[Greyfriars Bobby]

12 September 2013

September was an even busier month than August had been. We had a full slate of matches in league play, plus two cup competitions. It was a good month, with only a few bumps in the road.

Lots happened during the month, so I'll present the tale in two installments.

4 September: Barton Rovers 1-1 Waltham Abbey
FA Cup, First Preliminary Round Replay
Crabb, Marriott, Taylor, Carney, Dighton, Mantle, Heald, Smith, Munday, Martin, Walshe.
This match had a bit of everything. We fell behind on 23', and the match took an even more ominous turn when Liam Walshe was forced off with a badly twisted ankle. Charlie Phelan came on for him, and WITHIN FIVE MINUTES Charlie was on the sideline, getting treatment from the physio! Phelan soldiered on as long as he could, but I eventually had to pull him from the game, too.

Now James Munday was our frontman, and while he's far from natural there, he can pass a football no matter where he's playing. On 86 minutes, he spotted an unmarked Alex Smith at the edge of the six yard box and slipped him the ball. Smith slotted it home and kept our hopes alive!

On we went to extra time, and neither team could score.

Now, to penalties. It took nine rounds to settle matters, but when Mark Crabb got his gloves on Anthony Lord's spot kick, the Abbots secured a spot in the next round!
Waltham Abbey win, 8-9, on penalties.

Phelan's knock turned out to be a bruised rib. He'll be out for two weeks or so. Walshe's ankle was much worse; we won't see him on the pitch until mid-October, at the earliest.

7 September: Waltham Abbey 1-0 Wroxham
Crabb, Carney, Bateman, Perks, Greene, English, Heald, Thompson, Austin, Holdsworth, Campbell.
The hapless Yachtsmen were bottom of the league when they came to Capershotts to face a very, very weary Abbots side. We had just enough in the tank to see them off, on a goal from Richard Heald. I hadn't been sure what to make of Heald at the beginning of the season. It turns out he responds very well to a more assertive approach.

8 September: Hello, Nathan Clarke
Clarke was the solution to our acute need for a striker. Not only were Phelan and Walshe injured, so was youth forward Jay Cooke, who got hurt in a U21 match. Nathan is 16, and he's got very good wheels. He's understandably raw, but he's determined and hard-working, with a Resolute personality I like a lot. Once the injury problems subside, I'll let him develop with the youth team. Right now, I'm having to rush him into the fray.

8 September: Hello, Christian Lang
You might recall I wasn't sure what to do when Nick Baldwin presented me with the chance to bring Lang into the team. I decided to ask for some advice. Two of you PMed me, and both voted "yes." Then I asked my in-house experts: my two oldest children.

My 13-year-old son was enthusiastic. He calls Lang "The Manuel Neuer of the Isthmian League First Division North." My 10-year-old daughter also voted "yes," but with reservations, pointing out that Crabb just owned the penalty shootout in the Cup tie and kept his sheet clean against Wroxham.

So, with such stirring support from his fans, Christian Lang is now an Abbot. He's big like Neuer: 6'6", 209 pounds. He bosses his area and organizes his defense with authority. His Achilles heel is the mental side of his game, which is only so-so. If he were better there, he'd be playing in the Football League. He's 25, so he is what he is, and what he is will work just fine here. Mark Crabb has done fine, but Lang looked too good to pass up.

9 September: Brentwood Town 0-2 Waltham Abbey
Lang, Marriott, Carney, Taylor, Dighton, Slack, Wheeldon, Reynolds, Turner,Munday, Clarke
We arrived at Brentwood Centre in high spirits, as we'd just snuck into fifth place, the lowest playoff spot. The Blues were third, so this was a very good test for us.

We passed the test with flying colors, thanks to our new gloveman Lang, who handled all three shots he faced, and a pair of teenagers. Christy Slack, up from the U21s to man the left wing, potted a goal early in the second half. Then, as time drew down, he lofted a pretty free kick that another U21 call-up, big Matthew McPhee, headed home.

Take a bow, Christy Slack. You're the Man of the Match.

10 September: Hello, David Evans
Poor Nathan Clarke didn't seem ready for first team football, not quite yet. At 16, he can't quite conquer his nerves. Enter our new striker, Steven Evans.

I discovered Evans in an off-beat way. Our next opponent was Lewes, a bigger club in the Isthmian Premier League. As I was scouting them, I noticed that the smallest player in the Premier League was the aforementioned Evans, who played for Thamesmead Town and tops out an inch shy of five feet tall.

Yes, you read that right. Evans is 4'11". He weighs 121 pounds. He's the smallest player I've ever seen in Football Manager.

Intrigued, I decided to see what kind of player he was. It turned out Evans, 23, was on a non-contract arrangement with Thamesmead, and he'd turned out for them seven times, four with the U21s. He's as quick as a wink, which you'd have to be at his size, and possesses the determination of a terrier. He's also a wickedly effective finisher. He was willing to come to Waltham Abbey on a non-contract deal.

Once Phelan and Walshe are back on the pitch, Evans will probably be our third striker. Nonetheless, he should be a useful player, and he's a heck of a lot of fun to have on the team.


Just for fun, here's how our kits look. I seem to be partial to teams who wear green and white hoops. Wantage, whom I had fun managing in FM 13, wear them, too.