshot 17-4, it looked a lot like a first team match. 5 players with ratings under 6.0, only Liam McGovern (7.0) really stood out positively.

-----
Oct 3, 2012
MF Nathan Luscombe joins Stockport on loan. He's a Hartlepool prospect that rejected our loan attempts more times than I care to count. Fuck him too.
-------
MFR Niall Thompson joins us on a part-time contract for $20/wk through next season. Fans are delighted with our acquisition of the 19 y/o former Torquay prospect
---

Oct 5, 2012
Youngster Reece Loudon will be out 2 weeks to recover from a strained wrist suffered during weight training
----

Oct 6, 2012
21 y/o MF Nathaniel Weddeburn joins Blyth on a p.a. basis for $375. He can play both in the middle & on the left side, at both MF & D. He spent the last four season moving between 3 League 2 clubs, originally a Stoke prospect.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 03:56 AM

Oct 6, 2012 (morning)
We bring in Scottish strike Lee Peacock on trial. The 35 y/o is in the final stage of his career but might have enough guile to help our anemic offense. We shall see.
----
Our U18s lose to Hartlepool 1-0 on the road.
----
Oct 6, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1-5-5, 22nd) vs Hayes & Yeading (4-3-4, 13th)

Pure midtable club for us on the road. They feature a pair of dangerous strikers that have been prolific (7 goals & 5 goals). They're 1:6 faves, we're 10:1 dogs.

GK: Knight
D: Giddings, Jones, Antwi, Sinclair
MF: Phillips, Hands, Whiteley, Richards
F: Mole, Chinthengah
Bench: (Purvis, Groves, Armstrong, White, Dovey)

4:00 - Phillips fouls Christophe in the area ... that's a penalty ... which turns into a goal (0-1)
16:00 -Switch to Standard
17:45 - Cadmore snags a loose ball in the area & bangs it home (0-2) Phillips failed to control that one
45:00 - Jones gives up an own goal while battling Ademeno
Halftime - Probably the worst half I've seen from us. Outshot 11-0, only 41% poss. Did little to nothing right. "Show me something else". Morale as bad as I've ever see it. Let's attack, see what happens next.

64:00 - I've seen enough. Sub Groves for Philips (5.4), shift Giddings to LMF
66:20 - Jones punts one deep ... Mole gives chase & catches up ... his lob from high in the area ... floats in! (1-3)
Sub Armstrong for Chinthengah (5.6)
74:00 - Sub Purvis for Richards

Fulltime - Sigh. Maybe we're just not good enough to be up here. Outshot 18-2. Just annihilated really. Only positive was that most of the players did improve in the 2nd half vs the awful 1st half.

Knight 6.1
Giddings 6.8, Jones 6.8 & 1 assist, Antwi 6.7, Sinclair 6.6
Phillips 5.4, Hands 6.6, Whiteley 6.5, Richards 5.9
Mole 7.3 & 1 goal, Chinthengah 5.6
Subs: Purvis 6.9, Groves/Armstrong 6.5

Oct 6, 2012 (postmatch)
We're still 22nd, now 2 pts back of the nearest teams ahead and only 2 pts in front of the teams behind.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 04:28 AM

Oct 7, 2012
We sign 19 y/o ST Adam Drury to a youth contract. Not a lot there for now, some potential though.
----
Oct 10, 2012
Our reserves drew SheffU 3-3, tying the game while a man short after Wedderburn picked up a stupid red card.in the final ten minutes. Billy Lobjoit (8.8) was MOM with a pair of goals including the equalizer. We were outshot 18-8 but the individual effort by Lobjoit made the difference.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 04:38 AM

Oct 12, 2012
RD Nathan D'Laryea agrees to terms with BSBN side Stalybridge and exits Blyth after appearing in one league match this year. He had remained on a p.a. basis after playing in 22 games last year. We wish him well.
----

MF Shaun Vipond has returned to full training after missing 6 weeks with an ankle sprain.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 04:47 AM

Oct 13, 2012
Our U18s lost at West Ham U 6-1. WHU only shot 8 time, 7 of those on target, 6 went into the net. Jonathan Henly was thoroughly shelled and yet managed a 6.0 rating. The backline was horrific, most of the rest were worse. Trevor Mutero (7.4) provided the lone highlight with a goal that close us to within 3-1 at 36'. They would scored again before the half & added two more in the final 45 minutes.
----
I see where Callaum Hassan has finished his loan to Braintree & returns to Hartlepool. He played in 2 matches with a 6.8 rating.

Poli

04-15-2012, 09:06 AM

Read page 1 last night. I'm not ready for this.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 10:58 AM

Read page 1 last night. I'm not ready for this.

You'll do fine. Just be patient with what feels like a steep learning curve because, well, I think it is a pretty steep curve.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2012, 03:24 PM

Oct 13, 2012 (afternoon)
Blyth (1-5-6, 22nd) vs Braintree (2-0-10, 23rd)

Relegation battle time. If we can't beat these guys I'm starting to wonder if we're ever going to win again. Thing is, we're actually underdogs here & deservedly so. They're 4:6 faves, we're 7:2 dogs. Keep an eye on the ref, he's averaging 7 yellows per match so far this season. We'll be starting in a 4-4-2 Standard, then hope to quickly react to the situations that arise.

GK: Knight
D: Martin, Jones, Sinclair, Groves
MF: Slaughter, Matondo, White, Richards
F: Armstrong, Mole
Bench: (Purvis, Hands, Stamp, Giddings, Dovey)

1:15 - Groves free kick from the point cracks off the crossbar ... hope that isn't a bad omen
4:40 - Slaughter with a nice tackle for a turnover ... loose ball to Matondo ... pass to Slaughter who shoots from the top of the area ... GOAL !!!(1-0) his first goal for us in league play
23:45 - Marks into the area, with room ... Knight lunges and makes the grab
31:00 - Groves with a free kick ... lobs it into the area for Mole .. he goes up and the header is in !(2-0)
40:00 - Richards takes flight down the right sideline ... lifts a pass ahead to Mole on the break ... quick touch and a shot from the right side of the area ... GOAL ! (3-0)

Halftime - Well that's an improvement. We've actually been outshot 7-6 but 4 of ours were on target to their 2. We need to be doing a lot of things better - heading, tackling, passing - but the results have been fine. Keep it going boys.

53:15 - Slaughter with a long throw-in to the area ... Mole is there but the keeper denies his quick shot
Switch to Counter
54:30 - Martin clears a dangerous situation off the line
71:00 - Sub Hands for Armstrong (move Matondo forward), Sub Purvis for Richards (move Groves to MR, Sinclair to RD), Switch to Defensive
78:30 - Mole with a nice cross to the left side of the area for Slaughter ... he's clattered by Junior Osborne ... Penalty ! They protest to no avail. Cards however remain in the pocket, could have been Osborne's second yellow but wasn't.
79:15 - Mole calmly steps up for the penalty ... and airmails it high into the stands
83:00 - Sub Giddings for Matondo (yellow card)

Fulltime - Not exactly a work of art but it's surely a relief. Outshot 12-9, we got just enough at the right moments to win comfortably. I suspect we'll be hearing from the league about the 4 yellow cards though.

Knight 7.5
Martin 7.3, Jones 8.0, Sinclair 7.1, Groves(MOM) 8.0 & 1 assist
Slaughter 7.9 & 1 goal,Matondo 7.2 & 1 assist,White 6.8,Richards 7.2&1 assist
Armstrong 6.3, Mole 7.6 & 2 goals
Subs: Purvis 6.7, Hands 6.6, Giddings N/A

Oct 13, 2012 (postmatch)
The win improves my mood but not our place in the table. Still stuck in the drop zone, 21st with 11 pts, ahead of Stockport on GD but still trailing Welling & Lincoln by 2 points. Lincoln stunned Dag & Red (2nd) 3-1 to remain in front of us, Welling lost to slip back a bit

Only 3 days to enjoy this, with a trip to Salisbury (9th) followed by a match at home against Welling (19th) a week from today.